Maize producers’ vulnerability to climate change: Evidence from Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, South Africa
Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Maize producers’ vulnerability to climate change: Evidence from Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality, South Africa | |
| Creator | Matimolane, Selelo Chikoore, Hector Mathivha, Fhumulani I. Kori, Edmore | |
| Description | Climate change is predicted to impact agricultural production and affect food security in poor communities of developing countries due to the likely negative impacts on rainfall characteristics. South Africa is one of the largest producers of maize crops in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The majority of crop production is rainfed with precipitation received during the summer growing season. This study evaluated the impact of climate change on maize yields using trend and multiple regression analysis in northern South Africa. Exposure and vulnerability of maize farmers to the impacts of climate change were also evaluated. Rainfall characteristics showed variability of 20.35% with rain days standard deviation of 10.25 days and coefficient of variation of 18.57%. The results revealed a weak relationship between annual rainfall and rainy days, and annual rainfall and maize yields, both showed an r² and p-values of less than 0.5 and 0.005, respectively. The study found that variations in rainfall did not significantly influence variation in maize yields. Despite a clear fluctuation in yields, the results demonstrate a rising trend that can be attributed to agricultural practices such as the use of fertilisers and planting drought resistant cultivars as opposed to climate variables. The study further found that maize producers were proactively adapting to climate change, thus, reducing their vulnerability to its impacts. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2022-12-07 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/jamba.v14i1.1165 | |
| Source | Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies; Vol 14, No 1 (2022); 10 pages 1996-1421 2072-845X | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/1165/2513
https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/1165/2514
https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/1165/2515
https://jamba.org.za/index.php/jamba/article/view/1165/2516
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