Determinants of Relevant Constraints Inhibiting Farmers’ Adoption of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in South Africa

Thinda, KT; Ogundeji, Abiodun A.; Belle, JA; Ojo, Temitope

doi:10.1177/0021909620934836

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…There seems to be a significant imbalance in climate change literature in communal livestock production than in the commercial sector in South Africa. More than 60% of the existing publications in the country have considered commercial livestock production as the priority research area requiring urgent attention to climate change adaptation and mitigation (Thinda et al, 2021). Limited research attention given to rural communities does not reflect the on-going claims that practicing livestock production in communal areas is a risky business due to its vulnerability to climate change.…”

Section: Limited Background Studies Of South Africa's Rural Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are growing calls from various scientists and policy makers suggesting a mixed croplivestock system as a mitigation strategy to the current climate crisis (Mthembu and Zwane, 2017). Half of the food products in South Africa and other developing countries are produced in mixed crop-livestock systems (Thinda et al, 2021). Mixed croplivestock production is an old neglected farming practice with a great history of sustaining many poor households in rural communities (Maponya and Mpandeli, 2013).…”

Section: Drawbacks On Mixed Crop-livestock Systems As An Effective Re...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ultimately, the importance of livestock to a country's development agendas depends on the multiple socio-economic values and the cultural benefits it provides (Maponya and Mpandeli, 2013). A limited number of literature reviews have documented climate change impacts on communal livestock productivity (Thinda et al, 2021;Maluleke et al, 2020). Previous impact studies looked at droughts (Lottering et al, 2021), floods (Ngarava et al, 2020), and heatwaves (Katiyatiya et al, 2017), as well as variations in rainfall and temperature (Maluleke et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review of Climate Change Risks to Communal Livestock Production and Response Strategies in South Africa

et al. 2022

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Livestock offers substantial opportunities for food security and sustainable development with appropriate adaptation to climate change. Nowadays, climate change is among the critical problems facing less privileged rural people directly depending on livestock to survive. This paper aimed to analyse the existing literature and identify knowledge gaps about climate change impacts and response strategies in rural livestock production of South Africa. The study utilized a systematic literature review with key search terms such as “climate change” (weather, variability), “livestock” (monogastric*ruminants), “impact” (heat stress; feeds; pasture; production; reproduction; health; vector-diseases), and “adaptation” (strategies; vulnerability; risks; resilience). The search was run through scientific databases such as Google scholar, Science direct, Cab direct, Sabinet and Sematic scholar, targeting titles, abstracts and keywords. From the 62 suitable peer-reviewed publications examined in the current paper, five limitations were discovered, namely: (1) limited contextual studies of South Africa’s rural livestock farming communities; (2) a silo approach to investigations on impacts and adaptation in rural livestock production; (3) drawbacks on mixed crop-livestock systems as an effective response to climate change; (4) limited studies on monogastric livestock in rural communities; and (5) geographic underrepresentation of research progress in different provinces within the country. The study recommended improving geographic coverage of literature and inclusion of non-ruminants exposed to different climatic shocks. It is further advised that to gain effective responses to climate change impacts, mitigation strategies should be context-specific and holistic to improve livestock production in rural farming communities.

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Section: Limited Background Studies Of South Africa's Rural Communitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Drawbacks On Mixed Crop-livestock Systems As An Effective Re...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review of Climate Change Risks to Communal Livestock Production and Response Strategies in South Africa

et al. 2022

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“…Both men and women who were involved mentioned 'capacity building' defined as training, extension and information but also as support to formal and informal groups, as the most important resource needed for adaptation (Roncoli et al 2010). Similarly, a study in South Africa revealed that while media sources provide smallholders with information on climate change, such information on its own doesn't allow them to cope with change (Thinda et al 2020). Farmers identified the most critical adaptation constraint being a lack of access to extension and other advisory services that help them mediate and assimilate the relevant information.…”

Section: Partnerships For Knowledge Management and Capacity Buildingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building adaptive capacity of smallholder agriculture to climate change: evidence synthesis on learning outcomes

Silici¹,

Rowe²,

Nanthikesan³

et al. 2021

Environ. Res. Commun.

