The impact of climate change on net revenue and food adequacy of subsistence farming households in South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Byela Tibesigwa ◽  
Martine Visser ◽  
Jane Turpie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Subsistence Farming ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Mixed Crop ◽  
Net Revenue ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Farming Households

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of climate change on poor households across South Africa who practise subsistence farming to supplement their household income and dietary requirements. We consider three production systems: specialized crops, livestock and mixed crop-livestock farming. In general, we find specialized crop farmers to be the most vulnerable, while mixed crop-livestock farmers appear to be least vulnerable, suggesting that crop-livestock diversification is a potential coping strategy among poor subsistence farming households. We observe qualitatively similar results when we use self-reported food adequacy as the outcome. Furthermore, predicted impact shows that the climatic changes will be mildly harmful at first but will grow over time and lead to a 151 per cent loss in net revenue by the year 2080. Interestingly, we observe that crop farmers receive higher revenue when land is owned by the household, while on the other hand, livestock farmers earn more revenue when the land is communal.

scholarly journals Adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture by Communal Livestock Farmers in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10468
Author(s):  
Lerato Molieleng ◽  
Pieter Fourie ◽  
Ifeoma Nwafor
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Animal Agriculture ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Communal Areas ◽  
The Government ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
The Impact

The importance of adopting modern technology in agriculture, especially in a changing climate, cannot be underestimated in Africa. The aim of this review was to highlight the past and the status quo with regard to the adoption of current farming practices in relation to climate-smart agriculture (CSA) by communal livestock farmers in South Africa. The impact of animal agriculture on climate change was also deliberated. Different internet search engines and databases, like Google Scholar, EBSCO Host, Science Direct, etc., and peer-reviewed articles, books, and government and academic reports were employed to provide information to adequately address the aim. Keywords like “the impact of climate smart agriculture on communal livestock farmers”, “communal livestock in South Africa”, “communal farming and technology adoption”, etc. were used for the search. Various issues pertaining to the impact of animal agriculture on climate change, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and implementing CSA in livestock farming were extensively discussed. The findings indicated that there is limited research on the adoption of CSA by communal livestock farmers in South Africa. The review concluded that strategies to adopt modern technology in communal areas should address the issues to enhance knowledge of farmers and all stakeholders, through increasing awareness, trainings, and skills programs. The government should build local capacity in innovative and affordable water and agricultural solutions, and reliable financial mechanisms should be in place to implement innovative sound technologies in communal areas.

scholarly journals A RICARDIAN ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON PERMANENT CROPS IN A MEDITERRANEAN REGION

New Medit ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Migliore ◽  
Cinzia Zinnanti ◽  
Emanuele Schimmenti ◽  
Valeria Borsellino ◽  
Giorgio Schifani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Farm Accountancy Data Network ◽  
Net Revenue ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Impact

This is the first study which explores the impact of climate change in Sicily, a small Mediterranean region of Southern Europe. According to research, Mediterranean area has shown large climate shifts in the last century and it has been identified as one of the most prominent “Hot-Spots” in future climate change projections. Since agriculture is an economic activity which strongly depends on climate setting and is particularly responsive to climate changes, it is important to understand how such changes may affect agricultural profitability in the Mediterranean region. The aim of the present study is to assess the expected impact of climate change on permanent crops cultivated in Sicilian region (Southern Italy). By using data from Farm Accountancy Data Network and Ensembles climatic projections for 2021-2050 period, we showed that the impact of climate change is prominent in this region. However, crops respond to climatic variations in a different manner, highlighting that unlike the strong reduction in profitability of grapevine and citrus tree, the predicted average Net Revenue of olive tree is almost the same as in the reference period (1961-1990).

Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on the Staple Baskets of Botswana and South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 115-215
Author(s):  
Wiltrud Durand ◽  
Davide Cammarano ◽  
Olivier Crespo ◽  
Thembeka Mpusaing ◽  
Hlamalani Ngwenya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Climate change, household vulnerability and smart agriculture: The case of two South African provinces

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mkhululi Ncube ◽  
Nomonde Madubula ◽  
Hlami Ngwenya ◽  
Nkulumo Zinyengere ◽  
Leocadia Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Household Vulnerability ◽  
Smart Agriculture ◽  
The Impact

The impact of climate-change disasters poses significant challenges for South Africa, especially for vulnerable rural households. In South Africa, the impact of climate change at the local level, especially in rural areas, is not well known. Rural households are generally poor and lack resources to adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change, but the extent of their vulnerability is largely not understood. This study looked at the micro-level impact of climate change, evaluated household vulnerability and assessed alternative adaptation strategies in rural areas. The results indicate that climate change will hit crop yields hard and that households with less capital are most vulnerable. These households consist of the elderly and households headed by females. Households that receive remittances or extension services or participate in formal savings schemes in villages are less vulnerable. The results suggest that households need to move towards climate-smart agriculture, which combines adaptation, mitigation and productivity growth.

The impact of climate change on the Mpumalanga Provincial Archives and records management activities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nkholedzeni Sidney Netshakhuma
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of climate change on South Africa’s Mpumalanga Provincial Archives (MPA) and related records management activities. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach/method was used to collect data from the source, including purposive sampling and expert knowledge solicited through semi-structured interviews. A review was undertaken to source climate data and related archival sector literature. Findings Recent extreme weather events in Mpumalanga seem to bear out climate change projections. The current absence of relevant strategies and plans implies that the MPA and provincial departments are not yet prepared for emergencies. The lack of a plan, an implementation strategy and related training may increase the impact of disasters on the provincial archives’ environment. Without disaster plans and robust preparedness, the question of how the MPA is going to preserve archives for future generations is raised. In addition, due to a lack of guidance for registry staff, appraisal is not allowing for identification and processing of archival materials, so combined with a lack of disaster management strategies and plans contributes to the loss of archives. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to the MPA; however, the findings may be extended to other South Africa provincial archives and parts of the world experiencing similar issues. Practical implications When archivists accept holdings into their repositories, they take the responsibility for their archival custody. But, these efforts may come to nothing if the archives are lost. Disaster management is the key to the protection of the archives. This study evaluated the present and future consequences of climate change impacts by assessing the risk to Mpumalanga archives by climate change-related floods. Social implications There is a need to conduct similar research on a larger scale so as to explore the impact of climate change in other provincial archives to provide a wider context of the problem within South Africa. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on the impact of climate change on archives. The results achieved should be seen as a first step towards identification of the issue.

scholarly journals Livestock Farmer Demography and Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change and Variability in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Province of South Africa

2022 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 870-898
Author(s):  
Khathutshelo A. Tshikolomo ◽  
Azwihangwisi E. Nesamvuni ◽  
Marema Petja ◽  
Johan Van Niekerk ◽  
Ndivhudza S. Mpandeli
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Mpumalanga Province ◽  
Climate Change And Variability ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Almost All

The study investigated the demographic characteristics of smallholder livestock farmers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga Province of South Africa and their effect on the capacity of the farmers to adapt to climate change and variability. Respondents were mainly heads (58.7%) and parents (25.7%) to heads of households and were mostly male (63.4%) with good health (97.8%) associated with high adaptive capacity to climate change and variability. Regarding socio-economic status, four in five (81.5%) of the livestock farmers had only secondary education at most, and incomes were generally low, probably associated with low capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. On the contrary, the quality of housing for the livestock farmers was either top (48.5% of farmers) or medium (47.4%). Some 45.9% of farmers owned 4 to 5 rooms, 44.5% owned six or more rooms, with 88.5% of them having financed their houses. Almost all the respondents (97.3%) had access to electricity, and these suggest the high capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. With regards to aspects of livestock farming, one male (40.1% of households) and female (39.3%) member was fit to work in farming, livestock was owned by heads (52.9% of the households) and by children (29.0%), affirming the high capacity to adapt to climate change and variability. Almost all respondents (99.2%) used communal land, had fewer livestock, lacked training (99.5%), never belonged to a farmers’ union (99.7%) or a producer organization (100.0%), and had no access to financial support from the government (99.2%) associated with low adaptive capacity. The findings of the study revealed that demographic factors had different influences on the capacity of smallholder livestock farmers to adapt to adverse effects of climate change and variability on the farming enterprises. This was true for all the three types of demographic factors studied, namely: personal characteristics, economic status, and aspects of livestock farming.

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