Adapting to the Impacts of Drought by Smallholder Farmers in Sekhukhune District in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

Smallholder farmers have been affected by drought impacts for several years. Sekhukhune district is characterized by poor and unreliable rainfall, frequent droughts and periodic flooding most of the time. Due to low and unreliable rainfall the smallholder farmers in the Sekhukhune district are finding it difficult to obtain high crop yields. As result of unreliable rainfall the majority of the households in the district are food insecure. The drought impacts in the Sekhukhune district has affected smallholder farmers in different ways including economically, socially and the production. Sekhukhune district has been receiving lower rainfall due to the effects of high extreme climatic events, climate variability and change. The impact of lower rainfall has negative effects on the agricultural sector, resulting in decrease in agricultural activities, loss of livestock, shortage of drinking water, low yields and shortage of seeds for subsequent cultivation in the district. The lowest average annual rainfall recorded was 438 mm in 1992. Limpopo Province including the Sekhukhune district has been characterised by low rainfall and recurrent drought problems especially in 1981/1984, 1988/1989, 1991/92 and in the 2004 and these hinder agricultural production in the province. The majority of farmers in the Sekhukhune district in 1992 lost high volumes of crops and livestock due to shortages of water and because of drought problems during that year. It was highlighted by several experts that the drought impacts in the Sekhukhune district are not only affecting the crop and the livestock smallholders, it is also affecting the vegetation status in the district. The quality and status of vegetation can be severely impacted by drought periods. The combination of these factors, for example low rainfall, poor vegetation condition and a range of other constraints, heightened during droughts, unfortunately produces a range of additional stressors for farmers in the Sekhukhune district. Poor vegetation usually means poor grazing and therefore poor cattle condition. This can further translate into loss of livelihoods as poor cattle often receive poor market prices.

Enteric methane output from selected herds of beef cattle raised under extensive arid rangelands

“…High output could have emanated from the extreme dry conditions, which were prevailing in southern Africa during the 2015/16 rain season when this study was undertaken. This is evident from reports indicating that moisture availability has a direct positive correlation on forage output or plant life under rain-fed southern African rangelands (Mpandeli et al 2015;Rasch et al 2017;Senyolo et al 2017). Therefore, dry conditions cause low quality forage biomass, which likely result in higher energy losses by animals when degraded in the rumen.…”

South African National Climate Change Response Policy Sensitization: An Assessment of Smallholder Farmers in Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province

“…The agricultural sector is extremely sensitive to climatic variability, posing threats to food security [27]. Empirical studies [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] have shown increased impacts of climate change conditions on production activities. The NCCRP is, therefore, crucial in providing adaptation assistance, particularly to vulnerable resource-poor farmers.…”

Determinants of small-scale farmers’ choice and adaptive strategies in response to climatic shocks in Vhembe District, South Africa

“…Hence, in South Africa, like in other African Nations, empirical studies indicate that variability and change in climate is a major threat to small-scale farmers' well-being. Studies conducted in Limpopo Province indicated that lack of water and prolonged dry spells in the following years, 1981/1984, 1988/1989, 1991/92, 2004/2005 and lately in 2014/2015 seasons (Mpandeli et al 2015;Twagiramaria et al 2018). This had some significant negative effects on crop and animal production, as well as on food security and livelihoods at the rural areas.…”

“…However, a basic knowledge of how and why small-scale farmers have responded to past climate change trends is of a vital importance in enhancing recent and future adaptation strategies. Literature have reviewed that, it is an important starting point to analyse adaptive capacity in order to understand how recent changes in climatic conditions are perceived, analysed, interpreted and responded to by local smallscale farmers (Vincent 2007;Mpandeli et al 2015). Further, Banerjee (2015) reported the importance of enhancing stakeholder policy towards combatting the effects of climate change on small-scale farmers, as well as the importance of some knowledge, perceptions of the local state of climate change and adaptation strategies.…”