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Item Assessing the Venturing of Rural and Peri-Urban Youth into Micro- and Small-Sized Agricultural Enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa(MDPI, 2023-10-31) Thibane, Zintle; Mdoda, Lelethu; Gidi, Lungile; Mayekiso, AneleThis study aimed to empirically assess the venturing by rural and peri-urban youth into micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of the study was achieved by focusing on the following specific objectives: analyzing youth involvement in agricultural enterprises; estimating the factors that influence youth participation in micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises; and identifying constraints and opportunities for youth involvement in micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises in the Eastern Cape Province. The study used multi-stage and snowballing sampling to select the respondents, and cross-sectional primary data were collected from 120 youths who ventured into micro- and small-sized agricultural enterprises. Only 70 youths from the sample participated in agricultural enterprises. The study was geared toward proposing a funding framework aligned with the characteristics of small- and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs) which can be used by both development finance institutions (DFIs) and commercial banks to assess applications for funding SMEs.Item Factors Influencing the Perceptions of Smallholder Farmers towards Adoption of Digital Technologies in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa(MDPI, 2023-07-25) Bontsa, Nasiphi Vusokazi; Mushunje, Abbyssinia; Ngarava, SaulThe objective of the study was to determine the factors that influence the perceptions of smallholder farmers towards the adoption of digital technologies. A purposively selected sample of 250 smallholder farmers who were cross-sectionally surveyed from Port St Johns and Ingquza Hill Local Municipalities in South Africa was used in the study. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Attention, Desire, and Action (AIDA) model were used to analyse the data. The results showed that digital technologies were perceived to be expensive, cause a digital divide, and discouraged the use of Indigenous Knowledge even though they increased production. Positive perception towards digital technologies was associated with cattle rearing, with extreme negative perception for sheep and goat rearing. Educational level, employment status, monthly income, household size, being part of a cooperative (1% level), age, and source of income (10% level) were significant factors affecting smallholder farmers’ perceptions of digital technologies. In conclusion, there are economic, social justice, and traditional perceptions towards digital technologies by smallholder farmers, with socio-economic factors affecting the perceptions. The study recommends providing low-cost digital technologies that promote Indigenous Knowledge, which should target the youth and young farmers with less education in small households who are full-time farmers with moderate-to-high incomes and are part of farmer groups/organisations.