Commercial maize farmers’ adaptations to climate change in Sannieshof, North West Province, South Africa
| dc.contributor.author | Dunn, Benjamin Graham | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Knight, Jasper | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-10-31T06:56:36Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-10-31T06:56:36Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | A research report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science in Environmental Sciences, to the Faculty of Science, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | 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 | |
| dc.description.submitter | MM2024 | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Science | |
| dc.identifier | https://orcid.org/ 0009-0003-5703-3444 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Dunn, Benjamin Graham. (2024). Commercial maize farmers’ adaptations to climate change in Sannieshof, North West Province, South Africa [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/42147 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.rights | © 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.school | School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Sciences | |
| dc.subject | Commercial maize agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Conservation agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Precision agriculture | |
| dc.subject | Climate change adaptation | |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-13: Climate action | |
| dc.title | Commercial maize farmers’ adaptations to climate change in Sannieshof, North West Province, South Africa | |
| dc.type | Dissertation |