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| Registros recuperados: 28 | |
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| Ghebremariam, W.K.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Nsahlai, I.V.. |
| This study presents a production function analysis of fresh milk production in the Highlands of Eritrea, where most dairy farmers in Eritrea are located. To ensure representative production functions, this region was divided into three relatively homogenous study areas, namely Central Zone, Mendefera and Dekemhare. Most data for the study were collected in a survey of 120 respondents using a structured questionnaire. To obviate the problem of multicollinearity among explainatory variables, ridge regression was used to estimate milk production functions for each study area. Production elasticities of variable inputs, marginal products (MPx), values of marginal products (VMPx), marginal rates of input substitution (MRS) and least-cost combinations of... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Production Economics. |
| Ano: 2006 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/31706 |
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| Ortmann, Gerald F.; King, Robert P.. |
| This paper presents the principles of cooperation and briefly describes the history and development of agricultural cooperatives in developed and less-developed countries, with particular emphasis on South Africa. A new Cooperatives Act, based on international principles of cooperation, was promulgated in South Africa in August 2005. The theory of cooperatives, and new institutional economics theory (NIE) (including transaction cost economics, agency theory and property rights theory) and its applicability to the cooperative organizational form, are also presented, as are the inherent problems of conventional cooperatives, namely free-rider, horizon, portfolio, control and influence cost problems caused by vaguely defined property rights. An analysis of... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Agribusiness. |
| Ano: 2007 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10129 |
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| Ortmann, Gerald F.; King, Robert P.. |
| The objective of this research is to investigate whether agricultural cooperatives can facilitate smallholder farmer access to input and product markets. Farmers in two case study communal areas of KwaZulu-Natal face high transaction costs as reflected primarily in their low levels of education and literacy, lack of market information, insecure property rights, poor road and communication infrastructure, and long distances to markets. Analysis of the reasons why cooperatives were originally established in various parts of the world suggests that most of the causes (such as poverty, market failure and high transaction costs) also apply to the study farmers, as do the seven international principles of cooperation. Smallholder farmers in both case study... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Agricultural cooperatives; Small-scale farmers; High-value crops; Transaction costs; South Africa; Agribusiness. |
| Ano: 2007 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10124 |
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| Kuhn, M.E.; Darroch, Mark A.G.; Ortmann, Gerald F.. |
| Bivariate probit analysis was used to assess the efficacy of a South African microlender’s loan screening process. This micro-lender grants short-term cash loans to individuals who are employed and earning a fixed salary. Loan applicants with more stable incomes, who are contactable via telephone or post, who are employed in less risky business sectors, who have more disposable income relative to debt, and who have had a good credit history with other lenders, are more likely to be accepted. None of the factors with a significant effect on the loan screening decision could explain subsequent loan default by accepted applicants. The microlender may have screened out very risky clients and accepted a riskier, profitable pool of loan applicants with risk... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Financial Economics. |
| Ano: 2000 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/54229 |
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| Ortmann, Gerald F.; Nothard, B.W.; Meyer, E.. |
| The productivity of small-scale sugarcane contractors affects not only their own profitability and sustainability, but that of other stakeholders as well, such as the small-scale sugarcane farmers they contract to and the sugar mills they supply with sugarcane. This study examines the attributes of small-scale sugarcane contractors that affect their quality of service as perceived by small-scale sugarcane growers (SSGs). Information was obtained through interviews conducted with 114 contractors sampled in ten mill group areas in KwaZulu-Natal between September 2002 and July 2003. Further interviews were conducted in the same time period with SSGs for information on contractor service quality (transport and general service timeliness, meeting of daily... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 2005 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/31725 |
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| Kuhn, M.E.; Darroch, Mark A.G.; Ortmann, Gerald F.. |
| Collateral is an important incentive device used by lenders to encourage loan repayment. However, collateral must have secure and transferable title, it must be marketable, have low lender liquidation costs and lenders must be able to attach the collateral. Study results for rural and micro-enterprise finance institutions in KwaZulu-Natal showed that assets such as vehicles and equipment were not effective as collateral due to high costs in attaching the asset. Cessions on crops were often constrained by flaws in collection mechanisms. Secure and transferable property rights were important preconditions for land to have value as collateral. Collateral substitutes such as joint liability mechanisms were less effective when lending to large farmer groups... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Agricultural Finance. |
