Socioeconomic and Agronomic Factors Influencing Irish Potato Productivity Among Low-Resource Farmers in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

The potato crop (Solanum tuberosum L.) is critical to the rural livelihoods of Limpopo Province, where smallholder farmers are predominantly responsible for production. However, yields among smallholder farmers in South Africa often fall far below the national average, which has steadily increased from 30 to 50 tons ha-1 over the past two decades, due to compromised management. This study investigates the socioeconomic and agronomic factors influencing productivity among low-resource farmers in the Blouberg (BLM) and Maruleng (MLM) local municipalities of Limpopo Province. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and focus group discussions with 55 smallholder potato farmers in the two local municipalities. The study employed an ordered logistic regression model to analyse the determinants of potato yield (kg/ha). Potato yields (kg/ha) were categorised into low (0-5000), medium (50001-10000), high (10001-15000), and very high (15000+). Key findings reveal significant differences in socioeconomic attributes and farming practices between BLM and MLM. Farmers in BLM had larger farm sizes and higher incomes than those in MLM. The regression analysis identified six significant predictors of potato yield: farmer's occupation, monthly income, cropped area, access to storage facilities, use of agrochemicals, and disease management program (p < 0.05). The odds ratio suggests that higher income, storage facilities, and disease management programs significantly reduced the likelihood that farmers would obtain higher potato yield categories by 73.64%. These counterintuitive findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as timely access to inputs, knowledgeable extensionists and regular farmer training to enhance smallholder potato productivity. Addressing these challenges is crucial to improving rural livelihoods and transitioning smallholder potato farming to a commercially oriented model in the Limpopo Province.