Academic literature on the topic 'Lowveld area'
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Journal articles on the topic "Lowveld area"
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Shackleton, C. M. "Fuelwood harvesting and sustainable utilisation in a communal grazing land and protected area of the eastern transvaal lowveld." Biological Conservation 63, no. 3 (1993): 247–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(93)90720-l.
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Mufandaedza, Edward, Doreen Z. Moyo, and Paul Makoni. "Effect of Soil Type and Foliar Factors on the Distribution of Imbrasia belina in the Southeastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe." Scientifica 2018 (October 1, 2018): 1–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/9273184.
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The aims of this study were to find out whether soil parameters (i.e., soil texture, soil pH, and available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) and level of tannins in the bark of tree as measured by total amount of N & P in the droppings significantly influenced Imbrasia belina distribution in the Southeastern Lowveld of Zimbabwe. The samples were collected in February-March 2013. Standard methods were employed on 80 samples across the four tenure regimes studied. Soil pH, percentage clay, silt, and sand were randomly measured across the four tenure regimes. The study results revealed that soil pH (p=0.475), % silt (p=0.172), % sand (p=0.907), available nitrogen (p=0.192), available phosphorus (p=0.247), and the mean tannin level (p=0.999) influenced the distribution of Imbrasia belina in the study area. Multiple comparison analysis showed that there were significant differences in percentage clay (p=0.044) between Gonakudzingwa Small-Scale Farms (GSSCF) and Chikombedzi Communal Area (CCA). However, Mwenezi Resettlement Area (MRA) and Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) results were insignificant for percentage silt (p=0.172) and percentage sand (p=0.907), respectively. The soil and foliar factors discussed are critical in determining Imbrasia belina distribution, forest health, and vitality.
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Shackleton, C. M. "Demography and dynamics of the dominant woody species in a communal and protected area of the eastern Transvaal Lowveld." South African Journal of Botany 59, no. 6 (December 1993): 569–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0254-6299(16)30672-x.
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Maseko, Thokozani S. B., Nkosazana R. Mkhonta, Sakhile K. S. Masuku, Sabelo V. Dlamini, and Chia-Kwung Fan. "Schistosomiasis knowledge, attitude, practices, and associated factors among primary school children in the Siphofaneni area in the Lowveld of Swaziland." Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection 51, no. 1 (February 2018): 103–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmii.2015.12.003.
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Chapu, Gladman, and Nyembezi Mgocheki. "A Survey on Traditional and Modern Prophylactic Methods of Malaria Management in a Resettlement Area in the Southern Lowveld of Zimbabwe." International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health 21, no. 1 (January 10, 2017): 1–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.9734/ijtdh/2017/30433.
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MURUNGU, F. S., C. CHIDUZA, P. NYAMUGAFATA, L. J. CLARK, and W. R. WHALLEY. "EFFECT OF ON-FARM SEED PRIMING ON EMERGENCE, GROWTH AND YIELD OF COTTON AND MAIZE IN A SEMI-ARID AREA OF ZIMBABWE." Experimental Agriculture 40, no. 1 (December 2, 2003): 23–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0014479703001509.
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The effects of on-farm seed priming (i.e. seed soaking) on the emergence, growth and yield of cotton and maize were studied in the field in the south-eastern lowveld of Zimbabwe. Experiments were conducted on both crops in the 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 seasons and, in the 2001 winter season, on maize only. The interaction of priming with tillage (ox-drawn ploughing or hand-hoeing) and simulated sowing rainfall regimes (irrigations of 15 mm, 30 mm or 45 mm at planting) was studied. Priming usually increased the rate of emergence in maize, but always decreased final percent emergence in cotton. In the 2000/2001 season, there was an interaction between priming and simulated sowing rainfall regimes such that the 15 mm treatment gave a smaller adverse effect of priming in cotton than the 30 and 45 mm treatments. In maize, however, the 15 mm treatment gave an adverse rather than a positive effect of priming on emergence. There was little effect of tillage on emergence or growth. Priming did not affect the relative growth rate of cotton or maize, although plants grown from primed maize seed were consistently larger at any given date throughout the 2001 winter season. Plants from primed seed also flowered and matured earlier in the winter 2001 season. There were no significant effects of priming on yield, except in the 1999/2000 season, where priming decreased yield in cotton. It was concluded that the effect of priming can depend on crop species.
