A decision support system for institutional support to farmers in the face of climate change challenges in Limpopo province

Abstract

Smallholder farmers in South Africa continue to be affected by the changing climate despite the existence of support to improve their adaptive capacity. This study focused on the institutional support systems and support types available to farmers in agro-ecological zones of Limpopo Province and assessed support types best suited to each area. Six hundred farmers were purposively sampled across the agro-ecological zones of Limpopo and interviewed. Support types looked at included monetary, machinery, seeds, educational support and others (irrigation scheme, animals, fertilizer, pesticides). Supporting institutions included Agro finance institutions, DAFF, Banks, and NGOs. Results showed that 70.01% of farmers received support from DAFF 25.60% from NGO's and 4.39% from Agro finance institutions. The most number of support received was two types 33.3% of the farmers. The result from the ANOVA showed that there were no significant differences in the level of difficulty experienced by farmers in accessing the various support institutions across the agro-ecological zones. In terms of the various support types received, there was a statistically significant difference in seeds (p ¼ 0.002 < α ¼ 0.05) and educational (p ¼ 0.0001 < α ¼ 0.05) support received between the different areas. Furthermore, the support needs varied across zones with farmers in arid-zone needing machinery, education, seeds and lastly monetary support while the semi-arid zone needed machinery, education, others, seeds, monetary and the humid, machinery, education, others, money and seeds. It is therefore recommended that support for farmers should be location-specific in order to enhance the adaptive capacity of an area and not be based only on the availability of certain support. There is a need for proper coordination between institutions in their aim to assist farmers to cope with climate change.

Assessing South Africa's institutional adaptive capacity to maize production in the context of climate change: Integration of a socioeconomic development dimension

“…Nations, societies, communities, and households' approaches and transformative actions toward climate change‐associated threats will, in several instances, define their likelihood for development and resilience (Agrawal & Perrin, 2009). Kephe et al (2020) suggested that key issues in adaptation behaviors are the predisposition to resist and delay change or the inability of institutions to create an environment that facilitates and promotes effective planning to react to threats associated with climate change. To circumvent these types of scenarios, the South African environmental management systems have constantly evolved in pursuit of a functional response system for climate change.…”

“…The threats and uncertainties presented by climate change are multifaceted, intensifying, and causing vulnerabilities across different sectors. Agriculture in Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, given the high dependence of farmers on rainfed production (Kephe et al, 2020; Nkulumo & Olivier, 2017). According to Makate (2019), sub‐Saharan Africa is exposed to severe climate‐related risks which are projected to cause a decline in the production of major cereal crops, including maize, by 2050.…”

“…From this perspective, discussions, principles, policies, and laws are considered as institutions, with each of them associated with actors such as government (provincial, local), nongovernmental organizations (NGO), private, and academia (Gupta et al, 2010). Calls are currently on the increase for institutions responsible for facilitating climate change response actions to evolve at a rate which can stay abreast with the changes in the environment and the intensification of such changes (Engle, 2011;Kephe et al, 2020;Masipa, 2017;Oduniyi & Olawuyi, 2020;Sinyolo, 2020). Agrawal (2010) signified that institutions involved in climate change adaptation responses are essential natural resource management tools, whose role continuously evolves in view of the unpredictability presented by climate change and the need to ensure cohesive response actions.…”

Effectiveness of bylaws in supporting sustainable crop intensification: A case of potato farming in Southwestern Uganda

“…This affected informal bylaws implementation in support to SCI especially on the need of maintaining integrity of the environment (Lechenet et al, 2017;Karunarathne et al, 2020;Pimentel and Burgess, 2005;Zhang et al, 2015;FAO, 2014). This was possible through institutional approach and support (Kephe et al, 2020). Institutional approach favored activation of principles 7 and 2, on authorities as regards rights of local people and meeting needs of local people, respectively, to effectively adapt farming practices to climate change and reduce its adverse effects, which in turn, supported SCI in region.…”

“…As such, the study foresaw a need for each of these players to self-govern. Agricultural institutions developed strategic relationships with farming communities to support adaptation processes amidst climate change challenges (Kephe et al, 2020). Partnerships encouraged coordination and effective responses towards the need for crop intensification, through supporting education on farming, provision of quality seeds, and access to machinery (Stavytskyy and Prokopenko, 2017).…”