Determinants of smallholder maize farmers' varietal choice : a case study of Mogalakwena Local Municipality Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Maize seeds differ according to varieties. The traditional maize varieties(also referred to as (Landraces)are maize varieties that have been cultivated and subjected to selection by farmers for generations. They retain a distinct identity and lack formal crop improvement. Improved maize varieties, on the other hand, are bred with characteristics such as drought and disease tolerance. This research was conducted to determine the attributes preferred by farmers when making a maize varietal choice. To be specific, the study aimed to achieve the following objectives:(i) Identify and describe socio economic characteristics of smallholder maizefarmers’ in Mogalakwena Municipality;(ii) Analyse socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder maize farmers in Mogalakwena Municipality;(iii)Identify different maize varieties grown by smallholder farmers in Mogalakwena Municipality, and (iv) determine and analyse factors influencing farmers’ choice of a maize variety. Descriptive statistics and the Multinomial Logistic Regression Mode lwere used for data analysis. The results of the study revealed that 64% of the respondents had formal education. This meant that they have the capability to grasp more information, if provided witht rainings. It was found that 75% of the farmers did not have access to extension service which is supposed to play a significant role in agricultural information dissemination. The most grown maize variety was landrace varieties which constituted 59.5%. This percentage was said to be resultant from limited access to the seed market. Infact, 80% of the farmers had to travel an average o f42 kilomteres to access the market which also had a limited number of varieties. The Multinomial Logistic Regression Model revealed that only 5variables (Educational level, farm size, yield, extension contact and knowledge of maize varieties) were significant at 1%, 5%,1 %,1% and1%, respectively. The majority of farmers were old people with little access to extension service andaninad equate farming knowledge which lead to a high percentage of farmers continuing to grow landrace varieties. Based on thef indings, this study recommend further research on attributes that influence farmers varietal choice and Government intervention in provision for resources and development of existing and new infracstrcture to encourage extension service delivery Keywords: Landrace, improve maize variety, smallholder farmer