The impact of HIV/AIDS on food security and household vulnerability in Swaziland

This study investigated the impact of HIV/AIDS on food security and household vulnerability in Swaziland. Personal interviews with 847 selected farming households revealed an increase in sales of crops and livestock to finance funerals and healthcare, a decrease in expenditure on agricultural inputs, and an increase in expenditure on medical bills and funerals. Most households were vulnerable to food insecurity. The affected households therefore need assistance in order to maintain food production and security, including support in the form of agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and seeds through the markets and special arrangements to allow them access to affordable inputs. Therapeutic feeding and home based care will be needed for the chronically ill in vulnerable households.impact, HIV/AIDS, food security, household vulnerability, Food Security and Poverty,

The role of trust in the performance of supply chains: A dyad analysis of smallholder farmers and processing firms in the sugar industry in Swaziland

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of trust in the performance of the sugar industry supply chain in Swaziland. The study utilized perceptions of 124 smallholder cane growers in the sugar industry in Swaziland. Items presented in a Likert type scale were used to measure cane growersÂ’ trust in the millers. Descriptive statistics involving cross tabulation were used to determine the impact of trust on the performance of the cane growers, which in turn has an influence on the performance of the whole sugar chain. The results indicate that farmers who have trust in the millers perform better than those without trust, and hence they contribute to the performance of the whole chain, in terms of more and good quality sugarcane supplied to the mill. This implies more sugar production and increased income to the industry as a whole. The results imply that a relationship founded on trust and mutual respect is more likely to succeed than a relationship of convenience supported by legal contingencies. Therefore, there is a need for honesty, fairness and absence of opportunistic behaviour between millers and cane growers for the industry to improve its performance.Agribusiness,

THE ROLE OF TRUST IN THE PERFORMANCE OF SUPPLY CHAINS: A DYAD ANALYSIS OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS AND PROCESSING FIRMS IN THE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN SWAZILAND

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the role of trust in the performance of the sugar industry supply chain in Swaziland. The study utilized perceptions of 124 smallholder cane growers in the sugar industry in Swaziland. Items presented in a likert type scale were used to measure cane growers' trust in the millers. Descriptive statistics involving cross tabs was used to determine the impact of trust on the performance of the cane growers, which in turn has an influence in the performance of the whole sugar chain. The results indicate that farmers who have trust in the millers perform better than those without trust, and hence they contribute to the performance of the whole chain, in terms of more and good quality sugarcane supplied to the mill and that implies more sugar to be produced and increased income to the industry as a whole. The results imply that a relationship founded on trust, mutual respect is more likely to succeed than a relationship of convenience supported by legal contingencies. Therefore, there is a need for honesty, fairness and absence of opportunistic behaviour between millers and cane growers, for the industry to improve its performanceInstitutional and Behavioral Economics,

Governance and Accountability of Multi-Purpose Cooperatives in the Shiselweni Region of Swaziland: Implications for Education and Training

Cooperatives are perceived as innovative institutions that are able to secure the participation of communities in economic development. The study examined the extent of good governance and accountability in multi-purpose cooperatives and the implications for member education and training in Swaziland. The objectives of the study were to: determine the status of governance; establish the level of accountability; and establish the status of cooperative member education and training in multi-purpose cooperatives in Swaziland. A descriptive research design was used where quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to collect and analyse the data. The target population was all registered and active multi-purpose cooperatives in the Shiselweni region. A multistage stratified sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 80 cooperative members, 35 committee members and 5 cooperative officers. Therefore the sample size was 120. Interviews and analysis of documents were used to collect data. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study were that, cooperatives were governed democratically and member participation was adhered to; that the level of accountability in cooperatives was average; members were consulted before any decision was taken in the cooperatives; cooperative education and training in multi-purpose cooperatives was conducted regularly by education and training committees; cooperative officers educated and trained cooperative members once a year.  The study concluded that multi-purpose cooperatives were not well governed and there was moderate accountability. The study recommends that multi-purpose cooperatives should invest in education for their members and workers on cooperative principles. The study also recommends that other studies be carried out to cover the whole of Swaziland, by including all cooperatives. Keywords: Accountability, education and training, governance, multi-purpose cooperatives

A Conceptual Analysis of Relational Contracts in Agribusiness Supply Chains: The Case of the Sugar Industry in Swaziland

This study examines the nature of the relationship between cane growers and millers and how it affects cane growersÂ’ perceptions of the value added in the sugar supply chain. Drawing from relational exchange theory, the study utilised the perceptions of 124 smallholder cane growers in the Swaziland sugar industry. Factors measured in terms of a likert type scale were used to measure each relational construct within the miller-grower contract relationship. The unpacks the trust relationship between large agribusiness companies and smallholder out growers, and shows that relationships characterised by social factors like trust, commitment, and cooperation enhance mutual benefit and quality relationships between parties. This study found that farmers perceive an element of opportunistic behaviour and a lack of cooperation by millers and therefore have limited trust in the millers. Consequently it was also found that satisfaction by cane growers on their relationship with millers has a positive relationship with their level of trust, level of commitment, relative dependence, perception of opportunistic behaviour by millers and perceived cooperation between themselves and the millers. The results point to a number of aspects both growers and millers need to attend to which could contribute to improved relationship and in turn efficiency and returns in the sugar industry in Swaziland.Agribusiness,

