scholarly journals Sustainability of Livestock Farming in South Africa. Outlook on Production Constraints, Climate-Related Events, and Upshot on Adaptive Capacity

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2582
Author(s):  
Oluwaseun Samuel Oduniyi ◽  
Theresa Tendai Rubhara ◽  
Michael Akwasi Antwi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
National Development ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Model Estimate ◽  
Production Constraints ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Production Output

The practice of pasture-based livestock farming systems in South Africa is susceptible to climate-related events, low production output, income fluctuation, and by extension poor adaptive capacity. Understanding the importance and gravity of sustainable livestock farming through adaptive capacity has been identified as a tool to cope in the face of the climate-related event which extends to production output. It is to this end, that the study explored the adaptive capacity and the socioeconomic determinants that influence this capacity used by the pasture-based livestock farmers in the study area. Random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 277 pasture-based livestock farmers in the study area from and their responses concerning on demography, farm-based characteristics, production constraints and adaptive capacity were used. Data were analyzed, in which the descriptive statistics, composite scores, and the extended ordered probit model were used to establish the results. The findings revealed the adaptive capacity score of low, moderate, and high to be 40.1%, 43.7%, and 16.2% respectively. Correspondingly, the model estimate revealed the significant factors that affect the adaptive capacity to include: the use of labor (p < 0.05), other sources of income (p < 0.05). Conversely, the age of the farmers (p < 0.05) and landowners (p < 0.01) was found significant but had a negative relationship to adaptive capacity. By implication, the study concluded that there is a need for fruitions of policies that support farmers’ socioeconomic behavior to engage more in adaptive capacity and to improve the Sustainable Development Goals of the united nation as well as vision 2030 of the National Development Plan.

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.

scholarly journals Herd dynamics, production and marketing constraints in the commercialization of cattle across Nguni Cattle Project beneficiaries in Eastern Cape, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Malusi ◽  
A. B. Falowo ◽  
E. M. Idamokoro
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Adult Cattle ◽  
Production Constraints ◽  
Continuous Grazing ◽  
Nguni Cattle ◽  
Main Production

AbstractThis paper examines the challenges restricting the commercialization of cattle across Nguni Cattle Project beneficiaries in South Africa. Data were collected from one hundred and twenty (120) Nguni cattle beneficiaries using a structured questionnaire across six district municipalities of the Eastern Cape Province. Results revealed that majority of Nguni cattle beneficiaries were males, were above 60 years old, and have received formal training in livestock farming. Most of the beneficiaries reared cattle with other livestock species, with 45% owned non-descript breeds, 33% Nguni and 22% other breeds such as Bonsmara and Brahman. About 79.2% of the beneficiaries practised continuous grazing while 52.5% give their cattle supplements, with most commonly (48%) using rivers as the source of water. Most beneficiaries (38.4%) reported diseases as main production constraints, followed by stock theft (27.5%) and feed shortages (22.5%). Furthermore, results showed that 80.8% of beneficiaries market one to 10 cattle per year, 64.8% adult cattle (2+ years old) and 35.2% weaners (8 months to 1 year). Most beneficiaries (78.7%) used private marketing channels to sell their animals, while 4.3% used abattoirs. Factors identified as the main market constraints included low cattle numbers (41.7%), inability to meet formal market standards (25%) and inadequate government support. There was a strong association between formal livestock training and cattle marketing attributes as well as production constraints. In conclusion, more emphasis should be given to improve cattle production and commercialization through provision of more cattle, livestock trainings and market services to communal farmers.

scholarly journals Impact of Agricultural Drought Resilience on the Welfare of Smallholder Livestock Farming Households in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 562
Author(s):  
Ringetani Matlou ◽  
Yonas T. Bahta ◽  
Enoch Owusu-Sekyere ◽  
Henry Jordaan
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Agricultural Drought ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Drought Resilience ◽  
Resilience Index ◽  
Northern Cape ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Farming Households

Recurring agricultural droughts are of concern to smallholder livestock farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study determined the impact of agricultural drought resilience on smallholder livestock farming households’ welfare in the Frances Baard District Municipality (FBDM), in Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Interviews, more specifically survey interviews, were conducted with 207 smallholder livestock farmers. We used compensation variation, resilience index and linear regression models to analyse the data. The findings indicate that smallholder farmers who received drought relief support saw an improvement in their welfare. However, the welfare improvements varied across respondents and different gender categories, with males having higher welfare improvements relative to females. The study also found that economic capital, social capital, human capital and natural capital substantially affected the welfare of smallholder farmers. Furthermore, the study revealed that the smallholder farmers had a moderate agricultural drought resilience index, but low natural resilience capital. The study recommends that governments and non-governmental policymakers aiming to improve the welfare of smallholder farmers should focus on building their economic, social, human and capital resource bases. In this way, the smallholder farmers will be resilient in a time of climatic shock.

