Д-р. Marc Wegerif

University of Pretoria. Dept. Anthropology, Archaeology and Development Studies
Южная Африка

Hello All (again)

Small-scale women farmers face substantial obstacles to achieving beneficial access to markets in South Africa with its highly corporate concentrated and male dominated ownership of much agricultural production, processing and retailing. One strategy that a number of women farmers (in different locations with no connection to each other) are using is selling produce to women’s groups, family societies and local undertaker businesses. These groups and small businesses are buying food for community and social events, such as weddings, parties and funerals. At these events there are particular foods that are expected and that the women farmers understand. The farmer has a regular market that they can be prepared for as these clients collect every Friday for events happening over the weekend. As this is a direct sale the farmer gets a much better price than when selling to designated agents, at the large rigidly structured fresh produce markets that dominant in South Africa, or to supermarket and other supply/value chains. The buyers are also getting the food they want at a more reasonable price.

The women farmers in some cases know the members of these societies and businesses personally. In other cases, where they don’t know them personally, they still easily relate with them as people (mostly women) coming from the same or similar communities and cultures.

This is an opportunity for the development of greater autonomy for farmers who are able to sell for better returns through market circuits outside the corporate value chains. It is an example of a local (territorial) market opportunity that could be built on and expanded. 

The value chain approach, with its focus on the narrow economic value of vertical links between actors, does not see these kind of opportunities that are based on social and horizontal relations as much as on the economic part of the transaction. Different approaches to research are needed to understand markets within the wholeness of people’s lives within their contexts, of which the market is just one part.

The submission, in the template format, is attached with more information.

That will be all from me before the Monday deadline. Thanks for the opportunity of sharing.

Marc...