S Modiselle
National Department of Agriculture, Farmer Settlement, PO Box X250, Pretoria 0001, RSA
CJ van Rooyen
Chair Agribusiness Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, RSA
C Laurent
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), SAD-APT, 16 rue Claude Bernard, 75 231 Paris Cedex 5, France
MT Makhura
Development Bank Southern Africa (DBSA), PO Box 1234, Halfway House, Midrand 1685, RSA
W Anseeuw
Centre international de Recherche Agronomique et Developpement (CIRAD) and Post-Graduate School for Agriculture and Rural Development, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, RSA
J Carstens
Agricultural Research Council (ARC), PO BOX 8783, Pretoria 0001, RSA
Abstract
This article reports on a study which was undertaken in one of the historically “coloured reserves” of the Northern Cape Province called Leliefontein. The overall objective of the study was to compile an understanding about the diversity in farming households. Typology analysis was applied on a sample of 108 households. The findings of the study show that there exists substantial diversity among the households in this predominantly farming community. The knowledge of this diversity might be of importance for extension service. There are seven types of households reflecting this diversity namely, Autonomous Households; Livestock Holders; Irregular Income Earners; the Poorest; Regular Income Earners and Social Transfer Dependent types. These findings are then applied to assist with the design of extension services.
Keywords: Small-scale agriculture, extension services, farming households, diversity, impact
South African Journal of Agricultural Extension Vol. 34(2) 2005: 303-317