https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/30869 Thu, 14 May 2026 07:53:44 GMT 2026-05-14T07:53:44Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32184 Assessing consumer attitudes and behaviour towards green products in Namibia Mudimba, Douglas The global emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility is increasing, leading to a growing shift in consumer trends towards sustainable consumption and eco-conscious lifestyles. This study aimed to provide a more comprehensive understanding of consumers' intentions and behaviours regarding purchasing green products in Namibian retail supermarkets. It sought to assess consumer attitudes and behaviours towards green products in retail supermarkets in Windhoek, Namibia, specifically utilising the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) as integrated theoretical frameworks. Adopting a positivist research philosophy and a deductive approach, the study employed a quantitative research design using a survey strategy. Data were collected from a sample of 385 consumers aged 18 - 65 years in Windhoek, Namibia, using a convenience sampling technique via face-to-face mall-intercept structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using Structural Equation Modelling with SmartPLS 4, assessing measurement model reliability and validity. The findings indicate generally acceptable reliability and validity of the measurement model, although potential discriminant validity issues were observed between specific construct pairs, notably Personal Norms and Subjective Norms. The structural model analysis revealed that all hypothesised direct relationships were statistically significant. Awareness of Consequences positively influenced Attitude. Ascription of Responsibility positively influenced Personal Norms. Attitude positively influenced both Behavioural Intention and Purchase Behaviour. Behavioural Intention positively influenced Purchase Behaviour. Perceived Behavioural Control positively influenced both Behavioural Intention and Purchase Behaviour. Personal Norms positively influenced Behavioural Intention. Subjective Norms positively influenced Attitude, Behavioural Intention, and Purchase Behaviour. Significant mediating effects were also identified: Attitude mediated the relationship between Awareness of Consequences and Behavioural Intention, and between Awareness of Consequences and Purchase Behaviour. Personal Norms mediated the relationship between Ascription of Responsibility and Behavioural Intention. Attitude mediated the relationship between Subjective Norms and Behavioural Intention. Behavioural Intention mediated the relationships between Attitude and Purchase Behaviour, Perceived Behavioural Control and Purchase Behaviour, Personal Norms and Purchase Behaviour, and Subjective Norms and Purchase Behaviour. The model explained moderate variance in Behavioural Intention (42.8%) and Attitude (31.2%), and weaker but acceptable variance in Purchase Behaviour (26.7%) and Personal Norms (22.5%). Model fit indicators demonstrated a good fit between the integrated TPB-NAM model and the empirical data. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by providing valuable insights into green consumption in the under-researched Namibian context. The findings support the theoretical value of integrating TPB and NAM for understanding sustainable consumer behaviour, highlighting the interplay of cognitive, moral, and social factors. The significant influence of both normative and cognitive factors on purchase intentions and behaviour was demonstrated. The moderate R² for purchase behaviour also points to the widely acknowledged intention-behaviour gap in sustainable consumption and suggests the influence of unmeasured contextual factors. The study provides valuable insights for supermarkets on how to better understand and influence consumer behaviour towards green products, aligning with Namibia's sustainable development agenda. Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32184 2025-12-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32017 Assessment of the impact of renewable energy supply, carbon dioxide emissions, trade, and economic growth nexus on maize production from 1979-2021 Nevhutalu, Vhugala Charity The economy most susceptible to climate change is the agriculture sector. Agricultural production is negatively affected by weather patterns and temperature which ultimately impacts the sector’s economy. Food insecurity and a disturbance in the food supply chain are the aftereffects of climate change. A study by Wu et al. (2021). It is foretold that renewable energy utilization will reduce emissions responsible for climate change. The United Nations (UN) has also laid out a global mandate of “a clean and inexpensive energy for all” as part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study specifically focuses on SDG 7 (affordable clean energy) and 13 (climate change). Many industrialized and emerging nations use maize as an energy crop; South Africa has rarely made use of this potential owing to valid food security concerns. Maize production trends in this study showed growth throughout the years despite a few declines which were mostly as a result of climate change. Trade trends also pointed out that there is minimal maize regional trade between South Africa and the rest of the African countries. At the aggregate level, maize production for human, and animal consumption and for biofuel feedstock depends on several macroeconomic factors, some of which were explored in this study. This study was backed by several macroeconomic theories namely: the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), the Mercantilist Theory of Trade, the Export-Led Growth Theory, and the Endogenous Growth Theory. The main objective of this study was to assess the impact of Carbon Dioxide Emissions (CO2), Renewable Energy Supply, Trade, and Economic Growth on maize production in South Africa from 1979 to 2021. The nexus offered vital insights on initiatives that could be prioritised to advance renewable energy in the South African agriculture industry. An Auto Regressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) model using Bounds test econometric approach was employed to estimate the short and long-run nexus between renewable energy supply, carbon dioxide emissions, trade, economic growth, and the production of maize. The existence of unit root in the time-series data was examined using the Augment Dickey-Fuller and Phillips-Perron tests; the robustness of the long-run estimate was assessed using the Fully Modified Least Squares (FMOLS) and Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR) models. The Pair-wise Granger Causality test was used to test for causality between carbon dioxide emissions, renewable energy supply, trade, economic growth, and maize production. The short-run results indicated that Carbon Dioxide Emissions reduce maize production and renewable energy supply increases maize production both in the short-run and long-run. Granger causality results indicated a unidirectional causality between carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, and maize production. A bidirectional causality was observed between renewable energy supply and maize production. This study contributes to economic policy regarding the energy-climate nexus in South Africa's agricultural industry. The agricultural industry is not only an energy consumer but also has the potential to contribute to renewable energy, specifically bioenergy through the supply of biomass. Considering that maize is a major global energy crop, its demand globally trickles down to maize-producing countries, and this has implications for supply and demand locally and globally. The study’s