Mapping the contours of organic agriculture : an exploratory study of an under-served population in South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the challenges that organic producers face in South Africa and to determine how universities and other knowledge institutions might better support these producers. As a result, the objectives of this study is to answer four questions: how producers are divided in terms of biographical, geographical and production aspects, what the main sources of support and information are for producers, how universities and other knowledge institutions can best support organic agriculture in South Africa, and what the most significant challenges are that producers face.Reliable data on the certified organic sector in South Africa remains lacking. In order to better understand the needs of this population, both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered. Because no other record keeping for organic producers in the country could be found in 2017, the contact details of 193 clients were obtained from third party certifiers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 27 participants from this population. Biographical data on participants as well as details about the farming operation were gathered using quantitative, structured questions. Qualitative data on the kind and quality of information and support services that participants have access to, the challenges that they face on-farm and in general, and the way that they overcame and adapted to these challenges were gathered using semi-structured questions. Quantitative data, such as age, ethnicity, gender, level of education and production data were used to describe the characteristics of participants. Likert-scale questions on possible sources of information were statistically analysed. Qualitative data were coded using Atlas.ti and analysed using aspects of contents analysis and grounded theory.Participants were found to be mostly male, white, well-educated and the majority were between 30 and 49 years of age. Participants were mostly producing fruit (and mainly citrus for this category), as well as grapes (mainly wine-grapes), essential oils and pecans. In terms of potential avenues of support, government and extension services were rated lowest by participants in terms of frequency of access and usefulness of such services. Internet articles and journals, certifying companies, and other organic farmers were rated highest in terms of support offered. A lack of locally adapted research, applicable to South African organic farming systems was identified as a major constraint in participants' ability to make properly informed management decisions. Pest and disease management, a lack of informational resources and securing inputs were mentioned as main challenges during conversion. A small local market, along with a consumer base that is uninformed about the nature and benefits of organic products, were highlighted as off-farm constraints to success.Understanding of the different paradigm that informs organic farming systems was listed as the most important factor to ensure success as an organic farmer. This paradigm involves focusing on building agro-ecosystem health to support the crop, understanding and adapting management to the unique character of the local agro-ecosystem, knowing when not to intervene in the agro-ecosystem, and ensuring profitability by minimising input costs.The development of informational resources on organic management for the South African context and the support of knowledge exchange were determined to be the most important recommended interventions to support the organic agriculture sector. These involve further research on the fundamentals of organic management strategies for the local context, the creation of a knowledge hub that collects and synthesizes available research and the facilitation and expansion of current knowledge exchange networks.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University