Identifying entrepreneurial skills required by South African black farmers - an entrepreneurial model
Date
2015-02-09
Authors
Xaba, Gugulethu Givenson
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Abstract
This study was crafted on the realisation that some beneficiaries of land reform in
South Africa have been struggling to turn their farming businesses into viable
commercial enterprises. It was against this background that an investigation was
carried out to identify entrepreneurial skills that are crucial in helping South
African black farmers convert their small scale subsistence farming activities into
lucrative commercial entities. The study utilised primary data of both a qualitative
and quantitative nature and investigated the extent to which successful
agricultural commercialisation is reliant on enterprise management skills,
marketing skills, production skills, infrastructural utilisation skills, ICT skills,
financial management skills and attitude to agricultural business. A logistic
regression model was designed to test each of the seven hypotheses, and sought
to establish all the variables that evoke appreciable influence on the probability of
South African black farmers‟ commercialising successfully. The empirical results
point to a number of attributes that have a significant impact on the likelihood of
South African black farmers thriving commercially. These include, strategic
planning, clear communication of organisation`s objectives and goals, beforehand
knowledge of the market, promotion of own brand, conservation of agricultural
practices, knowledge of seasons, timely conveyance of produce to the market,
understanding of global agricultural trends, exploitation of ICT facilities, ease of
access to funding, and qualified financial management personnel. Policy
engineering around these aspects is likely to improve the lucrativeness of most
black-owned farming enterprises.
Description
Thesis (M.M. (Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2014.