South Africa and Chile: Agricultural Trade Relationships

This article considers Chile and South Africa’s agricultural policy evolutions in terms of trade. It also looks at Chile and South Africa’s trade with the rest of the world, particularly with regards to agricultural trade. From an agricultural trade perspective, Chile’s position as a direct competitor of South Africa for the EU and USA markets is clearly apparent, primarily due to their joint location in the southern hemisphere. Furthermore, the movement of agricultural products between these nations from a South African export perspective is discussed. This article explores the potential for South Africa to increase its exports to Chile by deepening existing trading and investigating the expansion of trade lines. Two policy observations can be identified from this study with a view to improving South Africa’s current agricultural sector and increasing its exports trade to Chile. The first observation is the manner in which the agricultural budget is allocated (following Chile’s successful budget allocation as a guide). The second observation is, should South Africa negotiate a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Chile, the opportunities for agricultural export expansion from the products listed in the annexe shown on the final page.International Relations/Trade,

Economic efficiency analysis of small-scale tomato farmers in greater Letaba municipality, Limpopo province, South Africa

This paper analysed the economic efficiency of small-scale tomato farmers in the Greater Letaba municipality of South Africa’s Limpopo Province. Primary data were collected from 68 tomato farmers based on structured questionnaires and using convenience and purposive sampling procedures. The Cobb-Douglas production function was used to analyse the level of economic efficiency. The study utilised the output approach, where the output achieved by the farmers is compared to the maximum output attainable using the given inputs. The empirical results reveal that mean technical, allocative, and economic efficiency levels are at 0.95, 0.41 and 0.39, respectively. The study also found that land (farm size), seedlings, labour, pesticides and water have a positively significant relationship with the production of tomatoes in the study area. Therefore, it is recommended that the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development provide farmers with enough extension services by employing more extension personnel. Government programmes such as the Comprehensive Agricultural Support Programme should be intensified – through the pillar of training and capacity building – to reach the small-scale farmers in the municipality, whereby farmers should be provided with training on the recommended minimum and maximum application of inputs like pesticides, fertilisers, seedlings and water in tomato production

Food system resilience through enhanced productive efficiency: evidence from smallholder farmers in South Africa

The resilience of smallholder food system remains critical for sustained food security, income generation, and employment particularly at household level in South Africa. This smallholder food system also carries potential for transition to commercial farming in the long term. The study set out to examine food system resilience through enhanced productive efficiency for smallholder raisins, wool, and broiler producers across nine provinces. We applied the stochastic production frontier model on cross-sectional data obtained from 173 producers. Results show that inefficiency undermines the resilience of food production system in smallholder farming. This challenge is more severe in broiler producers compared to wool and raisins producers. Despite this, a unit increase in labour and investment spending is associated with 0.43%, and 0.52% increase in agricultural output. Overall, the coefficients add-up to a value of 1.09, indicating that agricultural production in smallholder farming achieved increasing returns to scales. This implies that the proportion of increase in output is more than the increase in inputs. But for resilience and sustainability of smallholder food system, producers can still increase productive efficiency by 61% without changing inputs. Policy should focus on addressing inefficiencies through extension services that provides education and training; encouraging government and the private sector to collaborate in efforts to invest in smallholder development; and development and implementation of a national transformation plan for smallholder producers

Introduction of household biogas digesters in rural farming households of the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality, South Africa

The study aimed to introduce biogas as an alternative source of energy for rural cattle farmers in the Maluti-a-Phofung municipality in the Free State Province, South Africa. To augment the rural farming community’s adoption of the biodigester technology the following initiatives were undertaken: (i) a situational analysis (or diagnostic survey); (ii) training on biogas production in an integrated crop-livestock-bioenergy system; (iii) installation of the biodigesters; and (iv) monitoring and evaluation of the biogas production. Results on the diagnostic survey showed that the main source of energy for cooking was wood in all the farms and availability of water was not a constraint. Prefabricated biodigesters of 6m3 -12m3 were installed in all the households and, after continual feeding of the units with cattle dung, the production of biogas increased gradually. Monitoring of biogas production showed that, in two-thirds of the households, 80% of their cooking needs were met in summer, while in winter biogas production was minimal due to extremely cold weather. Challenges faced included non-adherence to a feeding regime – resulting in a blockage of the biodigester – and lack of feeding. Generally, farmers in the study area showed a high appreciation of the biodigester technology

A Comparison of the Technical Communications Practices of Japanese and U.S. Aerospace Engineers and Scientists

