IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v10y2013i9p4323-4338d28794.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Appraisal of Hygiene Indicators and Farming Practices in the Production of Leafy Vegetables by Organic Small-Scale Farmers in uMbumbulu (Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)

Author

Listed:
  • Fezile Mdluli

    (Discipline of Food Security, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa)

  • Joyce Thamaga-Chitja

    (Discipline of Food Security, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa)

  • Stefan Schmidt

    (Discipline of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Pietermaritzburg 3209, South Africa)

Abstract

During October, November and December 2011 (when highest sales of Agri-Hub fresh produce are observed), irrigation water, compost, lettuce and spinach sampled from four different farmer cooperatives supplying the local Agri-Hub in uMbumbulu (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) were analyzed monthly for the presence of total and fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli using the most probable number (MPN) technique. The pH values for all irrigation water samples analyzed were within the acceptable range of 6.5–8.5 for agricultural use. Fecal coliform levels were <1,000 MPN per 100 mL irrigation water and <1,000 MPN per g of compost. The vegetables produced by Agri-Hub small-scale farmers met the requirements for total coliforms of <200/g set by the South African Department of Health at the time of sampling. E. coli MPN values for irrigation water and vegetables were below the limit of detection. In addition, the farming practices of 73 farmers were assessed via a survey. The results revealed that more than 40% of farmers used microbiologically safe tap water for irrigation and that trained farmers have a significantly better understanding of the importance of production hygiene than untrained farmers. These results reiterate the importance of interventions that build capacity in the area of food safety and hygiene of small-scale farmers for market access of formal value chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Fezile Mdluli & Joyce Thamaga-Chitja & Stefan Schmidt, 2013. "Appraisal of Hygiene Indicators and Farming Practices in the Production of Leafy Vegetables by Organic Small-Scale Farmers in uMbumbulu (Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:9:p:4323-4338:d:28794
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/9/4323/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/10/9/4323/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andre Louw & Hester Vermeulen & Johann Kirsten & Hilton Madevu, 2007. "Securing small farmer participation in supermarket supply chains in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(4), pages 539-551.
    2. Albert Thembinkosi Modi, 2003. "What do subsistence farmers know about indigenous crops and organic farming? Preliminary experience in KwaZulu-Natal," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(5), pages 675-684.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Tashiana Beharielal & Joyce Thamaga-Chitja & Stefan Schmidt, 2022. "Socioeconomic Characteristics Associated with Farming Practices, Food Safety and Security in the Production of Fresh Produce—A Case Study including Small-Scale Farmers in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-17, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Otterbach, Steffen & Rogan, Michael, 2017. "Spatial Differences in Stunting and Household Agricultural Production in South Africa: (Re-)Examining the Links Using National Panel Survey Data," IZA Discussion Papers 11008, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Andersson, Camilla I.M. & Kiria, Christine G. & Qaim, Matin & Rao, Elizaphan J.O., 2013. "Following up on smallholder farmers and supermarkets," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 158142, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    3. Herman Geyer, 2016. "Poverty Traps in South African Agriculture," Agrekon, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(4), pages 356-376, October.
    4. Geyer, Herman, 2016. "Poverty Traps in South African Agriculture," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 55(4), December.
    5. M. S. Sibomana & T. S. Workneh & K. Audain, 2016. "A review of postharvest handling and losses in the fresh tomato supply chain: a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(2), pages 389-404, April.
    6. Kisaka-Lwayo, Maggie, 2008. "A Discriminant Analysis of Factors Associated with The Adoption Of Certified Organic Farming By Smallholder Farmers in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa," 2007 Second International Conference, August 20-22, 2007, Accra, Ghana 52155, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    7. Meng, Ting & Florkowski, Wojciech J. & Sarpong, Daniel B. & Chinnan, Manjeet S. & Resurreccion, Anna V.A., 2014. "Consumer’s Food Shopping Choice in Ghana: Supermarket or Traditional Outlets?," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 17(A), pages 1-24, March.
    8. Pauline Chivenge & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi & Albert T. Modi & Paramu Mafongoya, 2015. "The Potential Role of Neglected and Underutilised Crop Species as Future Crops under Water Scarce Conditions in Sub-Saharan Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-27, May.
    9. Rahi Jain & Prashant Narnaware, 2018. "Role of Local Context in the Success of Farmer Collectives: A Review," Millennial Asia, , vol. 9(3), pages 318-335, December.
    10. Fern Wickson & Rosa Binimelis & Amaranta Herrero, 2016. "Should Organic Agriculture Maintain Its Opposition to GM? New Techniques Writing the Same Old Story," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(11), pages 1-19, October.
    11. Otterbach, Steffen & Rogan, Michael, 2017. "Spatial differences in stunting and household agricultural production in South African: (re-)examining the links using national panel survey data," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 13-2017, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    12. Felix Adamu Nandonde, 2019. "Building Commitment in Supplier–Retailer Relationship in Developing Economies: The Case of Tanzania," FIIB Business Review, , vol. 8(1), pages 39-50, March.
    13. Cloete, Philip C. & Idsardi, Ernst, 2012. "Bio-fuels and Food Security in South Africa: The Role of Indigenous and Traditional Food Crops," 2012 Conference, August 18-24, 2012, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil 130172, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    14. Nomfundo Shelembe & Simphiwe Innocentia Hlatshwayo & Albert Modi & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi & Mjabuliseni Simon Cloapas Ngidi, 2024. "The Association of Socio-Economic Factors and Indigenous Crops on the Food Security Status of Farming Households in KwaZulu-Natal Province," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-18, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:10:y:2013:i:9:p:4323-4338:d:28794. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.