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A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa
Musakwa, R. 2025. A Decision-Making Framework for Facilitating Inclusive Business Model Design Interventions between Smallholder Vertical Farmers and Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available:...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614050946383872 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Musakwa, Rodney |
| author2 | Louw, Louis |
| author_browse | Louw, Louis Musakwa, Rodney |
| author_facet | Louw, Louis Musakwa, Rodney |
| author_sort | Musakwa, Rodney |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Musakwa, R. 2025. A Decision-Making Framework for Facilitating Inclusive Business Model Design Interventions between Smallholder Vertical Farmers and Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/c72ffd36-7763-4331-b909-15a46d00c2b5 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132262 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:45:52.267Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132262 A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa Musakwa, Rodney Louw, Louis Grobbelaar, Sara Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering. Agricultural innovations -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Farm management -- Decision making -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Sustainable agriculture -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Informal sector (Economics) -- Africa, Sub-Saharan UCTD Musakwa, R. 2025. A Decision-Making Framework for Facilitating Inclusive Business Model Design Interventions between Smallholder Vertical Farmers and Small to Medium-Sized Enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/c72ffd36-7763-4331-b909-15a46d00c2b5 Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the 21st century, the global agricultural sector faces challenges including climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation, and pest-related issues. These challenges disproportionately impact smallholder farmers in developing regions, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), who face additional barriers such as limited access to capital, outdated farming practices, and exploitative value chains. Despite interventions aimed at improving their productivity and profitability through technology, collaboration, and knowledge transfer, achieving consistent, long-term success continues to be difficult. Vertical Farming (VF) has emerged as a potential solution, offering benefits such as year-round production, reduced environmental footprint, increased yields, and improved sustainability. While VF technologies have gained considerable traction in developed countries, some smallholder farmers in SSA are beginning to adopt customised VF solutions. However, these smallholders often struggle to develop financially sustainable business models that support long-term market coordination, limiting their ability to achieve profitability. Insufficient research has been conducted to address the business model-related challenges in smallholder vertical farming, and existing studies fall short in proposing viable improvement strategies. The Inclusive Business Model (IBM) perspective provides a promising approach to address these issues, proposing interventions that enhance value chain connections. This study aimed to develop a framework that can facilitate the application of business model design interventions required to develop more IBMs between smallholder vertical farmers and Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) vegetable buyers, focusing on customised vertical farming technologies and common business model challenges typically found in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study employed the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), which includes stages of problem identification, defining solution objectives, design, development, demonstration, evaluation, and communication. Framework requirements were derived from academic literature and scoping reviews on IBMs, decision-making framework characteristics and business model characteristics of smallholder vertical farmers and SME vegetable buyers. The theoretical basis that underpinned the translation of the requirements to a framework was design principles and thematic analysis. The initial framework was verified and refined through feedback obtained from semi-structured interviews with four experts. This refined framework was then applied to two case studies in Zimbabwe as part of the first and second evaluation phases. A Likert scale was used to evaluate the perceived usability and usefulness of the framework. In Case I, the framework’s usability and usefulness grand mean scored 3.5 and 3.7 respectively, indicating a positive perception of the framework’s potential to facilitate long-term collaborations. Similarly, in Case II, the usability and usefulness grand mean scored 3.6 and 3.8 respectively. Following the evaluations, feedback from both case studies was incorporated into further refinements of the framework. A third evaluation process involved feedback from 15 industry experts, who evaluated the framework's impact-effort. The results indicated that 98% of the framework’s steps fell within the high-impact, high-effort quadrant, indicating that while the steps required substantial effort, they promised long-term returns. After this third evaluation, the framework underwent a fourth refinement. These key findings indicate that the proposed framework can facilitate the application of business model design interventions required to develop more IBMs between smallholder vertical farmers and SME vegetable buyers. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die 21ste eeu staar die wêreldwye landbousektor verskeie uitdagings in die gesig, insluitend klimaatsverandering, waterskaarste, grondagteruitgang, en peste. Hierdie uitdagings het ‘n groot impak op kleinskaalse boere in ontwikkelende streke, veral in Sub-Sahara Afrika (SSA), wat bykomende struikelblokke ervaar soos beperkte toegang tot kapitaal, verouderde boerderypraktyke, en uitbuitende waardekettings. Ten spyte van intervensies wat daarop gemik is om hul produktiwiteit en winsgewendheid te verbeter deur tegnologie, samewerking, en kennisoordrag, bly dit moeilik om konstante, langtermyn sukses te behaal. Vertikale Boerdery (VB) het na vore getree as 'n moontlike oplossing, met voordele soos jaarlikse produksie, verminderde omgewingsvoetspoor, verhoogde opbrengste, en verbeterde volhoubaarheid. Alhoewel VB-tegnologieë aansienlike aanvaarding in ontwikkelde lande gekry het, begin sommige kleinskaalse boere in SSA aangepaste VB-oplossings aanvaar. Hierdie kleinskaalse boere sukkel egter dikwels om finansieel volhoubare besigheidsmodelle te ontwikkel wat langtermyn markkoördinasie ondersteun, wat hul vermoë beperk om winsgewendheid te bereik. Onvoldoende navorsing is gedoen om die uitdagings rondom besigheidsmodelle in kleinskaalse vertikale boerdery aan te spreek, en bestaande studies slaag nie daarin om lewensvatbare verbeteringsstrategieë voor te stel nie. Die Inklusiewe Besigheidsmodel (IBM)-perspektief bied 'n belowende benadering om hierdie kwessies aan te spreek deur voorstelle vir intervensies wat waardekettingverbindings verbeter. Hierdie studie het daarop gemik om 'n raamwerk te ontwikkel wat die toepassing van besigheidsmodelontwerp-intervensies vergemaklik wat nodig is om meer IBMe tussen kleinskaalse vertikale boere en Klein- en Mediumgrootte Onderneming (KMO) groente aankopers te ontwikkel, met fokus op aangepaste vertikale boerdery-tegnologieë en algemene besigheidsmodeluitdagings wat tipies in SubSahara Afrika voorkom. Die studie het gebruik gemaak van die Ontwerpwetenskap Navorsingsmetodologie (DSRM), wat fases insluit van probleemidentifikasie, die definisie van oplossingdoelwitte, ontwerp, ontwikkeling, demonstrasie, evaluasie, en kommunikasie. Raamwerkvereistes is afgelei van akademiese literatuur en verkennende oorsigte oor IBMe, besluitnemingsraamwerkkenmerke, en besigheidsmodelkenmerke van kleinskaalse vertikale boere en KMO-groente aankopers. Die teoretiese basis wat die vertaling van die vereistes na 'n raamwerk ondersteun het, was ontwerpbeginsels en tematiese analise. Die aanvanklike raamwerk is geverifieer en verfyn deur terugvoer verkry uit semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met vier kundiges. Hierdie verfynde raamwerk is toe toegepas op twee gevallestudies in Zimbabwe as deel van die eerste en tweede evalueringsfases. 'n Likertskaal is gebruik om die waargenome bruikbaarheid en nuttigheid van die raamwerk te evalueer. In Geval I het die raamwerk se bruikbaarheid en nuttigheid 'n gemiddelde telling van onderskeidelik 3.5 en 3.7 behaal, wat 'n positiewe persepsie van die raamwerk se potensiaal om langtermynsamewerking te fasiliteer, aandui. Net so, in Geval II, het die bruikbaarheid en nuttigheid 'n gemiddelde telling van onderskeidelik 3.6 en 3.8 behaal. Ná die evaluerings is terugvoer van beide gevallestudies ingesluit in verdere verfynings van die raamwerk. 'n Derde evalueringsproses het terugvoer van 15 industriekenners ingesluit, wat die raamwerk se impak-poging geëvalueer het. Die resultate het aangedui dat 98% van die raamwerk se stappe binne die hoë-impak, hoë-poging kwadrant geval het, wat daarop dui dat hoewel die stappe aansienlike moeite vereis het, dit langtermynopbrengste belowe het. Na hierdie derde evaluering het die raamwerk 'n vierde verfyning ondergaan. Hierdie sleutelbevindinge dui daarop dat die voorgestelde raamwerk die toepassing van besigheidsmodel-ontwerp-intervensies kan fasiliteer wat nodig is om meer IBMe tussen kleinskaalse vertikale boere en KMO-groentekoopmanne te ontwikkel. Doctoral 2025-06-02T07:25:03Z 2025-06-02T07:25:03Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132262 en Stellenbosch University xix, 402 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Agricultural innovations -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Farm management -- Decision making -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Sustainable agriculture -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Informal sector (Economics) -- Africa, Sub-Saharan UCTD Musakwa, Rodney A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title | A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full | A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_fullStr | A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_short | A decision-making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa |
| title_sort | decision making framework for facilitating inclusive business model design interventions between smallholder vertical farmers and small to medium sized enterprises in sub saharan africa |
| topic | Agricultural innovations -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Farm management -- Decision making -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Sustainable agriculture -- Africa, Sub-Saharan Informal sector (Economics) -- Africa, Sub-Saharan UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132262 |
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