| Ano: 1997 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/54724 |
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| Browne, M.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Hendriks, Sheryl L.. |
| Household consumption patterns were investigated to determine the impact of an income shock on household expenditure and to establish the potential for demand-led growth in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal. Household consumption data were collected from sample households in the Embo ward of Umbumbulu, KwaZulu-Natal during October 2004 and March 2005. Budget shares and expenditure elasticities were estimated for household consumption categories for the two study periods, allowing for a comparison of expenditure elasticities between the two seasons. Results suggest that expenditure elasticities for consumer expendables, durables and transport were highly elastic, while expenditure elasticities for the aggregate food category were negative (October) and highly... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Expenditure elasticities; Demand-led growth; Umbumbulu region; KwaZulu-Natal; Consumer/Household Economics. |
| Ano: 2007 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/7051 |
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| Mohammed, M.A.; Ortmann, Gerald F.. |
| A sample survey of 74 commercial dairy farmers was conducted between November 2002 and February 2003 in three Zobatat (zones) of Eritrea to identify factors that affect the adoption of livestock insurance. The results of a logit model indicate that formal education of the farmer and the farmer's awareness of livestock insurance increase the probability of insurance adoption, whereas farming experience, poor location and use of alternative risk management strategies, such as off-farm investments and farm enterprise diversification, reduce the probability of livestock insurance adoption. Further insight into the factors influencing farmers' adoption of livestock insurance may assist policy makers and the National Insurance Corporation of Eritrea in their... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Livestock Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 2005 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/31693 |
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| du Toit, J.P.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Ramroop, S.. |
| This study investigates factors influencing the long-term competitiveness of 11 commercial milk producers from East Griqualand (EG), South Africa using unbalanced panel data for the period 1990 to 2006. Results of a ridge regression analysis show that dairy herd size, the level of farm debt, annual production per cow, technology and policy changes over time, and the ratio of trading income to total milk income influence the long-term competitiveness of these milk producers. To enhance their competitiveness in a deregulated dairy market, relatively small and profitable EG milk producers should consider increasing their herd sizes, as the importance of herd size in explaining competitiveness suggests that size economies exist. All EG milk producers should... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Commercial milk production; Competitiveness; Panel data; Production Economics. |
| Ano: 2010 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/61998 |
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| Newman, R.A.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Lyne, Michael C.. |
| A survey was conducted in 1995 among 135 commercial farmers in KwaZulu-Natal to analyse labour remuneration and farmers' perceptions about the impact of labour legislation recently extended to agriculture. Farm labour remuneration normally includes cash wages and payments in kind (such as rations, housing, land use rights and clothing). The study suggests that, all things being equal, farmers who pay relatively lower cash wages tend to provide more rations per worker and allocate more land use rights. Most respondents agreed that there is some need for labour legislation in agriculture, but the majority perceived the present legislation to be time-consuming and costly, and wanted the legislation to be less ambiguous, more flexible and less extensive.... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Labor and Human Capital. |
| Ano: 1997 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/54980 |
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| du Toit, J.P.; Ortmann, Gerald F.. |
| This study investigates the impact of dairy market deregulation on the competitiveness of milk producers who comprise the East Griqualand (EG) study group in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study uses a microeconomic approach, the unit cost ratio (UCR) method of competitiveness analysis, to assess changes in the relative competitiveness of EG milk producers from 1983 – 2006. Findings of previous research indicate that dairy market deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s caused lower real milk producer prices, increased uncertainty and higher exit rates in the South African dairy industry. Results of the UCR analysis suggest that EG milk producers were not competitive based on the net local price received for milk but were... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Dairy market deregulation; East Griqualand milk producers; Competitiveness; Unit cost ratio analysis; Livestock Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 2009 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/53381 |
