Development of a livestock management database system towards sustainable smallholder farming systems in South Africa

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorMolotsi, Annelin H.en_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorMakombe, Godswillen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorDzama, Kennedyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMapiye, Obviousen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Animal Sciences.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-10T07:13:00Z
dc.date.accessioned2022-04-29T09:31:55Z
dc.date.available2022-03-10T07:13:00Z
dc.date.available2022-04-29T09:31:55Z
dc.date.issued2022-04
dc.descriptionThesis (PhDAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2022.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: The commercialisation of smallholder farmers has taken the lead on the development agenda of many developing countries. Invariably, the majority of smallholder livestock producers are less productive than commercial producers and lag in commercialisation. Apart from the multifaceted challenges that smallholder farmers face, limited access to appropriate information and extension services constrains their sustainability. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and develop a Livestock Management Database System (LMDS) for improving the sustainability of commercially oriented smallholder cattle producers in the North West Province of South Africa. The system promotes the efficiency of delivering agricultural extension services and the upscaling of smallholder livestock production through improved access to tailored information and services. The study was guided by the pragmatic paradigm, which accommodates positivism (quantitative) and normative (qualitative) perspectives. A partially mixed sequential explanatory design with a dominant quantitative method was adopted. A structured questionnaire was administered to 101 commercially oriented beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project in North West Province, South Africa, to collect quantitative data. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with farmers and extension officers, respectively. A double-bounded contingent evaluation method was used to estimate the farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for rangeland conservation and regeneration. A binary logistic regression model was used to evaluate the determinants of farmers’ WTP. The results show that most farmers (>80%) were willing to pay the initial bid price of ZAR165.00, with the estimated mean WTP being ZAR244.00 ha -1 year -1 for improving rangelands. The logistic regression findings show that the farmers' WTP responses were influenced by education (p = 0.012), most important breed (p = 0.039), farming experience (p = 0.026), goat ownership (p = 0.022), ecoregion (p = 0.079), and income from cattle sales (p = 0.048). The high WTP results highlight the potential of involving the smallholder cattle farmers in implementing payment-based programs designed to improve the ecological sustainability of rangeland ecosystems and even introduce new interventions such as the LMDS. However, one of the complex challenges of driving the growth of commercially oriented smallholder farmers is ensuring that farmers understand and use new technologies. Thus, explaining their behavioural intentions before technology development is one of the most effective ways to increase adoption and identify potential design issues. Therefore, the study investigated the farmers’ experiences of using ICTs and their perceptions of the usefulness of the LMDS in livestock production. Results revealed that over 75% of the farmers had smartphones and smartphone operating skills, and nearly two-thirds were using the internet to search for agricultural information. About 80% had a strong positive perception of the usefulness of the proposed LMDS towards their livestock production. FGDS and KII results also observed higher positive perceptions towards the innovation. The Chi-square statistic was used to test the association between farmers' socioeconomic characteristics and perceptions of the usefulness of the LMDS. The results show that education level, smartphone ownership, farming experience, cattle herd size and gender influenced farmers’ perceptions of the LMDS. Poor mobile network connectivity (44%) and lack of digital skills (20%) were the limitations perceived to hamper the adoption of the innovation. The deeper insights from study findings on the perceived usefulness of mobile technology can be beneficial to policymakers, researchers, and development agents and institutions when developing interventions for adoption by farmers. The LMDS development process involved a human-centred design thinking process in which development activities were based on the farmers and extension officers’ needs and expectations. Development of the LMDS has reached the prototyping phase, which involves software development and validation in the actual operational environment.