A framework for communicating climate information to rural small-scale farmers in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa using systems thinking approach
- Authors: Pindura, Tineyi Herbert https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7233-6222
- Date: 2022-02
- Subjects: Farms, Small , Agriculture -- Environmental aspects , Climatic changes
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22809 , vital:52784
- Description: In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, rural small-scale farmers live in uncertain times characterized by climate change and variability, which intensify social, political and financial inequalities. Therefore, there is a need to increase the understanding and interpretation of climate information to minimize crop production risk, reduce rural small-scale farmers’ vulnerability to climate, and maximize opportunities. Increasing the resilience among rural small-scale farmers requires appropriate and viable practical approaches. By using systems thinking approach (and the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality in the Eastern Cape as a study area), this research disseminates the complex nature of current climate information frameworks. Through inputs from farmers (through a Farmers Research Group methodology) and climate data, this thesis developed a new framework for communicating climate information (herein referred as the climate information communication systems framework) to rural small-scale farmers. The proposed climate information communication systems framework successfully integrates scientific and traditional knowledge. The framework constitutes certain stages, where the farming system and crop identification is the first stage. The second stage is the requirements stage, which has two relationships: scientist to crop requirements and farmers to crop requirements. At the scientist to crop requirements level, users will examine crop requirements by combining climatic data and crop simulations, while at the farmers to crop requirement, rural small-scale farmers use the scientific information to plan for the farming season. The farmer then decides the planting and growing period as well as the harvest timing. The study suggests that building links between rural small-scale farmers, extension officers, and scientists makes sharing information easier. The proposed climate information framework design illustrates that stakeholders now have a personal relationship with climate information transmission and can influence the different actions to reduce the effect of climate change unpredictability. The study established that climate change and variability influence recent agricultural output trends. Recent temperature and rainfall trends could have resulted in low crop productivity in the study area. The study also reflected that women are a critical resource in agriculture and rural economy and that middle-aged men and youth are less interested in farming. The findings also showed that women are more receptive to climate information; hence, to promote access and use of climate information remains vital to consider gender-specific aspects for appropriate decision-making in the agriculture sector. The study also recommends enhancing the Farmers Research Group technique. In the past, the scope of this methodology has been narrowly focused, and it must be explored to incorporate additional types of climate information and more debate about how climate is related to the decisions farmers for implementation or consideration. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-02
The impact of beliefs and values on agricultural change: a case of Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Nyika, Emery
- Date: 2013-01
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Environmental aspects , Farms, Small , Agricultural productivity
- Language: English
- Type: text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/25698 , vital:64469
- Description: Since the mid 1970s there has been an increasing effort to raise the level of adoption of agricultural innovations in small-scale farming for improved production. NGOs and governments have engaged in a participatory approach not only to empower local people, but also to give them an opportunity to learn, access, and utilize innovations that have been introduced in the agriculture sector. However due to several factors small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe have failed to fully adopt these changes that would enhance their farming activities. Most of these farmers have rather preferred maintaining and practising their preliterate farming methods. Like most irrigation schemes Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme is self funded due to the fact that the government has failed to fund most of such projects. This has subsequently left projects such as the Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme to provide for their own agricultural needs. NGOs have in the past provided assistance to these small-scale farmers but mostly in cases of drought. This study is an assessment of the impact of beliefs and values on the adoption of agricultural change in Murombedzi Irrigation Scheme. The study investigates the extent to which beliefs and values have an effect on small-scale farmer’s access and utilization to adopting innovations. Research findings reveal that farming production in Murombedzi is low and the local farmers have been passive participants in gaining training and education that can assist them in gaining knowledge on the effectiveness of implementing innovations. However; the farmers prefer to maintain their traditional methods that have been effectively used by their fore fathers. It is a common belief among the informants that their ancestors are to be kept pleased at all times and this means practicing traditional farming which, for them, has proved to be effective in the past. As a result, this calls for an empirical research to be carried out at the grass roots level to explore the dynamics that influence the status quo on the ground. This study was conducted to help agricultural change to be implemented in small-scale farming for the benefit of agricultural production. The focus was on a local irrigation scheme that is self funded. Data was gathered using an ethnographic research design. , Thesis (MSoc) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2013
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- Date Issued: 2013-01
Environmental constraints affecting farmers in the Great-Kei Region
- Authors: Mtintsilana, Tando
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Agriculture -- Environmental aspects , Agricultural ecology , Agricultural conservation , Farm management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8622 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1502 , Agriculture -- Environmental aspects , Agricultural ecology , Agricultural conservation , Farm management
- Description: The sustainable use of the environment for agriculture has become a global priority, requiring urgent solutions in view of intensifying competition. The South African government and the agricultural sector drafted a strategic plan for South African Agriculture. In this plan it was argued that the potential for the horizontal expansion of agricultural production is limited with one of the limitations being that unused high and medium potential land is scarce. This implies that the challenge for higher agricultural production is immense because primarily it would have to come from increased efficiency. All businesses are confronted by change at some time in their history in which agribusiness in South Africa has been subjected to changes in its past. In this era of hyper competition, agribusinesses are faced with constant change. It is how businesses deal with that change that will determine how successful they will remain in the future. The main problem of this research was to determine if farmers in the Great-Kei Region have the appropriate strategies in place to manage environmental constraints effectively. Therefore, the identification and isolation of prominent environmental constraints, through literature review and survey data gathered and analysed, would assist agribusinesses in the planning and prioritising of investments. The investment would be aimed at facilitating the development and sustainable growth in the Great-Kei Region. In this study, a quantitative, descriptive and non-experimental research design was followed. The target population of the study was farmers with farming businesses operating in the Great-Kei Region. There was data obtained from the Eastern Cape Department of Agriculture provincial office in Komga servicing the Great-Kei Region. The data obtained were lists of registered commercial farmers from the Komga iv Agricultural Association and emerging farmers operation in the region. The data obtained did not include all the farmers operating in the Great-Kei Region. The combined sum of farmers from both lists was 38 farmers (N = 38). The population N = 38 was used as a sampling frame representing the population of farmers in the Great-Kei Region. The population of this study consisted of owners or farm managers running the farming businesses and excludes other farm employees employed at the farms. Farmers with agribusinesses in the area who produced either livestock farming or crop farming or both were included for the study. The results of the survey revealed key findings, which enabled the researcher to draw meaningful conclusions and recommendations. The recommendations suggested how farmers can overcome the identified macro, micro and internal environmental constraints affecting them in the Great-Kei Region. Further identification of strategies currently employed by farmers in managing environmental constraints and the competency levels, indicated where gaps resided with strategies currently employed by farmers and where possible change would be required.
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- Date Issued: 2010