Reliable data on private sector agricultural research and development is globally scarce, particularly in developing countries. In South Africa, it has been observed that research performance by the public sector via the Agricultural Research Council has declined in recent years and...

Replaced with revised version of paper on 01/14/2011.

This study aims first to measure the farm specific irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), through non parametric DEA model; and second to evaluate the potential irrigation cost reductions and identify the main factors causing variations in IWUE among the sample farms. Cross sectional data...

Smallholder farmers in developing countries need to improve their position in food value chains in order to improve their margins and as a strategy for coping with agricultural food price volatility through innovations within the chains. Value chain mappings and gross margin analysis were...

Contrairement aux cultures de rente et vivrières pour lesquelles l’Etat a mis en place un minimum de politique, des moyens de production et de distribution de semences améliorées, les cultures maraîchères n’ont pas bénéficié d’un appui substantiel sur ce plan. L’objectif de cette...

The South African Potato industry was deregulated in the early 1990’s, leading to changes in market structure. The adjustment in market structure leads to changes in production and marketing practices, including contracting and pricing strategies for processing firms within the industry. The...

Although the Ugandan government is determined to aid farmers increase agricultural productivity as an intervention on increasing food security and reducing poverty through extension services, resources constraints are dampening its efforts. Private extension services providers are being invited...

Using a series of market structure criteria, this paper gives a panorama of policies and reforms in all sub-saharan African cotton producing countries from the early 1960s to the present time. Reporting institutional changes precisely and in a consistent manner for all countries offers new...

Official data show that a small proportion of Eastern Cape households evidently derive their main or primary income from farming. But the same data also show that the majority of households with access to small plots suitable for farming are concentrated in Eastern Cape. Furthermore, comparative...

Insect Resistant Maize for Africa Project (IRMA) aims at developing and deploying insect resistant maize varieties to reduce grain losses due to insect pests. As part of incorporating farmer’s perceptions and improving the adoption of the developed varieties, participatory approaches are...