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International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Agricultural Structures Supporting Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa

Khanyile N., Soundy P, Ramashala M. A

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v14-i6/19242

Open access

Smallholder farmers, directly or indirectly, depend on agricultural structures for their livelihoods. However, they have not been able to access these to their full potential. This study was conducted to analyse the impact of agricultural structures on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their role in farm productivity. A survey questionnaire with structured questions was administered to a sample of 50 smallholder farmers in Soshanguve, Winterveldt and Hammanskraal areas. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data. The results showed that agricultural structures were not easily accessible to smallholder farmers in terms of the provision of agricultural support services. Fifty-six percent (56%) of the participants had not received agricultural advisory services from government departments. The study concluded that expanding access to various agricultural structures providing agricultural advisory services will have a positive impact on smallholder farmers’ livelihoods as well as increasing the productivity of small farms.