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Evans, A. C., T. J. M. Daly, and M. B. Markus. "Identification of human hookworm in failed-treatment cases using Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus) and scanning electron microscopy." Journal of Helminthology 65, no. 1 (March 1991): 67–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x00010464.
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ABSTRACTAn attempt was made to identify the human hookworm involved in failed-treatment cases using abnormal hosts and scanning electron microscopy. Thirty-seven, 2 to 6 month old Chinese hamsters (Cricetulus griseus) from a closed, outbred, conventional colony, were each given between 20 and 120 filariform larvaeper os. The larvae were cultured from faeces from mebendazole (Vermox®) 500 mg single-dose, failed-treatment cases living in the lowveld farming area of the Transvaal Province, South Africa. About 60 to 78 days after inoculation, the animals were killed and adult worms were removed from their small intestines. Eleven (30%) of the 37 hamsters harboured a total of 31 adult worms (19 males and 12 females), while 26 hamsters were refractory to infection. The greatest number of worms recovered from a single animal was six. A total of 27 worms (17 males and 10 females) were subjected to examination by scanning electron microscopy. Micrographs showed male and female worms to be morphologically all of theNecator americanusspecies, as identified by a pair of ventral and dorsal cutting plates, a dorsal tooth and the fused terminus of spicules in the male bursa. The transverse cuticular striations were distinct and smooth. Several points of interest arose from the results of this study and are discussed.
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Peel, Michael John Stephen, and Marc Stalmans. "The Systematic Reconnaissance Flight (SRF) as a tool in assessing the ecological impact of a rural development programme in an extensive area of the Lowveld of South Africa." African Journal of Ecology 37, no. 4 (December 1999): 449–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2028.1999.00204.x.
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Chingwena, G., S. Mukaratirwa, T. K. Kristensen, and M. Chimbari. "Larval trematode infections in freshwater snails from the highveld and lowveld areas of Zimbabwe." Journal of Helminthology 76, no. 4 (December 2002): 283–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1079/joh2002132.
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AbstractBetween November 1998 and October 2000, freshwater snails were collected monthly from the highveld and lowveld areas of Zimbabwe to determine the occurrence of larval trematodes. A total of 13,789 snails, representing ten species, were collected from 21 sites and 916 (6.6%) harboured patent trematode infections. Eight morphologically distinguishable types of cercariae were identified.Bulinus tropicushad the highest overall prevalence of infection (13.1%). The echinostome was the most common type of cercaria recovered, contributing 38.2% of all infections.Schistosomacercariae were recovered mainly from the highveld and comprised 8.0% of all infections. Amphistome cercariae contributed 37.6% of all infections and were recorded from both the highveld and lowveld areas with a peak prevalence occurring during the post-rainy period (March–May). The main intermediate host for amphistomes wasB. tropicus. Infections inB. globosus,B. forskaliiandBiomphalaria pfeifferiwith amphistome cercariae are new records for Zimbabwe.
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PETER, T. F., B. D. PERRY, C. J. O'CALLAGHAN, G. F. MEDLEY, G. MLAMBO, A. F. BARBET, and S. M. MAHAN. "Prevalence of Cowdria ruminantium infection in Amblyomma hebraeum ticks from heartwater-endemic areas of Zimbabwe." Epidemiology and Infection 123, no. 2 (October 1999): 309–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268899002861.
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Analysis of the transmission dynamics of Cowdria ruminantium, the tick-borne rickettsial agent of heartwater in ruminants, requires accurate measures of infection in vector populations. To obtain these, Amblyomma hebraeum ticks were collected at two heartwater-endemic locations in the lowveld and highveld regions of Zimbabwe and assessed for C. ruminantium infection with specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA probe detection assays. At the lowveld site, 11·2% (50/446) of adult ticks and 8·5% (23/271) of nymphs carried C. ruminantium, as detected by PCR. At the highveld site, the prevalence of infection in adult ticks was 10·2% (40/392). DNA probe analysis revealed that most infections at both sites were of low intensity; only 9% and 23% of all nymph and adult tick infections, respectively, were greater than 70000 organisms, the detection limit of the DNA probe. However, the majority (70%) of probe- detectable adult tick infections were high, between 107 and 109 organisms/tick, while those within nymphs were lower, between 105 and 106 organisms/tick.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Lowveld area"
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Gess, David Wolfgang. "Hunting and power : class, race and privilege in the Eastern Cape and the Transvaal Lowveld, c. 1880-1905." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86262.
