School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies (ETDs)

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Climate change adaptation

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    Commercial maize farmers’ adaptations to climate change in Sannieshof, North West Province, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Dunn, Benjamin Graham; Knight, Jasper
    Commercial agriculture is a critical industry for South Africa, both from an economic and a social perspective. Maize forms a vital part of the diet of millions of people across the country and the continent of Africa. It is also an important commercial export crop. It is, therefore, imperative that the industry can adapt to both climate and socioeconomic changes. This study aims to investigate the specific challenges faced by commercial maize farmers in the Sannieshof region, North West Province, South Africa, in relation to climate change and socioeconomic factors. This study undertook questionnaires with 21 commercial maize farmers in the region, followed up by field observations and photographs from one large commercial maize farm. Several socioeconomic factors were identified by participants as having negative impacts on farming operations, including government policies, crime, and load shedding. Climate change adaptation includes several dynamic management practices which vary between seasons, including adjustments in cultivar choice, sowing dates, sowing depth, and plant population density. Adopting conservation agriculture and precision agriculture techniques forms an important element used by the farmers to achieve long-term climate change adaptation. Going forward, farmers need to consider the impacts of both climate change and socioeconomic factors, both of which impact their agricultural operation and which can be conceptualised through a Water-Energy-Food nexus framework. Due to limited financial resources, farmers need to consider which drivers of change need to be prioritised in their decision-making, which ultimately may create differences in adaptation strategies adopted by different farmers
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    Shooting at a Moving Target: The Complexity of Evaluating and Monitoring the Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change of Local Government Institutions in South Africa: A Study of the Eastern Cape Province.
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Gadu, Siyaxola Ernest; Simatele, Mulala Danny
    It is no longer a myth that natural catastrophic events associated with varying climate are increasing globally, with severe and devastating consequences in poor countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where many of the world’s poor people reside. Thus, the emphasis on adapting to varying climate is no longer optional, or a deferred problem into the future, but rather an urgent matter of concern which must be considered to be a policy priority. Countering the retrogressive climate variation challenges on economic development and ecological degradation, the South African government has, in the last two and half decades, embarked on the progressive formulation of different policy instruments and strategic frameworks to curb and minimise the effects of climate variation on all economic sectors. Applying research techniques from the qualitative research approach and existing literature, this research explored the complexities of evaluating the institutional adaptive capacity to climate change in municipal institutions of South Africa, with particular focus on the Eastern Cape Province. The research outcomes indicate that, although much remains to be achieved, some level of success has been realised, particularly in the space of policy formulation, albeit with a poor record of implementation. While the policy sounds good and is solution-driven, the implementation of the programme at local levels to achieve the desired goals, however, remains a significant challenge due to institutional and capacity challenges. In addition, the research further highlighted the fragmented climate change governance system which has posed significant systemic challenges, and these have tended to constrain decision-making and implementation processes. The institutional and capacity challenges create an unconducive environment for adequate coping strategies, and an evaluation of institutional adaptive capacity at municipal level across the country. The study findings also stressed the prominence of indigenous knowledge, and the alliance between the opportunities presented by climate variation and Sustainable Development Goals. This study further emphasized the importance of developing a reliable system to assess and monitor the institutional coping capacity at municipal level that can compare adaptive capacity of different institutions and assist in resource allocation