Abstract
This study set out to assess the well-being of farmers from a personal leadership perspective. We all need food to survive and as such agriculture is one of the most important industries in a country. Consequently, it can be argued that the well-being of farmers should also be a top priority for a country’s strategies for food security. However, the hypothesis of this study is that the current socio-political circumstances are influencing the well-being of farmers negatively and in such a way that it is ultimately affecting the state of agriculture and food security in South-Africa. Furthermore, the hypothesis of this study is also that the practice of personal leadership principles can have a positive impact on the well-being of farmers and consequently contribute to the agricultural industry and food security. The researcher followed a phenomenological approach by utilising semi-structured interviews to gauge the well-being of seven respondents. After gathering the required information, the interviews were transcribed and analysed to identify recurring themes within the various fields of the Personal and Professional Leadership (PPL) perspective. This process was followed by an in-depth literature review wherein the researcher attempted to correlate the research findings with an existing theory about well-being from a personal leadership perspective. The findings show that the current socio-political circumstances of South-Africa have a negative effect on the well-being of farmers. While this negative effect was found to influence all the dimensions of the farmer’s well-being, it was also found that it influences their financial, emotional and ecological well-being the most. Furthermore, it was also found that existing theory in personal leadership is relevant to and can be utilised to contribute to the well-being of farmers and arguably to the state of agriculture and food security in South-Africa.
M.Phil.