Gender analysis of access to formal credit by small-scale farmers in Greater Letaba Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

This study is a gender analysis of access to formal credit by both male and female small-scale farmers in Greater Letaba Municipality. The study precisely identified and described the socioeconomic characteristics of female and male small-scale farmers, analysed and compared factors influencing access to formal credit by these farmers, and determined the perceptions of female small-scale farmers towards the credit system. In collecting the primary data, structured questionnaires were administered to 140 respondents (70 females and 70 males) using the stratified random technique. The study employed descriptive statistics, principal component analysis and a probit model to analyse the data collected. The probit regression model discovered that farm size, land ownership, gender, age, collateral and extension services had a significant positive influence on small-scale farmers`farmers`formal credit access. Based on the study findings, a set of recommendations for achieving equitable formal credit access by female and male small-scale farmers was put forward.