The Positive Psychological Capital of Smallholder Farmers and Its Determinants: A Case Study of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
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Abstract
Positive psychological capital of a smallholder farmer refers to farmer’s intrinsic values like confidence, hope, optimism, and resilience in organizing and carrying out all possible actions required to achieve the desired agricultural performance. This article examined the correlates of farmers’ positive psychological capital and farmer/farm characteristics. Based on the literature review and conditions set to achieve an adequate and consistent principal component analysis results, a 12-item rating scale with 4 point rating categories was established to assess the four positive psychological capacities of smallholder farmers. Primary data was collected from 79 smallholder farmers of Cofimvaba and Peddi communities in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Generally, farmers exhibited higher optimistic and confidence related behavior with low hope and resilience levels. Education, the source of water, access to credit, and household size were identified as farmer/farm characteristics that have a positive and significant impact on farmers’ resilience and confidence related behaviors. Government support in the form of farm-input subsidies was found to have a positive and significant impact on both farmers’ hope and confidence related behaviors. To reverse the situation of poor, stagnant and declining smallholder agriculture among black people in the Eastern Cape, South African government should consider improving farmers’ positive psychological capital through catalyzing policies triggered towards improved access to education, access to water, agricultural credit, labor saving technology, and farm-input subsidies. The findings of this study also have key implications for positive psychological counseling of smallholder farmers
Keywords
smallholder farmers, positive psychological capital, hope, optimism, resilience, confidence, factor Analysis, principal component.
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