Tropentag, September 11 - 13, 2024, Vienna "Explore opportunities... for managing natural resources and a better life for all"

Farmer-led innovation systems for climate resilience: Insights from farmers' choices of adaptation priorities and preferences

¹Julius Kühn Institute, Institute for Strategies and Impact Assessment, Germany
²University of Twente, Dept. of Natural Resources, The Netherlands
³International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Kenya
⁴University of Limpopo, Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre, South Africa
⁵Water Research Commission, South Africa

Abstract

Agriculture is constantly challenged by increased variability and changing climate, leading to crop failures, and declining production. Farmers are expected to respond and adapt to these challenges to ensure yield stability and continuity in production within this setting. This study assessed the perception of smallholder farmers to a changing climate and their coping and adaptive strategies and identified potential coping strategies for future production through priority ranking. Using participatory approaches, 600 smallholder farmers were sampled across three agroecological zones in Limpopo, South Africa. The data collected were on support received, climatic factors affecting them, and how they adapt and can adapt in the future under different farming practices, conservation agriculture, diversification, new technologies, and different timing for farming practices. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used for data analysis.
Results showed that all farmers are aware of increased climate change and variability, with changes in rainfall patterns being the most prominent experienced by all farmers. Extreme floods, droughts, and waterlogging prompted 84.5 % of farmers to adjust their farming practices drastically. Climate change and variability influenced decisions regarding crops to plant and the weeding method to use by 86% of farmers. Coping measures mostly used include a change in planting dates and weeding techniques. Furthermore, out of 15 adaptation strategies implemented, farmers ranked crop residue application as mulch on bare soil as the most essential strategy vital for future production, followed by conservation agricultural practices. The use of slow-release fertiliser ranked the least. Even though there were differences in the number of farmers experiencing climate extremes in different agroecological zones, the Bonferroni test results showed no statistically significant differences among farmers regarding their perceptions and responses to climate change and variability. However, there is room for better adaptation if the government intensifies agricultural extension activities and encourages planting different varieties of similar season length that the farmers are used to working with, enhancing weather forecasting, and making the information available to farmers to enable them to adjust to changing planting dates. In that respect, there is a need to integrate adaptation strategies to match the area's socio-economic and cultural characteristics.

Keywords: Adaptation, climate change, crop management, perception, priority ranking, risk, vulnerability

Contact Address: Priscilla Kephe, Julius Kühn Institute, Institute for Strategies and Impact Assessment, 14532 Kleinmachnow, Germany, e-mail: priscilla.kephejulius-kuehn.de