Perception And Adaptation Responses To Climate Change: An Assessment Of Smallholder Livestock Farmers In Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province

Abstract

Livestock is a critical asset for many rural poor, however, the current climate crisis is affecting livestock farmers. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in order to assess the farmers' perceptions of climate change, and its impact on production and adaptation responses. Using a multistage sampling procedure, a total of 142 smallholder livestock farmers were selected from 18 villages across the study area. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were used and the observed results showed that there has been a perceived drastic decline in rainfall in the area over the last 25 years. Some of the perceived impacts were poor vegetation and limited grazing, scarcity of water resources, decreased livestock growth rate, weight, milk production and reproduction rates. Adaptation responses were limited as the results showed that the only response measures taken amongst the many options available were changing grazing routes, increasing grazing distances, destocking, water harvesting and storage, and increased dependence on social welfare. An examination of farmers' perceptions of their adopted responses showed that none of the response measures were perceived as significantly effective. The lack of effective response to the climate change crisis is a cause for concern, as the livestock industry is endemic to the region and sustains families and entire communities.

Information Sources and Constraints to Climate Change Adaptation amongst Smallholder Farmers in Amathole District Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…Research on climate change impacts on agricultural production activities in the study area revealed that smallholder farmers were faced with numerous production challenges caused by extreme weather events, particularly long periods of dry spells [165][166][167]. Amongst the identified impacts are water paucity, increased irregularities in planting seasons, pest and diseases, and decreased soil fertility affecting the quality and yields of crops [165].…”

“…Amongst the identified impacts are water paucity, increased irregularities in planting seasons, pest and diseases, and decreased soil fertility affecting the quality and yields of crops [165]. Others include reduction in the weight, development, milk production and reproduction of livestock, coupled with reduction in vegetation and available land area for grazing [166]; and, marked decrease in the size, quantity and quality of poultry eggs [167]. Further assessment of the adaptation responses of smallholder farmers in the area showed that there was an extremely low implementation of adaptation measures and a majority of the farmers perceived existing coping and adaptation measures as significantly ineffective [165][166][167].…”

Impact of Climate Change on Sustainable Pastoral Livelihoods in Loima Sub-County, Turkana County, Kenya

“…pastoralists resorted to destocking to acquire income for alternative livelihoods. Similar studies byPopoola et al (2019) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, reported that 55% of respondents use destocking as an adaptation measure Popoola et al (2019). further noted that some pastoral communities cushion against drought through destocking.…”

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

“…At the same time, the cost to farmers increased by 177% (Molieleng et al, 2021), making it very difficult as most of the farmers had to rely on buying feed to sustain their livestock production (Talanow et al, 2021). In most cases, such costs were done to maintain the core herd (Popoola et al, 2019). It has been anticipated that will take years to recover (Tibesigwa et al, 2017).…”

“…Only a few have associated adaptations to specific climate change impacts [e.g., (Maponya and Mpandeli, 2012;Mthembu and Zwane, 2017)]. To develop effective adaptation strategies and ensure adaptation success, research on climate change adaptation must not be approached separately but should instead be integrated within the framework of impact assessments (Popoola et al, 2019;Oduniyi et al, 2020). The documented adaptation responses are mostly incremental through management and technology adjustments to reduce the impacts, and less on systemic measures such as institutional and policy changes.…”