scholarly journals A review of possibilities for using animal tracking devices to mitigate stock theft in smallholder livestock farming systems in rural South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-182
Author(s):  
S. Zantsi ◽  
T. Nkunjana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Risk Behaviour ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Animal Tracking ◽  
Livestock Farmers ◽  
Tracking Devices ◽  
The Impact

Stock theft is among the major challenges faced by livestock farmers in South Africa. It has severe consequences especially for smallholder farmers, who collectively own a large share of the South African livestock herds but individually keep small herds. In recent years, technological improvements and innovations have made it possible to track livestock movements by using GPS animal tracking devices. Low-cost GPS has been developed and used elsewhere and in the local commercial sector. Given the well-known role of extension, i.e. information and technology dissemination, the possibility that smallholders adopt GPS animal tracking devices should be evaluated. However, very few studies have made a case for using this technology in curbing stock theft among smallholder farmers. This review therefore addresses the likelihood that smallholder livestock farmers in South Africa adopt GPS animal tracking devices to mitigate the impact of stock theft. Using a semi-systematic and a snowball literature review approach, we consulted and reviewed the relevant literature and official statistics relating to stock theft and smallholder livestock farming. Results from the reviewed literature suggest that the likelihood of GPS animal tracking device adoption by smallholders will depend on a) the awareness about the devices and how they work, b) the acuteness of stock theft for a farmer and how livestock contributes the farmer’s livelihood, and c) the income level, access to mobile phones and risk behaviour of farmers. Our literature findings identify areas for future research and may help agricultural extension personnel with future research topics.

scholarly journals The adaptive capacity of smallholder mixed-farming systems to the impact of climate change: The case of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nonhlanzeko N. Mthembu ◽  
Elliot M. Zwane
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
National Development ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Mixed Farming ◽  
Drought Relief ◽  
The Impact

Climate change poses a serious threat to efforts by developing countries to ensure food security and poverty reduction. The National Development goals of South Africa envisage the agricultural sector as a key driver for job creation and economic growth. This article seeks to investigate the adaptive capacity of the Ncunjane farming community in Msinga, KwaZuluNatal in response to drought spells of 2010 and 2014. This article draws on data collected using both qualitative and quantitative methods in 2011 and later in 2015 with the data analysed through the Statistical Package for Social Science to determine significant correlations between variables. Analysis of the vulnerability and adaptive capacity is performed using conceptual framework. This study found that both smallholder farmers who engaged in livestock and crop production have experienced high cattle mortalities and stagnant crop productivity, which in turn put pressure on already constrained disposable household income because of increased food costs and agricultural input costs, particularly supplementary animal feed. Cattle owners were more vulnerable to drought because of poor risk management and thus became highly dependent on government to provide drought relief. Application for government drought relief was found not to be effective in cases of large herds of cattle. Variability of rainfall and prolonged heat spells has a significant impact on the sustainability of smallholder mixed-farming systems, leaving agriculture as a highly questionable form of livelihood for rural farming communities such as Msinga. The article recommends strengthened institutional mechanisms so that stakeholders should play a more meaningful role within provincial and local agriculture in leveraging government support but places emphasis on the adoption of innovative strategies that can potentially yield significantly resilient smallholder mixed-farming systems in the wake of climate variability.

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.

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.

Toward a Progressive Realisation of Socio-economic Rights in Ghana: A Socio-legal Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-113
Author(s):  
Nana Tawiah Okyir
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
State Policy ◽  
National Development ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Judicial Activism ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
The Supreme Court

This article argues for the strengthening and entrenchment of socio-economic rights provisions in Ghana's jurisprudence. The purpose of this entrenchment is to engender judicial activism in promoting more creative pathways for enforcing socio-economic rights in Ghana. The article traces the development of socio-economic rights in Ghana's jurisprudence, especially the influence of the requirements of the international rights movement, particularly of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The article delves into the constitutional history of Ghana and its impact on the evolution of rights in the country. Of particular historical emphasis is the emergence of socio-economic rights under the Directive Principles of State Policy in the 1979 Constitution. However, the significance of the socio-economic rights only became profound with the return to democratic rule under the 1992 Constitution, again under a distinct chapter on Directive Principles of State Policy. However, unlike its counterpart, the chapter on the Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, which is directly enforceable, the Directive Principles of State Policy were not. It took the Supreme Court of Ghana a series of landmark decisions until finally, in 2008, it arrived at a presumption of justiciability in respect of all of the provisions in the 1992 Constitution. It is evident that prior to this, the Supreme Court was not willing to apply the same standards of adjudication and enforcement as it ordinarily applies in respect of rights under the chapter on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms. Having surmounted the non-justiciability hurdle, what is left is for the courts to begin to vigorously pursue an agenda that puts socio-economic rights at the centre of Ghana's rights adjudication framework. The article draws on comparative experiences from India and South Africa to showcase the extent of judicial creativity in rights adjudication. In India, the courts have been able to work around provisions restricting the enforcement of Directive Principles by often connecting them to Fundamental Freedoms. In South Africa, there is no hierarchy between civil and political rights on the one hand and socio-economic rights on the other; for that reason, the courts give equal ventilation to both sets of rights. The article further analyses these examples in the light of ongoing constitutional reforms in Ghana. It argues that these reforms fall short of the activism required to propel socio-economic rights adjudication to the forefront in Ghana's jurisprudence. In this regard, the article proposes social movements as a viable tool for socio-economic rights advocacy by recounting its success in previous controversial issues in Ghana. The article also connects this to other important building blocks like building socio-economic rights into a national development blueprint. Overall, the article calls for an imaginative socio-economic rights enforcement approach that is predicated on legislation, judicial activism, social movements and a national development blueprint aimed at delivering a qualitative life for the Ghanaian.

