Masters Degrees (Agricultural Economics)
Recent Submissions
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Causality analysis and physio-economic impacts of climate change on maize production in South Africa.
(2019)Agriculture, as part of the human ecological footprint on climate change, has become a serious concern because climate change has an impact on agriculture. For instance, when crop production is considered, climatic elements ... -
Investments in ecological infrastructure: an assessment of the expected costs and benefits of rehabilitation of the Mthinzima Wetland in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2018)The uMgeni River is an important water resource in KwaZulu-Natal. It is, however, one of the major systems identified as having water that may pose a serious health risk to users of its (untreated) water. Increasing pollution ... -
An ex ante impact assessment of the farm level impacts of genetically modified (GM) sugarcane to contain insect resistant (IR) and herbicide tolerant (HT) genes in the Eston sugarcane supply region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2019)Notwithstanding public contention about GM crops, commonly defined as crops for which the genes have been engineered by inserting genes from other organisms such as bacteria or animals into their DNAs, there is a general ... -
Adoption and willingness to pay for organic fertiliser: a case of smallholder potato (solanum tuberosum L.) farmers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2020-03-12)Potato cultivation involves intensive soil tillage throughout the cropping season, which often results in soil degradation, erosion, and leaching of nitrates. Literature suggest that efforts to produce sufficient food ... -
Economic and agronomic evaluation of using excreta-derived plant nutrients sources (latrine dehydrated and pasteurised pellets, struvite and nitrified urine concentrate) as agricultural fertilisers.
(2018)Faecal sludge can be recycled and processed into usable products such as the Latrine Dehydrated and Pasteurised (“LaDePa”) pellets and urine into Nitrified Urine Concentrate (NUC) and struvite, which can be used as ... -
Effects of interactions between governance, intergenerational and gender dimensions on smallholder irrigation scheme in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2018)Smallholder irrigation schemes (SISs) face several challenges hindering them from performing at satisfactory levels. In South Africa, the government made considerable financial investments in developing SISs and revitalising ... -
Improved rice varieties adoption and technical efficiency of smallholder rice farmers in Ogun State, Nigeria.
(2019)Rice (Oryza sativa) is an essential food crop and the most consumed staple crop in the majority of the urban and rural households in Nigeria. Rice consumption in Nigeria is the highest in Africa; also, the country is one ... -
Social grant dependence, irrigation water use and on-farm entrepreneurial spirit: a behavioural explanation for smallholders in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2018)Unemployment, poverty, hunger and inequality still remain the key rural development challenges in South Africa. Since the demise of apartheid, one of the key objectives of the South African government has been to decrease ... -
Exploring the role of digital technology in enhancing an environmentally responsive architecture: toward a fog water harvesting and visitors centre on Signal Hill
(2018)The development and progression of architecture throughout the ages has been for the most part as a result of the influence of new technologies. Today, more environmentally responsible and innovative buildings are being ... -
Factors influencing the economic performance of a panel of commerical milk producers from East Griqualand, KwaZulu-Natal and Alexandria, Eastern Cape, South Africa: 2007-2014.
(2018)The South African dairy industry has been characterized, in recent years, by an observed movement towards fewer, larger producers, implying a more competitive milk market in which efficiency measures are likely to become ... -
An evaluation of availability of traction power for tillage and its effects on food security of smallholder farmers’ households in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2017)Agricultural input availability remains an impediment to poverty reduction and achievement of food security in Sub-Saharan African countries. Timely availability of traction power is important in crop production, yet its ... -
The impact of outsourced extension services on the performance of smallholder farmers in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2018)Smallholder farmers are considered the potential drivers of growth and poverty eradication in Africa. Agricultural extension services play a vital role in linking farmers to information, adoption of new technologies, access ... -
Land and water use rights in smallholder farming : impacts on productive use of irrigation water and entrepreneurial spirit in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2017)The increasing pressure on land and water resources in developing countries due to population growth has led to the need for improvement of the regulations that control the use of these scarce resources. However, the impact ... -
A demand analysis of farm labour employment in the south coast and midlands commercial sugarcane farming by labour categories : implications of the sectoral determination.
(2016)The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of changes to the regulatory environme nt governing farm labour employment since the mid-1990s on wages and employment of farm workers in the South African sugar ... -
The impact of capital endowment on smallholder farmers’ entrepreneurial drive in taking advantage of small-scale irrigation schemes : case studies from Makhathini and Ndumo B irrigation schemes in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2016)Smallholder irrigation has been taken across the developing countries as a means of poverty reduction. However, irrigation schemes have failed to meet these goals for various technical and institutional reasons. The South ... -
Comparative analysis of the impact of food prices on household food security : evidence from the North-West and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa.
(2015)The prevalence of household food insecurity in South Africa is not a result of a shortage of food but of a lack of access to food. Contributing to this are the rising food prices that adversely affect the rural poor, as ... -
Analysis of factors determining livelihood diversification among smallholder farmers in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2016)Abstract not available. -
Measuring rural household vulnerability to food insecurity : the case of uMzimkhulu Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The objective of this study is to examine the factors associated with vulnerability to food insecurity among rural households in Umzimkhulu Local Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal. This includes identification of the most ... -
Measuring the operational competitiveness of commercial operations in public protected areas under Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife : implications for ecotourism in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
(2015)In many countries, most of the wildlife and biodiversity remains under state control, and the state employs conservation agencies to regulate their use and management. However, state sanctioned protection of wildlife and ...