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| Kuhn, M.E.; Darroch, Mark A.G.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Graham, Douglas H.. |
| Three development finance institutions (DFIs) which operate in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province were assessed in 1996/97 to see how they could improve financial viability and outreach to emerging farmers, agribusiness and micro-entrepreneurs. Improved service quality and emphasis on mobilising savings would help clients and enable the DFIs to diversify their portfolios. Better access to branches and lower loan approval times (improved screening and administrative procedures) could also lower client transaction costs. Charging a suitable interest rate spread is necessary but not sufficient for lenders to achieve subsidy independence. Reducing arrears through stricter loan contract enforcement (borrower accountability for loan repayment, lower collateral... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Agricultural Finance. |
| Ano: 2000 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/54199 |
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| Chibanda, M.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Lyne, Michael C.. |
| This paper evaluates the impact of institutional and governance factors on the performance of 10 smallholder agricultural cooperatives in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Five of the cooperatives grow and market vegetables, three produce and market poultry, one is a beef production cooperative and another operates a bakery. The results of a cluster analysis suggest that the performance of the selected smallholder cooperatives is influenced by institutional and governance problems. Institutional problems give rise to low levels of equity and debt capital, reliance on government funding, low levels of investment, and subsequent loss of members. Governance problems are strongly linked to the absence of secret ballot, low levels of education, lack of production and... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Traditional cooperatives; Performance; Institutions; Good governance; Cluster analysis; Institutional and Behavioral Economics. |
| Ano: 2009 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/55132 |
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| Ferrer, Stuart R.D.; Schroeder, D.H.; Ortmann, Gerald F.. |
| Regression analysis is used to delineate significant determinants associated with the use of Internet applications by commercial sugarcane farm businesses in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Eighty-six percent of farm businesses surveyed had Internet connections and 83 percent used Internet applications (including e-mail, on-line banking and gathering information from the World Wide Web) for business purposes. Results indicate that significant determinants of the range of Internet applications by farm businesses include a) the period of time for which the farm business has been connected to the Internet, b) the principal farm decision-maker's education, time available to spend on the Internet and his or her perceptions of the Internet as a source of... |
| Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation |
Palavras-chave: Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies. |
| Ano: 2003 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19078 |
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| Makenete, Andrew L.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Darroch, Mark A.G.. |
| A study was conducted during 1994-1995 amongst policy makers, government officials, retailers and millers in Lesotho to review the maize marketing system and procedures for setting maize prices at producer, mill-gate and consumer levels. Set prices distort price signals which influence decisions to allocate and distribute resources to provide goods and services for markets. Lesotho is a net importer of maize grain, the major staple, implying that maize pricing and marketing policy affect food security. Results indicate flexible informal marketing channels, fixed formal marketing channels and declining real producer, mill-gate and consumer prices in recent years Falling real South African Maize Board export grain prices and evidence of subsidies to... |
| Tipo: Journal Article |
Palavras-chave: Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries. |
| Ano: 1997 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/54977 |
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| Matungul, Pierre M.; Ortmann, Gerald F.; Lyne, Michael C.. |
| High transaction costs are detrimental to the efficient operation or existence of markets for inputs and outputs. The cost of information and the costs associated with the search for trade partners, distance to formal markets and contract enforcement are likely to influence the marketing of food crops. This study hypothesises that the level of income generated from food crop sales by small-scale farmers in the Impendle and Swayimana districts of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is influenced by transaction costs and certain household and farm characteristics. Regression analysis shows that the depth of marketing methods is significantly influenced by transaction cost proxies such as cooperation with large commercial farmers and ownership of means of transport.... |
| Tipo: Conference Paper or Presentation |
Palavras-chave: Farm Management. |
| Ano: 2002 |
URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6958 |
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| Registros recuperados: 28 | |
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