Assessing the Adoption of Conservation Agriculture Towards Climate Change Adaptation: A Case of Nkomazi, Mpumalanga Province

Abstract

Climate change is a threat to agricultural productivity and the overwhelming effects of climate change hinders the quest for sustainable agriculture, with the aim of satisfying the increasing demands for food and fiber. Adaptation to the ever-changing climate is a necessity for the agricultural sector. The study was conducted in Nkomazi Local Municipality. The study assessed the adoption of conservation agriculture in relation to climate change by smallholder farmers. Focus group discussion, structured and semistructured questionnaires were used to randomly collect data from selected smallholder farmers. The data was analyzed using the binary logistics regression model to determine adoption behavior of farmers in the use of conservation agriculture. Logistic regression result show that several predictor variables were found to significantly influence the adoption behavior of smallholder farmers in the area. The study noted the existence of significant variables to include age, education, household size, income, number of children, and adoption of conservation agricultural practice. Marital status of the farmers was found not to be significant and never to influence the adoption behavior of farmers with a p-value of (0.911) and co-efficient of (0.102). Furthermore, thoughtful decision process and smallholder farmers' capacity development and training on conservation techniques must be accentuated. It is therefore, recommended that future research be undertaken on the extent to which the effects of climate change affect farmer's productivity as well as the lack of youth involvement in agricultural production in the study area.

The Implications of Conservation Agriculture in Forests Management against Soil Erosion and Degradation

“…Significantly, CA helps to further achieve Sustainable Development Goals 1, 13 and 15, that is Zero Hunger, Climate Action and Life on Land, respectively. Minimal soil disturbance, optimal soil cover and crop diversification are the three main pillars of CA [7,8]. According to [8][9][10][11], CA is a resource-saving farming mechanism.…”

“…Minimal soil disturbance, optimal soil cover and crop diversification are the three main pillars of CA [7,8]. According to [8][9][10][11], CA is a resource-saving farming mechanism. Therefore, forestry cannot be an exception in the use of this beneficial farming system.…”

“…On the other hand, permanent soil cover is mainly practiced through the organic mulch, green manure, retention of crop residue as well as plastic mulch. However, conservation agriculture promotes organic mulch as well as the retention of crop residue [7,8,20]. Soil cover protects the soil from harsh climatic conditions (such as the sun and rain).…”

“…This is possible when the three principles of CA are practiced across the Agriculture and Forestry sectors. The three pillars of CA are Minimal soil disturbance, permanent soil cover and crop diversification [7,8]. CA has the potential to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15, namely: Climate Action and Life on Land, respectively.…”

Socioeconomic determinants of modern climate change adaptation of small-scale vegetable farmers in Bohlabela District, Mpumalanga Province

“…In Mpumalanga province, studies on small-scale farmers' climate change adaptation are few. In literature, few authors reported on climate change perceptions by farmers (Ajala, 2017;Elum et al, 2017;Boluwatife, 2019;Nesamvuni et al, 2022), adaption strategies used by farmers (Ubisi et al, 2020;Sithole and Agholor, 2021). Despite the paucity of research on adaptation perception and adaptation strategies used for climate change, there is no literature on the drivers of climate change in general and modern climate change adaptation methods in Mpumalanga Province.…”