A conceptual framework to address challenges facing female-owned agricultural cooperatives in Pietermaritzburg.
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Date
2023
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Abstract
The study investigated challenges encountered by small to medium-scale (primary to secondary level) female cooperatives in the agricultural sector in Pietermaritzburg. This research aimed to assess the challenges encountered by female entrepreneurs in the small to medium-scale agricultural
sector in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal to present a conceptual framework to address the challenges encountered by female owned agricultural cooperatives in Pietermaritzburg. A qualitative methodology generated an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon under study. The researcher’s target population in this study was femaleowned cooperative enterprises in the agricultural sector in Pietermaritzburg. The sample for the study was selected through the purposive sampling method. Only 20 female-owned cooperatives out of 306 in the agricultural sector in Pietermaritzburg participated in the study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to collect data on the challenges facing female entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector in Pietermaritzburg. Ten primary-level female-owned cooperatives and ten secondary-level female-owned
cooperatives were selected to participate. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Study findings revealed that a lack of access to sufficient and productive land for expansion; a lack of skills; a demand for legal and regulatory frameworks; a lack of capital and markets and the issue
of collateral availability; a lack of government support, a lack of infrastructure, a gap in understanding business culture; and poor value chain organisation affect female entrepreneurs in the small to medium-scale agricultural sector. These constraints presented a framework of
barriers for female entrepreneurs in the small to medium-scale agricultural sector that must be addressed. This conceptual framework can be used towards the empowerment of women as a prerequisite for achieving inclusive growth or for promoting their services from primary to secondary
cooperative level within the formal sector of the economy.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.