Perceptions of smallholder farmers' on extension services delivery in South Africa.

Abstract

Contemporary pathways of innovation and diversification in the agricultural sector commands a strong emphasis in business management competence of smallholder farmers. The significance of farmer's competence in enhancing entrepreneurship activities is widely acknowledged. From specific and often circumstantial examples in daily practice, some rural farmers seem to be quite successful in developing themselves as entrepreneurs through interaction with extension officers. However, it is not clear what farmers learn in this process and whether this learning capacitates their management skills for agricultural development. This article examines the perceptions of smallholder farmer's concerning effectiveness of public extension service delivery in facilitating SMEs management at Nkomazi local municipality, South Africa. The survey used sampled twenty-five (25) respondents with purposeful sampling techniques. Twenty (20) of them were smallholder farmers, and five (5) were public extension personnel. Thematic analysis was used to explain the themes generated. Based on our findings, we recommend that agricultural policy should promote equitable and consistent extension services that can be sustainable to promote SMEs success rates. Moreover, there should be training on the proper use of the information and communication technology provided by the extension officers to the as well as the smallholder farmers.