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Women remain central to agricultural development and food security in South Africa, yet structural inequalities and limited recognition continue to suppress their potential contribution. The Vhembe Female Farmer Competition, organised by the Vhembe District Municipality and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD), serves as a platform to empower women, young women, and women with disabilities by recognising their role in local economic development. This paper explored the competition as an intervention that promotes women’s participation in agriculture, gender equality, fosters entrepreneurship, and contributes to poverty alleviation. Quantitative research approach was employed, where the simple random sampling technique was used to select 13 contestants across various categories. Data was collected through a structured survey and analysed using Excel to obtain the descriptive statistics. The study found no participants from Musina Local Municipality in the female farmer competitions and the Vhembe District Disability forum. Among female farmers, the best female worker (R2.5 million) and commercial producer (R1.5 million) recorded the highest annual turnovers. The young female farmer generated the turnover of R725,000.00 and notably created the highest over 60 seasonal and permanent jobs, demonstrating strong employment potential despite lower earnings as compared to the female worker and commercial producer categories. A financial literacy gap was evident in other categories. It is recommended that Musina Local Economic Development officers participate in preparatory meetings and mobilise farmers. Extension officers must provide financial management training to improve farm operations and employment opportunities.

Agriculture has advanced from subsistence farming to a dynamic, market-oriented sector fuelled by agripreneurship. The use of modern technology, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and precision farming, is changing agricultural productivity and sustainability. Despite these developments, the adoption of such technology by agripreneurs remains unequal, particularly in developing countries. Structural inequities, limited access to resources, and insufficient technical skills continue to impede the efficient use of technology. The study adopted a qualitative desktop review to analyse the existing literature on integrated technologies to increase agripreneurship productivity. The secondary data sources were journal articles, online books and government reports. The timeframe of the included data ranges from 2018 to 2026, while data from 2017 and earlier were excluded. Lastly, keywords such as agripreneurship and integrated technologies were used to search for data across sources, including Google Scholar and Web of Science. The findings show that integrated technologies improve agricultural output, efficiency, and resource optimisation among agripreneurs. The study also found that perceived usefulness substantially influences readiness to accept technology, although perceived ease of use remains a significant issue due to insufficient technical abilities. Furthermore, extrinsic problems such as poor infrastructure, budgetary constraints, and insufficient institutional backing impede wider adoption. Based on the Technology Acceptability Model, the findings show that tackling these hurdles is critical to improving technology acceptability and maximising agribusiness outcomes. The integration of technology into agripreneurship plays an important role in mitigating socio-economic challenges by creating jobs, boosting the local economy, and helping agripreneurs manage their farms effectively. Various technologies are adopted to minimise the impacts of climate change, improve pest control, and increase productivity and efficiency.

Agriculture has advanced from subsistence farming to a dynamic, market-oriented sector fuelled by agripreneurship. The use of modern technology, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and precision farming, is changing agricultural productivity and sustainability. Despite these developments, the adoption of such technology by agripreneurs remains unequal, particularly in developing countries. Structural inequities, limited access to resources, and insufficient technical skills continue to impede the efficient use of technology. The study adopted a qualitative desktop review to analyse the existing literature on integrated technologies to increase agripreneurship productivity. The secondary data sources were journal articles, online books and government reports. The timeframe of the included data ranges from 2018 to 2026, while data from 2017 and earlier were excluded. Lastly, keywords such as agripreneurship and integrated technologies were used to search for data across sources, including Google Scholar and Web of Science. The findings show that integrated technologies improve agricultural output, efficiency, and resource optimisation among agripreneurs. The study also found that perceived usefulness substantially influences readiness to accept technology, although perceived ease of use remains a significant issue due to insufficient technical abilities. Furthermore, extrinsic problems such as poor infrastructure, budgetary constraints, and insufficient institutional backing impede wider adoption. Based on the Technology Acceptability Model, the findings show that tackling these hurdles is critical to improving technology acceptability and maximising agribusiness outcomes. The integration of technology into agripreneurship plays an important role in mitigating socio-economic challenges by creating jobs, boosting the local economy, and helping agripreneurs manage their farms effectively. Various technologies are adopted to minimise the impacts of climate change, improve pest control, and increase productivity and efficiency.

Women remain central to agricultural development and food security in South Africa, yet structural inequalities and limited recognition continue to suppress their potential contribution. The Vhembe Female Farmer Competition, organised by the Vhembe District Municipality and the Limpopo Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (LDARD), serves as a platform to empower women, young women, and women with disabilities by recognising their role in local economic development. This paper explored the competition as an intervention that promotes women’s participation in agriculture, gender equality, fosters entrepreneurship, and contributes to poverty alleviation. Quantitative research approach was employed, where the simple random sampling technique was used to select 13 contestants across various categories. Data was collected through a structured survey and analysed using Excel to obtain the descriptive statistics. The study found no participants from Musina Local Municipality in the female farmer competitions and the Vhembe District Disability forum. Among female farmers, the best female worker (R2.5 million) and commercial producer (R1.5 million) recorded the highest annual turnovers. The young female farmer generated the turnover of R725,000.00 and notably created the highest over 60 seasonal and permanent jobs, demonstrating strong employment potential despite lower earnings as compared to the female worker and commercial producer categories. A financial literacy gap was evident in other categories. It is recommended that Musina Local Economic Development officers participate in preparatory meetings and mobilise farmers. Extension officers must provide financial management training to improve farm operations and employment opportunities.