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Increasing climate uncertainty coupled with more frequent extreme events poses a serious threat to the sustainability of smallholder communities dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. Whilst there is extensive literature on adaptation options, there is a pressing need to understand what interventions have been successful in building smallholder’s adaptive capacity, and how these have been transferred (nationally and internationally) through learning outcomes. The aim of this rapid evidence assessment was to assess the extent to which learning outcomes have supported initiatives to mainstream adaptation, focussing on three key areas, (i) scaling up climate sensitive adaptive interventions, (ii) the role of knowledge management to promote effective adaptive solutions, and (iii) human-ecosystem interactions in climate change adaptation. A protocol for the review was defined, from which 806 sources of evidence were retrieved. After screening for relevance using inclusion criteria, 91 were selected and the salient evidence extracted and synthesised. Access to knowledge remains one of the most important determinants of smallholders’ decisions to respond to climate risk and a critical element in building adaptive capacity. The way knowledge is generated and exchanged is also directly relevant to securing effective scaling-up pathways. Learning platforms through participatory action research, farmer field schools and community-based initiatives were found to be particularly effective. However, knowledge based on local practices alone may be insufficient to prompt transformative action. Bridging local and external knowledge is critical because it widens the smallholders’ knowledge base and encourages ‘proactive’ adaptation alongside more typical ‘reactive’ strategies. The contribution of evidence reviews to provide new insights to inform decision-making and investment in international development and the implications for advocating climate-sensitive policies at national and global levels are discussed.

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“…Thus, climate change continues to be a persistent global issue (Bauer and Scholz 2010). In Southern Africa, the effects of climate change have been experienced at a large scale as the region lacks adequate technology and proper management of its resources (Thinda et al 2020). In addition, the combination of other various aspects of the region, such as its geographical exposure that has low levels of human development, weak institutions, high levels of inequality, and high dependence on agriculture, makes the African people vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially those in the Southern African region as it is warming up at a faster rate than the global average (Kupika et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Change Adaptation in Southern Africa: Universalistic Science or Indigenous Knowledge or Hybrid

Mutambisi

Chanza

Ncube

et al. 2021

African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation

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The aims of this chapter are to seek answer, through a document review, case studies, and thematic content analysis, to which direction Southern Africa should take in the face of climate change and to suggest a framework for adaptations by communities experiencing climatic events. Acknowledging that the fundamental set of ideas provided by indigenous knowledge (IK) works best at a small scale, the chapter argues for the need to seriously value IK-based response practices in the knowledge hybridization agenda. The worsening vulnerability potentiated by the increasing magnitude and severity of climate change impacts is a reminder that local-based indigenous response practices in Africa need to be complemented. Adaptation to climate change calls for real and surreal measures all being applied in combination. Across Africa, these measures have, at times, included the preservation of forest resources which increased carbon sinking and enhanced community resilience against climate change. Universalistic and orthodox sciences have punctuated and amplified these efforts by speaking of such initiatives as mitigation and adaptation through programs, e.g., Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). The merits of the two approaches have resulted in increasing call among scholars for the merging of these programs with IK. However, it remains to be fully understood how such a hybrid approach could be operationalized without treating the latter as an inferior element in climate science discourses.

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Determinants of Relevant Constraints Inhibiting Farmers’ Adoption of Climate Change Adaptation Strategies in South Africa

Cited by 23 publications

References 51 publications

A Systematic Review of Climate Change Risks to Communal Livestock Production and Response Strategies in South Africa

A Systematic Review of Climate Change Risks to Communal Livestock Production and Response Strategies in South Africa

Building adaptive capacity of smallholder agriculture to climate change: evidence synthesis on learning outcomes

Climate Change Adaptation in Southern Africa: Universalistic Science or Indigenous Knowledge or Hybrid

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