Can SPLUMA Play a Role in Transforming Spatial Injustice to Spatial Justice in Housing in South Africa?

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeannie Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Spatial Planning ◽  
National Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Spatial Development ◽  
Land Use Management ◽  
Spatial Justice ◽  
Spatial Environment

Our spatial environment is one of the most important determinants of our well-being and life chances. It relates to schools, opportunities, businesses, recreation and access to public services. Spatial injustice results where discrimination determines that spatial environment. Since Apartheid in South Africa epitomised the notion of spatial injustice, tools and instruments are required to transform spatial injustice into spatial justice. One of these is the employment of principles of spatial justice. While the National Development Plan (NDP) recognised that all spatial development should conform to certain normative principles and should explicitly indicate how the requirements of these should be met, the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013 (SPLUMA) contains a more concrete principle of spatial justice. It echoes aspects of both the South African land reform programme and global principles of spatial justice. Essentially section 7(a) of SPLUMA entails three components: (1) redressing past spatial imbalances and exclusions; (2) including people and areas previously excluded and (3) upgrading informal areas and settlements. SPLUMA directs municipalities to apply the principle in its spatial development frameworks, land use schemes and, most importantly, in decision-making on development applications. The aim of this article is to determine whether the application of this principle in practice can move beyond the confines of spatial planning and land use management to address the housing issue in South Africa. Central to housing is section 26 of the Constitution, that has received the extensive attention of the Constitutional Court. The court has not hesitated to criticize the continuing existence of spatial injustice, thus contributing to the transformation of spatial injustice to spatial justice. Since planning, housing and land reform are all intertwined not only the role of SPLUMA, but also the NDP and the myriad other policies, programmes and legislation that are attempting to address the situation are examined and tested against the components of the principle of spatial justice in SPLUMA.

Kapasitas Adaptasi dan Resiliensi Komunitas Menghadapi Bencana Erupsi Gunung Merapi

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 617
Author(s):  
Nyimas Ayu Dillashandy ◽  
Nurmala K Panjaitan
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Community Resilience ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Institutional Memory ◽  
Innovative Learning

Mount Merapi eruption has occurred several times in Indonesia and the biggest eruption that last occurred in 2010. The community were suffered losses and were affected by eruptions. The purposes of this research are to analyze community resilience, to analyze the level of vulnerability, and to analize the community adaptive capacity. The research using a quantitative approach supported by qualitative data. Simple random sampling technique is used as the sampling method and the informant was taken purposively. The results of this research showed that when the eruption occurred the community has a high vulnerability. The adaptive capacity is also high with innovative learning based on institutional memory and supported by the connectedness. Communities achieve resilience and can adapt to changes with high adaptive capacity.  Keywords: adaptive capacity, community resilience, eruption, vulnerability ABSTRAK Erupsi Gunung Merapi sudah terjadi beberapa kali di Indonesia dan erupsi terbesar yang terjadi terakhir kalinya yaitu pada tahun 2010. Komunitas mengalami berbagai kerugian dan terkena dampak dari erupsi. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis resiliensi komunitas, menganalisis tingkat kerentanan komunitas, dan menganalisis kapasitas adaptasi komunitas. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan dengan menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif yang didukung oleh data kualitatif. Pemilihan responden dilakukan dengan teknik sampel acak sederhana sedangkan pemilihan terhadap informan dilakukan secara sengaja. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa saat erupsi terjadi komunitas memiliki kerentanan yang tinggi. Kapasitas adaptasi komunitas tinggi dengan adanya innovative learning yang didasari oleh pengetahuan dan pengalaman dan didukung oleh jaringan yang dimiliki. Komunitas berhasil mencapai resiliensi dan dapat beradaptasi dengan perubahan-perubahan dengan kapasitas adaptasi yang tinggi.Kata kunci : kapasitas adaptasi, kerentanan, erupsi, resiliensi komunitas

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