Background: Despite the high youth unemployment levels, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, participation in the agricultural sector remains low. The agricultural sector provides valuable opportunities of employment, which could contribute towards relieving the high levels of unemployment and enhancing livelihoods of families in rural areas. Youth are also seen as the future of the agricultural sector and food production.Aim: To determine whether entrepreneurial dimensions, along with assets within the sustainable livelihoods framework, influences participation of youth in the agricultural sector.Setting: Focus is on youth and the influence of endogenous and exogenous factors on their participation in the agricultural sector.Methods: Entrepreneurial dimensions of 440 youth participants were derived from statements related to entrepreneurial skills and competencies by means of principal component analysis and combined with factors from the sustainable livelihood framework in a multinomial logistic regression.Results: It was found that the youth are heterogeneous in their endogenous and exogenous resources. Youth involved in the sector are more likely to have access to land and extension services, experience in the sector and support initiatives. In terms of entrepreneurial dimensions, youth involved are more inclined to believe in themselves and are more likely to take advantage of opportunities (pull entrepreneurship). The results show that policies and programmes should consider both endogenous and exogenous factors and combinations thereof to attract and enhance youth participation in the agricultural sector.Conclusion: Policy and programme development should consider the heterogeneity of youth in terms of their access to resources and entrepreneurial dimensions to enhance their participation in the agricultural sector. Participation in agriculture requires more than only access to land, and other individual physical resources attention should also be given to endogenous factors of individuals and combinations of different resources.

In South Africa, the agricultural sector is a crucial pillar of the economy, with the livestock and grain industries playing significant roles in ensuring food security, fostering economic growth, and providing employment opportunities, particularly in rural areas. This research addresses the relatively unexplored relationship between the livestock and grain industries in South Africa. This study employs a comprehensive approach using a VAR/VECM framework alongside VECM Granger causality tests, Toda Yamamoto causality tests, impulse response functions, and variance decomposition analysis. The main findings of this study demonstrate a long-run relationship among the study variables, with consistently low error correction terms indicating slow short-term adjustments. Significant long-run relationships were observed between grain feed prices and livestock prices, where yellow maize and soybean prices affect live weaner prices, while beef carcass prices influence yellow maize prices. Overall, the results highlight the pivotal role that yellow maize plays as a link between the South African livestock and grain markets. The study concluded that policy formulation for the South African agricultural sector must consider the interconnected nature of the grain and livestock markets to achieve sustainable and effective outcomes.

Weaning age is a critical decision in beef cattle systems, ultimately influencing productivity and reproductive efficiency. This study investigated the productive performance of 152 Bonsmara cow-calf pairs under two distinct weaning practices: Early Weaning (EW) at 90 days and Conventional Weaning (CW) at 205 days. Data were obtained from the Arcadia Farmland cattle herd in the Vrede region of South Africa, comparing primiparous heifers with EW calves to a group of primiparous and second-time calving heifers with CW calves as a baseline comparison, reflecting limited research on EW in South Africa. EW calves received grower meal and natural grazing post-weaning, while CW calves depended on maternal milk and natural grazing. The farm's productive data indicated that CW achieved higher weaning weights per calf (+27 kg), highlighting productivity benefits. Conversely, EW reduced inter-calving periods (347 vs. 419 days), enhanced fertility, and improved herd reproductive efficiency, offering advantages in drought-prone settings. A General Linear Model (GLM) was applied to assess the influence of productive factors on 205-day calf weight. The model identified weaning practice and dam calving weight as significant predictors. Heavier dams produced heavier calves, likely due to better maternal conditions. These results highlight trade-offs between live weight gain (CW) and reproductive efficiency (EW), reinforcing the need for context-specific weaning strategies in South African beef systems.

Calf weaning plays a fundamental role in the sustainability of cow-calf production systems. In South Africa, conventional weaning at six to nine months is widely practiced, but increasing climatic variability has highlighted early weaning as an adaptive strategy. To support producers in determining the optimal weaning age, we developed a Calf Weaning Decision-Support Framework through an extensive literature review. To ensure its practicality, we validated the framework using the Delphi technique, incorporating real-world insights from livestock experts. A two-round Delphi study was conducted with ten experts in livestock production and research, evaluating key factors influencing weaning age decisions. The study also used the Relative Importance Index (RII) to rank these factors based on expert consensus. The main findings showed strong agreement on productive factors, including weaning weight, conception rate, and dam body condition score alongside financial aspects that influence profitability, such as calf health and feeding expenses, as well as income generated at weaning. Experts identified three additional factors—cattle breed, enterprise cash flow needs, and veld type, emphasizing the need for flexible weaning strategies tailored to specific conditions. This study concludes that the expert-validated framework is a practical and adaptable tool, empowering South African beef producers to make informed, context-specific weaning decisions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly applied in agriculture to support data-driven decision-making, improve productivity, and enhance resource management. Small-scale farmers, who produce a significant share of the world’s food yet often operate under resource constraints, may particularly benefit from these technologies. However, it remains unclear how AI research addresses the needs of small-scale farming systems and the extent to which farmers directly interact with AI tools. This study conducts a systematic literature review to examine the applications, impacts, and challenges of AI in small-scale agriculture. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines and applied a structured review methodology, using the Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost databases. A total of 182 studies were identified and analyzed. The results show a rapid increase in publications after 2020, with research concentrated mainly in Africa and Asia. Most studies focus on technical AI applications such as plant disease detection, crop yield prediction, crop classification, and environmental monitoring, commonly using machine learning and deep learning techniques. However, only a small number of studies examine farmers’ direct interaction with AI systems, including adoption, perceptions, and practical usage. This imbalance indicates that the literature remains largely technology-driven rather than farmer-centred. The review highlights important research gaps, particularly in farmer engagement, integrated farm management applications, and the translation of AI prototypes into scalable solutions. Future research should prioritize participatory approaches and context-sensitive AI systems to ensure that technological advances effectively support small-scale farmers and sustainable agricultural development.

1. Smallholder livestock farming across the globe and in southern Africa has never been under greater threat than in 2025/26, with the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), a highly contagious ...