A survey was conducted in 1995 among 135 commercial farmers in KwaZulu-Natal to analyse labour remuneration and farmers' perceptions about the impact of labour legislation recently extended to agriculture. Farm labour remuneration normally includes cash wages and payments in kind (such as...

This paper estimates long-run price (wage) elasticities of demand for regular farm labour in South Africa using both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression and a Two-stage Least Squares (2SLS) simultaneous-equation model for the period 1960-2002. Both models include a piecewise interactive...

This paper extends a previous study in South Africa aimed at developing methodology for assessing the performance of equity-share schemes. The previous study proposed four broad criteria to measure performance: poverty alleviation; empowerment and participation; institutional arrangements and...

The new Cooperatives Act 14 of 2005 was promulgated in August 2005 to promote the development of sustainable cooperatives in South Africa and their use as a vehicle to develop small enterprises. This paper uses the new institutional economics (NIE) to highlight problems created by the Act. Case...

The Heckman two-stage procedure is used to identify and rank the determinants of internal and external credit rationing in rural households using data sourced from two districts in the former KwaZulu homeland. The results confirm international findings that high transaction costs faced by rural...

This paper has two objectives: first, to identify the main contaminants responsible for high treatment costs in the Umgeni catchment area, and second, to predict treatment costs from observed levels of contaminants. A partial adjustment model of treatment costs is estimated for the DV Harris...

Agricultural cooperatives are often viewed as appropriate vehicles to facilitate vertical coordination with, or horizontal integration between, small farmers who would otherwise be excluded from value-adding opportunities and discerning markets. In South Africa, renewed interest in...

This study identifies different dimensions of poverty affecting the current and future well-being of households within a community of land reform beneficiaries in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. A census survey of the beneficiary households was conducted in May 2002 to gather data on poverty...

This study tests the hypothesis that an efficient rental market for cropland is a significant determinant of agricultural investment in the communal areas of KwaZulu-Natal. An efficient rental market creates an opportunity cost for under-utilisation, which tends to transfer resources to more...

This study investigates possible causes of poverty afflicting a community of land reform beneficiaries in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. The 38 beneficiary households had previously been clustered into four groups displaying different symptoms of poverty. Linear Discriminant Analysis was used...