Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa
In South Africa, smallholder farming is an important aspect of livelihood. More so, organic farming is increasingly becoming popular among farmers. However, many studies undertaken focused on the trade possibilities of the industry leaving the farmers’ perceptions underrepresented. This study, there...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/11/1157 |
| _version_ | 1797511651842326528 |
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| author | Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure Zongho Kom Karabo Shale Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe Jacobus Steyn |
| author_facet | Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure Zongho Kom Karabo Shale Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe Jacobus Steyn |
| author_sort | Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In South Africa, smallholder farming is an important aspect of livelihood. More so, organic farming is increasingly becoming popular among farmers. However, many studies undertaken focused on the trade possibilities of the industry leaving the farmers’ perceptions underrepresented. This study, therefore, aims to capture the farmers’ opinions by evaluating the critical factors and policy implications of organic farming in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. A total of 220 semi-structured questionnaires were administered to smallholder farmers in the province. The results revealed that organic farming is gaining recognition according to 82.8% of the participants, and 86.6% believed that organic farming has high-profit returns. However, 88.4% of the respondents agreed that the required standards for organic farming are too restrictive while a further 74.6% indicated that organic farming certification is difficult to obtain. The results also indicated a statistically significant difference in the perceived benefits of organic farming (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) and access to markets (<i>p</i> = 0.042). Based on the results, the study suggests more awareness, training and ease of certification as a way forward in changing the perceptions of the farmers in the province. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:48:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-90d3460e78d04df28ee9e861d4bc1039 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T05:48:14Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-90d3460e78d04df28ee9e861d4bc10392023-11-22T22:00:06ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-11-011111115710.3390/agriculture11111157Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South AfricaSolomon Eghosa Uhunamure0Zongho Kom1Karabo Shale2Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe3Jacobus Steyn4Faculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town 8000, South AfricaFaculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South AfricaFaculty of Applied Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town 8000, South AfricaFaculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South AfricaFaculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, University of Venda, Thohoyandou 0950, South AfricaIn South Africa, smallholder farming is an important aspect of livelihood. More so, organic farming is increasingly becoming popular among farmers. However, many studies undertaken focused on the trade possibilities of the industry leaving the farmers’ perceptions underrepresented. This study, therefore, aims to capture the farmers’ opinions by evaluating the critical factors and policy implications of organic farming in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. A total of 220 semi-structured questionnaires were administered to smallholder farmers in the province. The results revealed that organic farming is gaining recognition according to 82.8% of the participants, and 86.6% believed that organic farming has high-profit returns. However, 88.4% of the respondents agreed that the required standards for organic farming are too restrictive while a further 74.6% indicated that organic farming certification is difficult to obtain. The results also indicated a statistically significant difference in the perceived benefits of organic farming (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) and access to markets (<i>p</i> = 0.042). Based on the results, the study suggests more awareness, training and ease of certification as a way forward in changing the perceptions of the farmers in the province.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/11/1157agriculturecompostfarmers’ certificationfood productionorganic farmingsmallholder |
| spellingShingle | Solomon Eghosa Uhunamure Zongho Kom Karabo Shale Nthaduleni Samuel Nethengwe Jacobus Steyn Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa Agriculture agriculture compost farmers’ certification food production organic farming smallholder |
| title | Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa |
| title_full | Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa |
| title_short | Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Organic Farming in South Africa |
| title_sort | perceptions of smallholder farmers towards organic farming in south africa |
| topic | agriculture compost farmers’ certification food production organic farming smallholder |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/11/1157 |
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