To understand the diffusion of aerospace knowledge, it is necessary to understand the communications practices and the information-seeking behaviors of those involved in the production, transfer, and use of aerospace knowledge at the individual, organizational, national, and international levels. In this paper, we report selected results from a survey of Japanese and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists that focused on communications practices and information-seeking behaviors in the workplace. Data are presented for the following topics: importance of and time spent communicating information, collaborative writing, need for an undergraduate course in technical communications, use of libraries, the use and importance of electronic (computer) networks, and the use and importance of foreign and domestically produced technical reports. The responses of the survey respondents are placed within the context of the Japanese culture. We assume that differences in Japanese and U.S. cultures influence the communications practices and information-seeking behaviors of Japanese and U.S. aerospace engineers and scientists

A COMPARATIVE STUDY TO DETERMINE THE KNEE JOINT FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH FEMUR SHAFT FRACTURES MANAGED OPERATIVELY OR CONSEVATELY AT NDOLA HOSPITAL:complete enumeration (Preprint)

BACKGROUND According to WHO, It has been reported that there has been a rise in road traffic accidents globally due to many factors. Consequently this has contributed to an increase in fracture of the femur in hospitals. The annual incidence of these Fractures has been estimated to be 10 per 100,000 persons and this incidence has been noticed to be higher among the youths decreasing after the age of 40 and then increasing in the elderly. These fractures are either managed conservatively or operatively. OBJECTIVE the aim of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in knee joint functional outcome in patients with femur shaft fractures managed operatively and conservatively at Ndola Teaching Hospital at the orthopedics clinic and physiotherapy. This in future might help to place emphasis on government to sensitize the right measures needed to improve on the functional outcome of a knee joint in patients with femur fracture who are treated operatively or conservatively METHODS the method used for the study was a complete enumeration of all patients with femur fractures that were admitted at orthopedic ward, visited the orthopedic clinic and physiotherapy sessions at NTH between the period of July 2019 to September 2019. Data collected will be analyzed using a statistical data software called Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). The independent variable that will be considered in the study are age, DOI, DOA, femur shaft fractures, treatment and others that that will meet the selection Criteria. The dependent variable will be “Knee Joint Functional Outcome”. RESULTS Results did not show statistically significant difference in knee functional outcome for two methods (conservative or operative). In the current study it was noted that there was much reduction in swelling in the operative in comparison to the conservative group. We may therefore conclude that the operative management promises a better outcome especially when done on time. However it seemed the operative procedure was not preferred for any conservative approach however the study has shown an in depth feasibility study to affirm such findings in order to inform on policy or management paradigim shift. CONCLUSIONS There is need for further intervention in the management of femur fracture which complicates to poor knee joint function </sec

Performance determinants of wine farms in the Western Cape: An interval modelling approach

This study identifies wine farm and owner characteristics that affect the performance of wine farms in three wine growing regions of the Western Cape, South Africa, using the interval regression approach based on a sample of 91 wine farms. Characteristics of wine farm owners found to impact significantly on wine farm performance include gender, age, and objectives. Wine farms attributes that were significant include the size of the farm, farm location, number of years that the farm has been bottling its own wine, restaurant on site, the type of wine produced, farm friendliness to disabled people, distance from the nearest urban centre, and total number of workers. The McFadden's pseudo-R2 is 0.1867, indicating that the predictors accounted for approximately 18.67 per cent of the variability in the latent outcome variable. The findings show that the performance of wine farms is influenced by both internal firm and entrepreneurial factors

Analysis of capital sources, owner objectives, and determinants of performance of wine farms in the Western Cape

