Scenarios for Sustainable Farming Systems for Macadamia Nuts and Mangos Using a Systems Dynamics Lens in the Vhembe District, Limpopo South Africa

Fenji Materechera () and Mary Scholes
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Fenji Materechera: School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences (APES), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Mary Scholes: School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences (APES), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Agriculture is arguably one of the most important economic sectors for South Africa’s development as it is directly linked to food security. Farming systems in South Africa have been characterized by a duality where large-scale commercial farmers and small-scale farmers co-exist. The conventional approach to understanding agricultural production in the country has always viewed the two farming systems as mutually exclusive. The study argues that there are various points of interaction between the two kinds of farmers and by using a systems dynamics approach to evaluate the two farming systems this can be applied to agricultural decision making. Data were used to identify and characterise small- and large-scale farming systems of two tree crops (mangos— Mangifera indica L. and macadamia nuts— Macadamia integrifolia M&B.) in the Vhembe district of Limpopo South Africa. The interactions between the two different farmers are illustrated using Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) of the two farming systems under similar commodities. Results, presented as four conceptual scenarios, show that there are multiple points of interaction, such as the interdependence of farmers of macadamia nuts to meet export demands. Policy recommendations to strengthen collaboration between small-scale mango farmers and implement irrigation expansion for farmers who depend on rain-fed farming are discussed and present opportunities for the co-functioning of the two farming systems.

Keywords: interactions; scenarios; systems dynamics; agriculture; South Arica (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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