Priviledge Cheteni

In this study, 157 smallholder farmers from the OR Tambo and Chris Hani district municipality in South Africa were purposively sampled to participate in a survey. The objective was to identify the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops. Using a binary logistic model, it was found that the variables: gender, household income, membership in association, land utilization and qualification were statistically significant in influencing farmers’ awareness of biofuel crops. Therefore, it is recommended that the South African government should identify the smallholder farmers targeted for the biofuel program by their social status, as pointed in this study.

Keywords: awareness, binary model, biofuel industrial policy, energy, shared growth initiative, smallholder farmers.
JEL Classification: Q1, Q2, Q4, Q5

Road related fatalities remain high in South Africa compared to other African nations. The purpose of this study was to analyze the determinants of road accident fatalities in South Africa’s transport sector. The determinants were examined using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The results suggest that drunken driving, paved roads and use of seatbelts are some of the determinants in the number of road related fatalities. The study recommends that the South African government put strict measures in dealing with drunk driving that has contributed to the unnecessary loss of life, especially during holiday periods.

Keywords: drunk driving, road safety management, Haddon matrix, enforcement, seatbelts.
JEL Classification: O18, R41, Z00, Z18

Biofuels are socially and politically accepted as a form of sustainable energy in numerous countries. However, cases of environmental degradation and land grabs have highlighted the negative effects to their adoption. Smallholder farmers are vital in the development of a biofuel industry. The study sought to assess the implications in the adoption of biofuel crops by smallholder farmers. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 129 smallholder farmers who were sampled from the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. A binary probit model was used to investigate the determinants of smallholder farmers adopting biofuel crops. The empirical results showed that the variables, such as membership in association, occupation and incentives were statistically significant in influencing farmers’ decision to adopt biofuel crops. Furthermore, it was discovered that the studied areas have a potential to grow biofuel crops.

This paper discusses the political economy of budget deficits among the BRICS nations between 1997 and 2016 using a panel cointegration approach to determine the long-run relationship between economic growth, budget deficits, inflation and gross investment. The results of the study show a long-run equilibrium association among economic growth and the selected variables. Furthermore, there is a positive relationship between budget deficit, inflation, and economic growth, for the period under study for BRICS countries. Lastly, the results support the view that there is bi-directional linkage from budget deficit to economic growth and vice versa.