A Discriminant Analysis of Factors Associated with The Adoption Of Certified Organic Farming By Smallholder Farmers in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Discriminant analysis was used to identify the characteristics that distinguish between fully-certified organic, partially-certified organic and non-organic farmers in Umbumbulu district, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa (SA) during October- November 2004. 200 farmers interviewed were drawn by purposively selecting the 151 members of the Ezemvelo Farmers’ Organisation (EFO), and by random sampling 49 non-organic farmers in wards neighbouring EFO. Results from the two estimated discriminant functions suggested that farmers with higher household sizes, incomes, input costs per hectare and number of chickens owned, locations further from innovators and less risk aversion were more likely to be certified as organic. Household location should be considered in delineating target domains for introducing new technologies especially where resources are limited. There is a need for key stakeholders to increase smallholder’s capacity to bear risk by decreasing the perceived risk of adoption of certified organic farming.Adoption, organic, Discriminant Analysis, South Africa, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Demand and Price Analysis, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade, Labor and Human Capital, Marketing, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,