Establishing the impact of climate warming on rural poultry farming in South Africa: a case of Limpopo Province

Abstract

Rural households in many developing countries face multiple challenges, including a lack of resources, food insecurity and poverty. Climate change threatens to compound existing challenges. Small-holder farming is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its limited adaptive capacity. Livestock production is an integral part of the rural agricultural economy, and compared to other livestock types, poultry is widely owned by rural households in developing countries. Rural poultry production is not a primary agricultural activity per se, but rather serves to supplement other farming activities. Village chickens are the predominant poultry species in these areas, contributing significantly as a source of scarce animal protein and income. A range of challenges, which include diseases, parasites, mortality, predation amongst others, characterize village chicken farming, however. Of particular concern here is that a changing warming may compound or directly influence certain existing challenges to village chicken production. This study thus investigates the impact of climate change on village chicken production in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The particular focus is on four villages of Musina, namely: Madimbo, Malale, Domboni and Tshikudini. A baseline questionnaire was conducted across 106 households, and subsequently 30 households selected to participate in a monitoring study from February 2015 to February 2016. Further, trends were seasonal, annual and decadal scale ambient temperature and relative humidity trends for the period 1950-2016 were explored. The study demonstrated that ambient temperatures have increased in Musina, indicating a general upward warming trend. Farmers also perceived various environmental changes, including ambient temperature increases. Despite most farmers reporting a reduction in productivity of village chickens over a period in which warming occurred, the general

perception was that rural poultry is hardy enough to cope with projected ambient temperature increases. Findings from this study revealed that village chickens may be negatively affected by heat stress, however. For instance, body mass gain had a negative correlation, albeit not significant, with increased environmental ambient temperatures. Further, observations of the behavioural thermoregulation (that is respiratory rates, wing orientation and shade-seeking behaviour) suggest that village chickens may be adversely impacted by climate-related heat stress, although with growers being more susceptible to the impacts than the hens and cocks. The study concludes that climate warming is adversely impacting village chickens, likely causing heat stress. However, the extent to which the productivity of village chickens is compromised by heat stress may be less than that with commercial chickens, possibly due to better adaptation to local conditions. Future research should focus on establishing village chicken heat tolerance thresholds, as well as how farmers can strategically respond to a warming climate. Further, agricultural extension technical support is critical in helping farmers understand intricate climate change related challenges and opportunities for improving rural poultry farming.