emerging insights may be used to guide the use of renewable energy biomass supply and the impact of climate change on the agricultural economy (maize production). Text in English Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32017 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32016 Assessment of the effects of climate change, renewable energy consumption, economic and population growth on sugarcane productivity in South Africa from 1972-2021 Ndaba, Nonkululeko Sugarcane production in South Africa is influenced by several factors, including environmental dynamics (climate change, carbon dioxide emissions), consumption of renewable energy, population expansion, and economic growth. Understanding the intricate interdependencies between these variables is essential for sustainable agricultural planning. Using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method, this study examines the effects of climate change, renewable energy consumption, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, population growth, and economic growth on sugarcane production in South Africa. The study utilizes time-series data collected annually from various institutions between 1972 and 2021. This methodology facilitates a comprehensive assessment of both short- and long-term dynamics and their interactions by considering the variables of interest in this study. In the long run, temperature and carbon dioxide levels have a statistically significant negative impact on sugarcane yield, with significance levels at 10% and 1%, respectively. Conversely, rainfall, renewable energy consumption, and gross domestic product exhibit a statistically significant positive relationship with sugarcane yield. In the short run, the analysis showed that rainfall has a statistically significant negative effect on sugarcane yield at the 1% significance level. However, renewable energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions have statistically significant positive effects on sugarcane yield, both at the 10% significance level. The causality results indicated insufficient evidence to establish a causal relationship between sugarcane yield and temperature, renewable energy consumption, GDP, carbon dioxide emissions, and population growth. Nevertheless, a uni-directional causal relationship was identified from rainfall to sugarcane yield, indicating that changes in rainfall patterns may lead to changes in sugarcane yield. The study recommends focusing on growing the renewable energy sector by allocating resources to agriculture for bioenergy production. Text in English Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32016 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32015 Smallholder sugarcane producers’ perceptions and practices in bioenergy production in Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa Mabila, Delisile Priscilla Smallholder sugarcane production has an important role in promoting the participation of smallholder farmers in the bioenergy sector. There is not much which is known about smallholder farmers’ potential and willingness to engage in the bioenergy sector. The main objective of the research was to assess small-scale farmers’ potential and willingness to engage in bioenergy production from sugarcane. The specific objectives of the study were to determine factors affecting small-scale sugarcane producers’ potential to participate in bioenergy production; assess the current practices and the level of engagement in bioenergy production of smallholder sugarcane producers; evaluate factors affecting farmers’ willingness to participate in bioenergy production from sugarcane; and highlight what resources and institutional support is required for the smallholders to fully participate in the bioenergy sector. Bioenergy is a form of renewable produced from biomass, primarily derived from plants such as forest residues, woody crops, and crop waste, among others. Renewable energy helps to reduce the carbon footprint of energy sources. Smallholder farmers have an opportunity to contribute to the reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to climate change mitigation. The study was conducted with smallholder sugarcane farmers in Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A quantitative research approach was employed for the research. Following an ethical clearance with Reference 2022/CAES_HREC/050 from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Science's Health and Research Ethics Committee, Thus, given a population of 893 smallholder farmers, a sample size of 269 smallholders was generated using Microsoft Excel's rand function. A total of 134 farmers were interviewed in November 2021. The data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Both descriptive statistics and econometric model were used to analyze the data. Two regression models (Ordinal Least Squares regression and Principal Components Regression were estimated). Data was analyzed using both SPSS V28 and STATA 17. The findings showed that none of the farmers are currently engaged in bioenergy production. However, interest to engage in the sector was very high. Sugarcane harvesting is mainly manual, though a few uses mechanical harvesting, which is expensive. Most of the farmers burn their sugarcane before harvesting. Four factors were significant in influencing the bagasse potential from farmers ‘sugarcane production. These were the farmer’s age, land ownership, access to credit and cooperative membership. Also, four factors were significant in influencing them willingness to participate in the bioenergy sector these were land under sugarcane production, land tenure security and their perceptions on land and food security. The study concludes that it is important to focus on young farmers to promote the bioenergy sector in smallholder farming. Inadequate land inhibits smallholder sugarcane farmers from seizing opportunities from the bioenergy sector. The current financial support mechanisms for smallholder farmers in the sugarcane industry and collective action arrangements do not enhance farmers’ propensity to participate in bioenergy production. It was also concluded that improving the land tenure security of smallholder sugarcane farmers would enhance their willingness to participate in bioenergy production. Furthermore, smallholder farmers who believe that the production of bioenergy requires large tracts of land are more willing to engage in bioenergy production compared to their counterparts. This is because of the anticipation of support which comes with such kinds of projects. Unfavourable opinions on the possible compromise between food security and bioenergy. The study advocates for youth development activities to boost young participation in sugarcane cultivation. A revamp of the financial support system and collective action arrangements would enhance the participation of farmers in the bioenergy sector. The farmers’ sugarcane trash management practices should be changed. Green harvesting should be promoted in smallholder sugarcane farming. Knowledge is critical and thus training is needed to improve the farmers’ knowledge of trash management practices, bioenergy, and associated processes. Land reform/ redistribution in the country should support the creation of secure land tenure rights for farmers. The farmers’ fears regarding the bioenergy sector should be addressed before any intervention. The negative perceptions can derail any progress made in promoting bioenergy within the smallholder farming sector. There is also a need to ensure that any bioenergy programme in the smallholder sugarcane sector should not affect the production of crops for food security. Text in English Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32015 2024-09-29T00:00:00Z