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kommersialisering van kleinboere het die voortou geneem op die ontwikkelingsagenda van baie ontwikkelende lande. Die meerderheid kleinveeprodusente is sonder uitsondering minder produktief as kommersiële produsente en is agter in kommersialisering. Afgesien van die veelsydige uitdagings waarmee kleinboere te doen het, beperk toegang tot toepaslike inligting en voorligtingsdienste hul volhoubaarheid. Daarom was die doel van hierdie studie om 'n Lewendehawebestuurdatabasisstelsel (LMDS) te ontwerp en te ontwikkel vir die verbetering van die volhoubaarheid van kommersieel georiënteerde kleinboerbeesprodusente in die Noordwes Provinsie van Suid-Afrika. Die stelsel bevorder die doeltreffendheid van die lewering van landbouvoorligtingsdienste en die uitbreiding van veeproduksie deur verbeterde toegang tot pasgemaakte inligting en dienste. Die studie is gelei deur die pragmatiese paradigma, wat positivisme (kwantitatiewe) en normatiewe (kwalitatiewe) perspektiewe akkommodeer. 'n Gedeeltelik gemengde opeenvolgende verklarende ontwerp met 'n dominante kwantitatiewe metode is aangeneem. ’n Gestruktureerde vraelys is aan 101 kommersieel georiënteerde begunstigdes van die Nguni-beesprojek in Noordwes Provinsie, Suid-Afrika, geadministreer om kwantitatiewe data in te samel. Kwalitatiewe data is ingesamel deur middel van fokusgroepbesprekings (FGD'e) en sleutelinformant-onderhoude (KII's) met onderskeidelik boere en voorligtingsbeamptes. ’n Dubbelbegrensde voorwaardelike evalueringsmetode is gebruik om die boere se bereidwilligheid om te betaal (WTP) vir weiveldbewaring en -herlewing te skat. ’n Binêre logistiese regressiemodel is gebruik om die determinante van boere se WTP te evalueer. Die resultate toon dat die meeste boere (>80%) bereid was om die aanvanklike bodprys van ZAR165.00 te betaal, met die geskatte gemiddelde WTP wat ZAR244.00 ha-1 jaar-1 was vir die verbetering van weiveld. Die logistiese regressiebevindinge toon dat die boere se WTP-reaksies beïnvloed is deur opvoeding (p = 0,012), belangrikste ras (p = 0,039), boerdery-ervaring (p = 0,026), bokeienaarskap (p = 0,022), ekostreek (p = 0,079), en inkomste uit beesverkope (p = 0,048). Die hoë WTP-resultate beklemtoon die potensiaal om die kleinboerbeesboere te betrek by die implementering van betalingsgebaseerde programme wat ontwerp is om die ekologiese volhoubaarheid van weiveld-ekosisteme te verbeter en selfs nuwe intervensies soos die LMDS in te stel. Een van die komplekse uitdagings om die groei van kommersieel georiënteerde kleinboere aan te dryf, is egter om te verseker dat boere nuwe tegnologieë verstaan en gebruik. Die verduideliking van hul gedragsvoornemens voor tegnologie-ontwikkeling is dus een van die doeltreffendste maniere om aanvaarding te verhoog en potensiële ontwerpkwessies te identifiseer. Daarom het die studie die boere se ervarings van die gebruik van IKT en hul persepsies van die bruikbaarheid van die LMDS in veeproduksie ondersoek. Resultate het aan die lig gebring dat meer as 75% van die boere slimfone en slimfoonbedryfsvaardighede gehad het, en byna twee derdes het die internet gebruik om na landbou- inligting te soek. Ongeveer 80% het 'n sterk positiewe persepsie gehad van die bruikbaarheid van die voorgestelde LMDS vir hul veeproduksie. FGDS- en KII-resultate het ook hoër positiewe persepsies teenoor die innovasie waargeneem. Die Chi-kwadraat-statistiek is gebruik om die verband tussen boere se sosio-ekonomiese eienskappe en persepsies van die bruikbaarheid van die LMDS te toets. Die resultate toon dat onderwysvlak, slimfooneienaarskap, boerdery-ervaring, beeskuddegrootte en geslag boere se persepsies van die LMDS beïnvloed het. Swak mobiele netwerkkonnektiwiteit (44%) en gebrek aan digitale vaardighede (20%) was die beperkinge wat beskou word om die aanvaarding van die innovasie te belemmer. Die dieper insigte uit studiebevindinge oor die waargenome bruikbaarheid van mobiele tegnologie kan voordelig wees vir beleidmakers, navorsers en ontwikkelingsagente en -instellings wanneer intervensies vir aanvaarding deur boere ontwikkel word. Die LMDS-ontwikkelingsproses het 'n mensgesentreerde ontwerpdenkproses behels waarin ontwikkelingsaktiwiteite gebaseer is op die boere en voorligtingsbeamptes se behoeftes en verwagtinge. Ontwikkeling van die LMDS het die prototiperingsfase bereik, wat sagteware-ontwikkeling en validering in die werklike bedryfsomgewing getoets moet word.af_ZA
dc.description.versionDoctoralen_ZA
dc.format.extentxix, 213 pagesen_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124775
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subjectSmallholder farmingen_ZA
dc.subjectLivestock -- Managementen_ZA
dc.subjectSustainability -- Agricultureen_ZA
dc.subjectLivestock Management Database System (LMDS)en_ZA
dc.subjectSmallholder farmers -- South Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectUCTDen_ZA
dc.titleDevelopment of a livestock management database system towards sustainable smallholder farming systems in South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
mapiye_livestock_2022.pdf
Size:
2.98 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Doctoral Degrees (Animal Sciences)