Factors correlating with the ability to cope with drought conditions in the greater Letaba local municipality, South Africa, 2014-2016

Abstract

Drought is a major concern in the agricultural sector, especially due to its recurrence and adverse effects on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Vulnerability of smallholder farmers to drought is higher in developing countries such as South Africa than in developed countries. This is due to the high dependence on rainfall by farmers in developing countries. The need to understand the coping strategies adopted by these farmers to improve their resilience cannot be over emphasised. Factors associated with the ability to cope with drought conditions by smallholder livestock farmers were investigated using retrospective data collected from randomly selected smallholder farmers (n = 280). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis. The results revealed that farmer’s adaptive capacity was influenced by the “Agricultural Centre”, changes in farm management, practicing supplementary feeding before onset of the drought, introduction of supplementary feeding during the drought, and having access to clean water during the drought. This study highlighted the varying coping strategies adopted by smallholder livestock farmers that should be considered when designing intervention strategies and drought preparedness education programmes. There is a need for the development of area specific proactive drought coping strategies and education programmes targeted at smallholder farmers.