INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVES OF ENHANCING SMALLHOLDER MARKET ACCESS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

There is growing evidence that many smallholder farmers can benefit from market-oriented agriculture. However, smallholders often face a number of barriers to accessing the markets. Smallholder market access is much cited as a factor that exacerbates the smallholder situation but little researched. This issue cannot be addressed completely without taking a holistic perspective that also takes into account the global trends in economic transformation that have a direct bearing on the current smallholder market access situation. A growing number of scholars advocate the need for an institutional analysis in trying to understand these issues