Effects of demographics towards crop choice and farming practices in the high value crop programme in OR Tambo District Municipality

J. Kau and E. Mashayamombe

No 284739, 2018 Annual Conference, September 25-27, Cape Town, South Africa from Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA)

Abstract: The objective of the study was to assess the effect of demographics, towards crop choice and farming practices among the 90 farmers participating in the High Value crop production programme in O.R. Tambo district municipality in the Eastern Cape province and how this affected the level of farm income generated. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to carry out field interviews. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis were employed for data analyses. The results of multivariate regression analyses shows that as a farmer�s age increased by a year, their chances of growing cabbages increased by 1.70%. As the plot size increased by a hectare, the chances of farmers growing cabbages decreased by 6.12%; their chance of growing maize decreased by 1.71%, but their chance of growing potatoes increased by 9.36%. These results were statistically significant at 10% level of significance. Farmers who hired extra labour earned 168% more income than those who did not. High farm-income was statistically significantly associated with increase in plot size, gender of the farmer (males performing better than women), and fertilizer application. Implementing policies that would result in equal distribution of land between men and women and educating women on how to optimally exploit limited resources is necessary. Key words: Demographics, High Value Crops, crop choice, plot size, level of farm income

Keywords: Crop; Production/Industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-09-25
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aeas18:284739

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.284739

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