An Analysis of the Broiler Supply Chain in Swaziland: A Case Study of the Manzini Region

Abstract: This study analyses survey data gathered in 2009 from contract and non-contract broiler farmers in the Manzini region of Swaziland. A descriptive research design was used in the study and data were collected using personal interviews. The results show that the same type of inputs were used in both production systems with the only difference being the quantity of inputs used in each system. The results also revealed that productivity is higher for contract farmers as they produce birds with an average weight of 1.8 kg in 5 weeks and also produce an average of 34,500 birds per batch. The results further indicated that consumers buy live birds mostly from non-contract farmers and buy processed birds from contracted farmers. Consumers pay more for a bird produced through the contract system than a bird produced through the non-contract system. On average birds produced under non-contract system cost consumers E28.00 whilst birds produced under the contract system are sold on weight basis and costs the consumers E20.99 per kg. Thus on average consumers pay E32.50 for a whole bird produced under the contract system. The cost of producing one bird is high with non-contract farmers than is for contract farmers. With increasing competition and changes occurring in markets, producers need to understand and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the broiler supply chain. This will often require a combination of firm-level actions as well as improvements in the entire value-chain. There is also a need for political will by government to protect farmers by promoting competition through enacting competition legislations and allow transparency within the value chain

Effect of Farmer Education and Managerial Ability on Food Crop Production in Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education and managerial ability on the technical efficiency of food crop production in Nigeria, using the stochastic frontier production analysis. The research which was conducted in Oyo state of Nigeria used primary data which were obtained from one hundred and fifty representative samples of food crop farmers through the use of well structured questionnaire. Results of the analysis showed that the technical efficiency level ranged between 84.4% and 99.4% with a mean of 94.3%.  The study showed that there still existed some levels of inefficiency among the sampled food crop farmers. The contributing factors to efficiency were age and level of education of the farmers. The study observed that there was a scope for increase in farmers’ efficiency by improving their level of education, and therefore suggested policy recommendations which could ensure food security thereby enhancing national development. Keywords: Food Crop Production, Farmer Education, Managerial Ability, Nigeri

A stochastic frontier approach to technical efficiency analysis of smallholder dairy farmers in Swaziland

The Swazi nation is traditionally an agricultural nation with almost every homestead on Swazi Nation Land(SNL) keeping a variety of livestock for beef and milk. The country has potential to produce more milk but stillimports 85% of milk from South Africa. The study evaluated the technical efficiency and constraints of the milksupply chain. A descriptive quantitative research design was used in the study and data were collected in 2014using structured questionnaires. The data were collected from 93 farmers, 16 retailers and 1 processor. Data wereanalysed using descriptive statistics, Cobb Douglas function, and Tobit regression model. There were 73.1%males farmers and 50.5% had between 8-14 years of formal education. All the farmers fed their cows with forageand 97.8% used concentrates. The efficiency analysis results indicated that frequency of extension visit and ageof the farmer were negatively associated with technical efficiency, while market information positively affectedefficiency. The technical efficiency mean was 78.2%. This indicates that overall, there is potential to increaseefficiency among dairy farmers by 21.8%. Farmers had problems of scarcity of grazing lands, high feed costs,unavailability of inputs and shortage of water and labour. There is a need for improving extension service,encouraging cooperatives and improving producer’s price of milk in order to enhance productivity and efficiencyof farmers.Keywords: Dairy farmers, Swaziland Dairy Board, supply chain of milk, technical efficiency, stochastic frontierapproach

Factors affecting households vulnerability to climate change in Swaziland : a case of Mpolonjeni Area Development Programme (ADP)

With the poverty level at 69%, the population is vulnerable to all sorts of external shocks such as disease and climate change. HIV/AIDS is a serious threat to livelihood with more than 40% of the population infected with the pandemic. Poor and landless households, children, women, and large sized families are most affected by climatic shocks. The shift of a household from low vulnerability to moderate or high vulnerability was influenced by the number of sick members, the number of employed members, number of dependants, household size and the livestock index. The majority of households in Mpolonjeni Area Development Programme need external assistance

Factors Influencing Farmers Participation in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes: The Case of Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area

Most Swazi households depend on rainfed agriculture for food production, which limits the output because of the unreliable rainfall in the country. To mitigate this, the government has invested in rehabilitation of irrigation schemes to reduce the dependence on rainfall. This study therefore determined the factors influencing participation of farmers in small holder irrigation schemes in Swaziland, using Ntfonjeni Rural Development Area (RDA), as a case study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 96 farming households, 48 participants of local irrigation scheme and 48 non participants. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and probit model. The study revealed that the participation in small holder irrigation schemes is significantly influenced by households distance to the scheme, age and occupation of household head, farm size and access to credit and membership in other groups. Participation improves output and income for households.  Hence it is recommended that peasant farmers should be assisted with credit facilities as an incentive to participate in irrigation schemes. Key words: Participation, small scale irrigation schemes, Probit, Ntfonjeni, Swaziland