Youth Participation in Agriculture in the Nkonkobe District Municipality, South Africa

In this paper, a binary logistic model was used to analyse the determinants of youth participation in agriculture in the Nkonkobe Municipality in South Africa. A total of 140 youth were purposively selected for the study to complete a survey. The results show that the variables; youth programmes, programme availability, and resources were statistically significant in explaining the factors that affect youth participation in agricultural activities. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that in order to influence youth participation, they should be provided with youth programmes and resources

Sustainable development: biofuels in agriculture

Biofuels are socially and politically accepted as a form of sustainable energy in numerous countries. However, cases of environmental degradation and land grabs have highlighted the negative effects to their adoption. Smallholder farmers are vital in the development of a biofuel industry. The study sought to assess the implications in the adoption of biofuel crops by smallholder farmers. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 129 smallholder farmers who were sampled from the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. A binary probit model was used to investigate the determinants of smallholder farmers adopting biofuel crops. The empirical results showed that the variables, such as membership in association, occupation and incentives were statistically significant in influencing farmers’ decision to adopt biofuel crops. Furthermore, it was discovered that the studied areas have a potential to grow biofuel crops

Barriers and incentives to potential adoption of biofuel crops by smallholder farmers in selected areas in the Chris Hani and O.R. Tambo district municipalities, South Africa

Since the launch of the Biofuels Industrial Strategy in 2007 by the South African government, only a few smallholder farmers have adopted biofuels for production. The government hopes to stimulate economic development and alleviate poverty by targeting areas that were previously neglected for agriculture by the apartheid government. However, there still appears to be a lack of a clear and comprehensive policy framework for the development of a South African biofuel industry, because the proposed initiatives have not been implemented to date. There are also concerns among stakeholders that government policy is taking too long to formulate, compounding existing uncertainty in the industry. This study therefore aims to identify barriers and incentives that influence the potential adoption of biofuel crops in selected areas in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study utilised a semi-structured questionnaire to record responses from 129 smallholder farmers that were identified through a snowballing sampling technique. Descriptive statistical analysis and a Heckman two-step model were applied to analyse the data. Analysis was done using SPSS 21 and EViews 8. Results obtained showed that the variables: arable land, incentives offered, challenges faced, labour source and farm experience were statistical significant at 5 or 10 percent p value to awareness of farmers to biofuel crops. Adoption of biofuel crops was statistically related to gender, qualification, membership to association and household size. The study recommends that the Biofuels Industrial Strategy Policy be revisited in order to have a mechanism of including smallholder farmers that it aims to empower with employment and improvement in their livelihoods. The government can help smallholder farmers by addressing the challenges they face in improving their output. Furthermore, it recommends that a national study on barriers and incentives that influence the adoption of biofuel crops be carried out in order to identify other factors that may hinder the Biofuels Strategy Policy aims in empowering the disadvantaged farmers

Non-linearity behaviour of the ALBI Index: A case of Johannesburg Stock Exchange in South Africa

Since the global financial crisis that crippled the world’s financial markets in 2007, interest in nonlinear dynamics in form of deterministic chaos has increased. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to detect if whether stock returns exhibit nonlinear and chaotic tendencies. By using recent statistical tools to overcome some of the limitations faced in financial data. The study made use of the powerful BDS test, LM test and Variance Ratio Test. The empirical results suggest that the ALBI index exhibit nonlinear tendencies and chaotic behaviour

An Application of the Corporate Virtue Scale to Assess Managers’ Perceptions of Ethical Behaviour in Public Organizations and Service Provision

A strong ethical culture is the key to any organization’s long-term success. The purpose of this research was to investigate the link between an organization’s ethical culture and its effect on workers’ well-being, as well as to test the construct validity of the Corporate Virtue Scale (CEV). In South Africa’s Buffalo Municipality, 277 managers from different government agencies made up the sample. The eight-factor CEV scale was validated through a confirmatory factor analysis. Employees’ stress and emotional exhaustion were linked to their views on the prevalence of an ethical culture in public agencies. The results of this study show that an organization’s ethical culture significantly affects its employees’ quality of life on the job. The CEV scale was found to have construct validity, proving its reliability and validity in practice. The government is urged to prioritize the streamlining of regulations and processes that foster an ethical culture in public institutions

Smallholder farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

In this study, 157 smallholder farmers from the OR Tambo and Chris Hani district municipality in South Africa were purposively sampled to participate in a survey. The objective was to identify the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops. Using a binary logistic model, it was found that the variables: gender, household income, membership in association, land utilization and qualification were statistically significant in influencing farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops. Therefore, it is recommended that the South African government should identify the smallholder farmers targeted for the biofuel program by their social status, as pointed in this study. Keywords: awareness, binary model, biofuel industrial policy, energy, shared growth initiative, smallholder farmers. JEL Classification: Q1, Q2, Q4, Q

Smallholder farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

In this study, 157 smallholder farmers from the OR Tambo and Chris Hani district municipality in South Africa were purposively sampled to participate in a survey. The objective was to identify the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops. Using a binary logistic model it was found that the variables; gender, household income, membership in association; land utilisation and qualification were statistically significant in influencing farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops. Therefore, it is recommended that the South African government should identify the smallholder farmers targeted for the biofuel programme by their social status as pointed in this study

Youth Participation in Agriculture in the Nkonkobe District Municipality, South Africa

In this paper, a binary logistic model was used to analyse the determinants of youth participation in agriculture in the Nkonkobe Municipality in South Africa. A total of 140 youth were purposively selected for the study to complete a survey. The results show that the variables; youth programmes, programme availability, and resources were statistically significant in explaining the factors that affect youth participation in agricultural activities. Based on the study findings, it is recommended that in order to influence youth participation, they should be provided with youth programmes and resources

Awareness of Islamic Banking Products and Services among Consumers in South Africa

The Islamic banking system has been operational in South Africa since 1989. Islamic banking products and services are available in Islamic banks and Islamic windows operated by conventional banks. However, awareness of Islamic banking products and services has been low. The stability of any economy is dependent on the performance of the financial sector. The financial sector functions as an engine to the economy linking units to deliver goods and services to the people. Islamic banking works on a concept of free interest and it is practised according to the Sharia Law whose source is from the Quran. This study analysed consumer awareness level towards Islamic banking products and services. A sample of 140 respondents from different cities in South Africa was selected. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic model were used to analyse the responses. The results indicated that gender, age, race, and qualification were statistical significant in influencing awareness of consumers. Further, the findings note that there is a lack of understanding in the principles of Islamic Banking. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n9p9