PR - CHOOSING BETWEEN AGRICULTURAL INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FREE STATE PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA: A MULTIPLE CRITERIA ANALYSIS

Abstract

Since the abolishment of Apartheid after 1994, one of the major sectors earmarked by the South African government to correct the injustices of the past, to improve inclusion, job creation and food security is the Agricultural sector. Various land reform programmes was initiated but the success rate was very low due to various reasons. One initiative was to create “master plans” for agricultural development on a provincial basis. These plans includes the identification and selection of possible agricultural production enterprises for implementation. A total of 13 possible enterprises was identified in the Free State province and a multiple criteria approach was used to rank the best fitting combination of enterprises given the specified goals/criteria. The results show that extensive beef and sheep production and intensive vegetable production is the enterprises that is most likely to improve the success of agricultural development, and by doing so, improve the welfare of the province

Keywords: Agricultural development, selection criteria, multiple criteria analysis