The importance of agricultural cooperatives and other community-based organizations in facilitating sustainable agricultural development in South Africa cannot be downplayed. The aim of the study was to analyse smallholder farmers’ perception of the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in rendering support services to their enterprise in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to elicit data from a sample of 120 smallholder farmers drawn from 150 farmers—members who were currently active members of agricultural cooperatives. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data that were analysed using descriptive statistics. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the socio-economic and institutional factors influencing the member farmers’ perception of cooperative effectiveness. The findings revealed that although agricultural cooperatives in the area rendered some level of support services to their members, the majority of the respondents perceived their cooperative as ineffective in rendering some key support services to them that could potentially improve their livelihoods. The results of inferential analysis indicate that factors such as farm size, level of education, household size, farming experience, major crop grown/animal reared, number of cooperative members, support services received index, and satisfaction of leadership processes were significant socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence respondent’s perception. The study recommended increased government public recognition and support for agricultural cooperatives development, increased resource base through more access to grant and donations, and improved linkages between cooperatives and extension agencies as a means of improving the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in the area.

The study analysed the perception of organic farming practices among smallholder farmers in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, South Africa. An interview-administered questionnaire collected data from 80 randomly sampled smallholder farmers. The elicited data was descriptively analysed using percentages, averages, and ranks. In contrast, a multiple linear regression model was used to determine the socioeconomic factors that influence smallholder farmers' utilisation of organic farming practices. The findings revealed that although smallholder farmers were aware of organic agricultural methods, adopting organic practices is still yet to be widespread and optimal in the area. This is due to some severe challenges indicated by the respondents, including inadequate government support, the unpredictability of climate change, inadequate access to grants and credit facilities, inadequate collaboration and collective action among farmers, and inadequate access to extension services. Furthermore, the findings of the regression model revealed that formal education and organic farming training attendance were significant socioeconomic factors influencing smallholder farmer’s utilisation of organic farming practices. Given the need to scale up the adoption of organic farming practices in the area, it was recommended that increased government support, adequate access to credit facilities and significant improvement and effectiveness of extension services in providing training and encouraging collective action among the smallholder farmers is required.