The impact of drought in the South African agricultural sector and the skills implications

Thesis (MScAgric)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The objective of the study was to assess the skills gap and training needs of farmers and key professionals in South Africa's agricultural sector in terms of drought management. A total of 192 semi-structured questionnaires were administered to assess farmers' skills gaps and training needs in the dry agroecological zones of the Free State, and the Cape provinces (i.e., Eastern, Northern, and Western Cape) of South Africa. Findings revealed that the main socioeconomic impacts of drought among farmers were reduced household food security (80% of participants) and increased levels of poverty (≥ 60%) regardless of farmer typology. For subsistence and small-scale commercial farmers, loss of farm income (85% and 80%), increased livestock mortalities (72% and 65%) and pest and disease incidences (65% and 56%) were identified as the main economic impacts, respectively. Reduced water availability (85% subsistence and 80% small-scale commercial farmers), grazing land deterioration (68% subsistence and 64% small-scale commercial farmers) and loss of vegetation were perceived as the main environmental impacts. Irrespective of farmer type, supplementary feeding (71% of participants), selling livestock (55%) and use of appropriate stocking rates (43%) were the main agricultural coping strategies during drought. Ordinal regression marginal effects results showed that age and sex negatively influenced the ability of farmers to cope with impacts of drought, while level of education, source of income and access to agriculture extension services had a positive influence (P ≤ 0.05). Regardless of farmer typology, respondents generally lacked agricultural drought management skills, such as drought monitoring, and early warning systems (86%), and water management (75%) skills. A follow-up survey was conducted in the same provinces by administering 55 semi-structured questionnaires to key professionals (i.e., agricultural extension and disaster management officers) to identify their skills gap and training needs. About three-quarters of key professionals reported that the main impact of drought on them was work overload. Drought-related challenges included shortage of resources (62% extension officers) and lack of a comprehensive drought management policy (62% drought management officers). Most extension and disaster management officers possessed professional and support skills such as human emotional intelligence (71% and 54%, respectively), personal and public relations (71% and 85%), community mobilisation (74% and 77%), and leadership (71% and 62%). Drought preparedness planning was the most dominant drought management skill possessed by more than half of the key professionals. Extension and disaster management officers’ training needs included geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (50% and 46%), early warning systems and forecasting (43% and 38%), and recovery and rehabilitation (50% and 23%), respectively. Therefore, tailor- made models of educating key professionals are required to increase agricultural sector resilience to drought and adaptation to environmental, social, and economic changes. It was recommended that the government should invest and provide support in disaster management strategies and policy implementation, particularly disaster and extension services with disaster response programs that improve long-term farmer competencies of drought preparedness and mitigation.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die studie was om die vaardigheidsgaping en opleidingsbehoeftes van boere en sleutel professionele persone in Suid-Afrika se landbousektor in terme van droogtebestuur te assesseer. Altesaam 192 semi-gestruktureerde vraelyste is geadministreer om boere se vaardigheidsgapings en opleidingsbehoeftes in die droë landbou-ekologiese sones van die Vrystaat, en die Kaapse provinsies (d.w.s. Oos-, Noord- en Wes-Kaap) van Suid-Afrika te bepaal. Bevindinge het aan die lig gebring dat die belangrikste sosio-ekonomiese impak van droogte onder boere verminderde huishoudelike voedselsekuriteit (80% van deelnemers) en verhoogde vlakke van armoede (≥ 60%) was, ongeag die boertipologie. Vir bestaans- en kleinskaalse kommersiële boere is verlies aan plaasinkomste (85% en 80%), verhoogde veevrektes (72% en 65%) en plaag- en siektevoorvalle (65% en 56%) as die belangrikste ekonomiese impakte geïdentifiseer, onderskeidelik. Verminderde waterbeskikbaarheid (85% bestaans- en 80% kleinskaalse kommersiële boere), weidingsgrondagteruitgang (68% bestaans- en 64% kleinskaalse kommersiële boere) en verlies aan plantegroei is as die belangrikste omgewingsimpakte beskou. Ongeag die tipe boer, was aanvullende voeding (71% van deelnemers), verkoop van vee (55%) en die gebruik van gepaste vee (43%) die belangrikste landbouhanteringstrategieë tydens droogte. Ordinale regressie- marginale effekte resultate het getoon dat ouderdom en geslag die vermoë van boere om die impak van droogte te hanteer negatief beïnvloed het, terwyl vlak van onderwys, bron van inkomste en toegang tot landbouvoorligtingsdienste 'n positiewe invloed gehad het (P ≤ 0.05). Ongeag die boertipologie, het respondente oor die algemeen 'n gebrek aan landbou-droogtebestuursvaardighede, soos droogtemonitering, en vroeë waarskuwingstelsels (86%), en waterbestuur- (75%) vaardighede. ’n Opvolgopname is in dieselfde provinsies gedoen deur 55 semi-gestruktureerde vraelyste aan sleutel professionele persone (d.w.s. landbouvoorligtings- en rampbestuurbeamptes) te administreer om hul vaardigheidsgaping en opleidingsbehoeftes te identifiseer. Ongeveer driekwart van belangrike professionele persone het gerapporteer dat die grootste impak van droogte op hulle werkoorlading was. Droogteverwante uitdagings het 'n tekort aan hulpbronne (62% voorligtingsbeamptes) en 'n gebrek aan 'n omvattende droogtebestuursbeleid (62% droogtebestuursbeamptes) ingesluit. Die meeste voorligtings- en rampbestuursbeamptes beskik oor professionele en ondersteuningsvaardighede soos menslike emosionele intelligensie (onderskeidelik 71% en 54%), persoonlike en openbare betrekkinge (71% en 85%), gemeenskapsmobilisering (74% en 77%) en leierskap (71% en 62%). Droogtegereedheidsbeplanning was die mees dominante droogtebestuursvaardigheid waaroor meer as die helfte van die sleutel professionele persone beskik het. Voorligtings- en rampbestuursbeamptes se opleidingsbehoeftes het geografiese inligtingstelsels en afstandswaarneming (50% en 46%), vroeë waarskuwingstelsels en vooruitskatting (43% en 38%), en herstel en rehabilitasie (50% en 23%) ingesluit , onderskeidelik. Daarom word pasgemaakte modelle van die opvoeding van sleutelprofessionele persone vereis om die landbousektor se veerkragtigheid teen droogte en aanpassing by omgewings-, maatskaplike en ekonomiese veranderinge te verhoog. Daar is aanbeveel dat die regering moet belê en ondersteuning bied in rampbestuurstrategieë en beleidsimplementering, veral ramp- en voorligtingsdienste met rampreaksieprogramme wat langtermynboerebevoegdhede van droogtevoorbereiding en versagting verbeter.

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