South African Agriculture at the Crossroads An Empirical Analysis of Efficiency Technology and Productivity

About this book

This book examines the state of South African agriculture at the end of the 20th century and makes attempts at reform in context by looking at the past. It begins by explaining the historical process, which led to a dualistic agricultural sector, and the policy process, bought in after the reforms, that attempts to resolve the inequalities and distortions. The policy discussion draws on the main part of the book, which is an empirical investigation of the measurement and explanation of efficiency and productivity change, which depend on technologies developed by R&D.

Contents

List of Tables - List of Figures - Preface; C.Thirtle, J.van Zyl & N.Vink - Notes on the Contributors - PART I - Introduction to Part I; C.Thirtle, J.van Zyl & N.Vink - The Agrarian Structure and Empowerment: The Legacy M.Mbongwa, N.Vink & J.van Zyl - Agricultural Policy: Undoing the Legacy of the Past; N.Vink, J.Kirsten & J.van Zyl - The Public Agricultural Research System; H.Rooseboom, P.G.Pardey, H.S.von Bach & J.van Zyl - PART II - Introduction to Part II; C.Thirtle - Measuring Total Factor Productivity Growth in South African Commercial Agriculture, 1947-91; C.Thirtle, H.S.von Bach & J.van Zyl - The Sources of Profitability: Relative Prices and Productivity; J.van Zyl, H.van Schalkwyk & C.Thirtle - Farm Size and Efficiency in South African Commercial Agriculture; J.van Zyl - Farm Size and Efficiency in Smallholder Agriculture; J.Piesse, H.S.von Bach, C.Thirtle & J.van Zyl - The Effects of the 1992 on Productivity in the Former Homelands: An Application of the Malmquist Index; J.Piesse, C.Thirtle & J.van Zyl - PART III - Introduction to Part III; C.Thirtle & R.Townsend - Explaining Total Factor Productivity Growth: The Returns to Research and Extension in Commercial Agriculture; C.Thirtle & J.van Zyl - Cointegration and Modelling the Length and Shape of the Research Lag; Y.Khatri & C.Thirtle - The Effects of Policy and Technology: A Profit Function Approach; Y.Khatri, C.Thirtle & J.van Zyl - A Long Run Profit Function and a Review of the Returns to R&D; C.Arnade, Y.Khatri, D.Schimmelpfennig, C.Thirtle & J.van Zyl - R&D and Crop Level Supply Response in Maize, Sorghum and Wheat; R.Townsend & C.Thirtle - Induced Innovation, Policy and Technology: An Error Correction Model; C.Thirtle, R.Townsend & J.van Zyl - The Effects of Macroeconomic Policies on Agricultural Prices, Net Farm Incomes and Exports: A Vector Autoregression Approach; R.Townsend & C.Thirtle - A New Vision for Agriculture in South Africa; J.van Zyl, C.Thirtle & N.Vink - Index

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Biography

COLIN THIRTLE has been Reader in Agricultural Economics at the University of Reading since 1992 and Extraordinary Professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Pretoria from 1997. He has published several books including The Role of Supply and Demand in the Generation and Diffusion of Technical Change (with Vernon Ruttan), Productivity, Efficiency and Land Markets in South African Agriculture (with Johan van Zyl) and over fifty journal articles on agricultural R&D and productivity. - JOHAN VAN ZYL is Rector and Principal of the University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa. - NICK VINK has been Professor and Chair of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Stellenbosch since 1996. He was also appointed Professor Extraordinaire at the University of Pretoria (1991-1995). He has published more than 60 journal articles, including some 15 international journals.