Thesis (MScAgric (Agricultural Economics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Wes-Kaapprovinsie van Suid-Afrika beskik oor ’n diverse kapasiteit wat landbouproduksie betref en dit dra tot die sektor se algemene stabiliteit by; vandaar die bevordering van die Wes-Kaap as ’n aantreklike beleggingsektor. Die wynbedryf, wat ’n belangrike integrerende deel van die landbousektor in die Wes-Kaap uitmaak, speel ’n baie belangrike rol in die ekonomie van die Provinsie en bied ontsaglike geleenthede met betrekking tot landboukundige beleggings in die Provinsie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf is bekend vir sy produkte van hoë gehalte. Tans word indirekte aanwysers soos die inkomste van produsente, die aantal nuwe wynkelders, asook die ouderdomsamestelling van wingerdstokke in Suid-Afrika, gebruik om die beleggings- netto toevloeiing in die wynbedryf te bereken. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie is om die mees algemene bronne van kapitaal van wynplase en die mees algemene doelwitte wat wynboere in die Wes-Kaap probeer om te bereik, te identifiseer. Nog ’n doelwit is om daardie wynplaas- en eienaarskenmerke te identifiseer wat die prestasie van wynplase in die Wes-Kaapprovinsie van Suid-Afrika beïnvloed. Om die ontleding te vergemaklik is die hoofprobleem in drie spesifieke doelwitte of subprobleme verdeel. Die studie het van verskeie metodes en tegnieke gebruik gemaak in ’n poging om relevante en akkurate data te verkry. Die verskillende bronne wat geraadpleeg is het persoonlike beraadslaging met deskundiges in die bedryf, artikels wat in verskeie akademiese vaktydskrifte en boeke gepubliseer is, referate wat by konferensies gelewer is, verhandelings van nagraadse studente, en ander artikels op die Internet ingesluit. Data-ontledings wat met die eerste en tweede subprobleme verband gehou het is met die gebruik van statistiese pakkette soos Excel en Stata in die vorm van veelvoudige kruistabulerings uitgevoer. In die derde probleem, naamlik om wynplaas- en eienaarskenmerke te identifiseer wat die prestasie van wynplase in die Wes-Kaap beïnvloed, is ’n intervalregressiegelykstelling bereken deur van die Stata- statistiese sagtewarepakket gebruik te maak.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Western Cape Province of South Africa has a diverse agricultural production capacity and this contributes to the sector’s general stability, hence its promotion as an attractive investment sector. The wine industry, a significant component of the agricultural sector in the Western Cape, plays a very important role in the economy of the Province and presents enormous opportunities in terms of agricultural investments in the Province. The South Africa’s wine industry is renowned for its high quality products. Currently, indirect indicators such as producer income, the number of new wine cellars, as well as the age composition of vines in South Africa, are used to estimate investment net flows into the wine industry. The main objectives of this study are to identify the most common sources of capital in wine farms and the most common objectives that wine farm owners are trying to achieve in the Western Cape Province. Another objective is to identify those wine farm and owner characteristics that affect the performance of wine farms in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. For ease of analysis, the main problem was divided into three specific objectives or sub-problems. The study employed a number of methods and techniques in an effort to obtain relevant and accurate data. The different sources consulted include personal communications with industry experts, articles published in different academic journals and books, conference papers, postgraduate students’ theses, and other articles from the internet. Data analyses relating to the first and second sub-problems were carried out using Excel and Stata statistical packages and took the form of multiple cross-tabulations. In the third subproblem i.e., to identify wine farm and owner characteristics that affect the performance of wine farms in the Western Cape, an interval regression equation was estimated using Stata statistical software package

Regional integration and warlord politics : the case of West Africa

Includes bibliographical references.This research thesis is a critique of the main explanations of regional integration in West Africa. In critiquing West African regional integration, this research introduces and integrates the growing literature on the concept of warlords with theory of regional integration. The main explanations of West African regional integration are functionalism and federalism respectively. The critique in this study is informed by the practical lack of successful regional integration in West Africa, i.e. the failure to merge West African states and establish regional co-operation through regional integration. With regards to West African regional integration, the conventional, also known as the traditional view, argues and maintains that on practical and theoretical levels, integrationist approaches are inherently inappropriate to such integration because they ignore complex realities faced by states that are integrating or wish to integrate. According to the conventional argument, these realities include forces such as globalisation, the nature of North-South trade relations, the colonial experience, which today is responsible for the chaotic social-political and economic landscape in regions such as West Africa This landscape is characterised by economically, politically and institutionally weak countries

Performance determinants of wine farms in the Western Cape: An interval modelling approach

This study identifies wine farm and owner characteristics that affect the performance of wine farms in three wine growing regions of the Western Cape, South Africa, using the interval regression approach based on a sample of 91 wine farms. Characteristics of wine farm owners found to impact significantly on wine farm performance include gender, age, and objectives. Wine farms attributes that were significant include the size of the farm, farm location, number of years that the farm has been bottling its own wine, restaurant on site, the type of wine produced, farm friendliness to disabled people, distance from the nearest urban centre, and total number of workers. The McFadden's pseudo-R2 is 0.1867, indicating that the predictors accounted for approximately 18.67 per cent of the variability in the latent outcome variable. The findings show that the performance of wine farms is influenced by both internal firm and entrepreneurial factors. © Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa.Articl