Factors Influencing Production and Market Participation among Smallholder Tomato Growers in Makhuduthamaga Municipality, Greater Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province, South Africa
Factors Influencing Production and Market Participation among Smallholder Tomato Growers in Makhuduthamaga Municipality, Greater Sekhukhune District of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Summary/Abstract: Agriculture plays a significant role in the economic sector in Limpopo provincein terms of its contribution to the economy, and the number of employment opportunitiesit produces within local communities. The majority of people involved in agriculturalpractices are emerging farmers and smallholder/small scale farmers. The aim of the studywas to determine and profile factors influencing production and market participation amongsmallholder tomato growers in Madibong and Manganeng Villages, MakhuduthamagaMunicipality in Greater Sekhukhune District, South Africa. A purposive sampling techniqueintegrated with a random sampling technique were used to collect primary data from100 smallholder tomato farmers using structured questionnaires. The Multiple LinearRegression and the Logistic Regression models were used to analyse the socio-economicfactors that influence tomato production and market participation among smallholdertomato farmers in the study area. The results of the study revealed that extension access,fertiliser application, marital status, income from production and use of agriculturalequipment positively influence tomato production. While, the educational level, gender of the farmer, farming experience, marital status and farm size positively influence marketparticipation, market distance negatively influences market participation among smallholdertomato farmers. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that there shouldbe a comprehensive producer support programme that focuses primarily on subsidisingsmallholder farmers when purchasing production inputs.

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