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Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation examines the identity of hunters, sportsmen and their associated communities in two diverse regions of southern Africa during the last two decades of the nineteenth and the first decade of the twentieth centuries. It argues that this was a critical period during which new patterns of hunting and local tradition were created. In the eastern Cape districts of Albany, Fort Beaufort and Bathurst kudu and buffalo were hunted pursuant to permits granted in terms of the Game Act, 1886. An analysis of the identity of those to whom these permits were granted or refused provides insights into power, connection and influence amongst the English-speaking colonial elite of the region who sought to control the right to hunt “royal game”. It also reveals their interaction with civil servants who exercised the power to grant or withhold the privilege. Kudu were transferred from public to private ownership, through a process of “privatization” and “commodification” on enclosed private land, and there preserved for sporting purposes by the local rural gentry. The survival – and even growth – in numbers of kudu in the region was achieved in these private spaces. Buffalo, on the other hand, were hunted into local extinction notwithstanding their protection as “royal game”. In the north-eastern Transvaal Lowveld wild animals in public ownership were hunted by a wide variety of hunters with competing interests. The identity of the “lost” Lowveld hunters, previously hidden from history, including an important but overlooked component of elite recreational hunters from the eastern Cape, is explored as a window into the history of hunting in the region prior to the establishment of game reserves. Both the identity and networks of these hunters and sportsmen are considered in the context of enduring concerns about race, class, gender and the exercise of power.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek die identiteit van die jagters, sportmanne en die gepaardgaande gemeenskappe in twee verskillende streke van Suider-Afrika gedurende die laaste twee dekades van die negentiende en die eerste dekade van die twintigste eeu. Dit voer aan dat hierdie 'n kritieke tydperk was waartydens nuwe patrone van jag en plaaslike tradisie geskep is. In die Oos-Kaapse distrikte van Albany, Fort Beaufort en Bathurst is die jag op koedoes en buffels toegelaat op grond van permitte toegestaan in terme van die Wild Wet, 1886. Die ontleding van die identiteit van diegene aan wie hierdie permitte toegestaan of geweier was, bied insae oor die uitoefening van mag, verhoudings en invloed onder die Engelssprekende koloniale elite van die streek, wat probeer het om beheer uit te oefen oor die jag van die “koninklike wild”. Dit openbaar ook hul interaksie met staatsamptenare wat hulle magte gebruik het om permitte uit te ruik of te weerhou. Eienaarskap van koedoes was oorgedra vanaf openbare na privaat besit, deur 'n proses van "privatisering " en "kommodifikasie" op geslote private grond, met die verstandhouding dat dit vir sport – doeleindes deur die plaaslike landelike burger gebruik kon word. Die oorlewing – en selfs groei – in die getal koedoes in die streek is behaal in die private besit. Buffels, aan die ander kant, is tot plaaslike uitwissing gejag ondanks hul beskerming as "koninklike wild". In die Noord-Oos Transvaalse Laeveld is wilde diere in openbare besit gejag deur 'n wye verskeidenheid van jagters met mededingende belange. Die identiteit van die "verlore" Laeveld jagters, voorheen verborge in die geskiedenis, wat 'n belangrike maar oor die hoof verwaarloosde komponent van elite rekreasionele jagters van die Oos-Kaap insluit, word ondersoek as 'n venster op die geskiedenis van jag in die streek voor die totstandkoming van wildreservate. Beide die identiteit en netwerke van hierdie jagters en sportmanne word beskou in die konteks van blywende belangstelling met ras, klas, geslag en die uitoefening van mag.
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Peel, Michael John Stephen. "Towards a predictive understanding of savanna vegetation dynamics in the eastern Lowveld of South Africa : with implications for effective management." Thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10413/10157.
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The purpose of this study was to develop and test a predictive understanding of the
vegetation dynamics of the Lowveld of South Africa (30°35'E to 30°40'E and 24°00'S to
25°00'S). The study covered about 5000 km2 in Adjacent Private Protected Areas
(APPA) adjoining the Kruger National Park (KNP).
Data gathering (800 sites; 23 properties) commenced in 1989 and those recorded up to
2004 are reported here.
The value, both ecological and economic, of the wildlife and tourism industry dependent
on this savanna region is discussed in both historical and current perspectives. A range of
land-use objectives and anthropogenic interventions were exposed. The properties
ranged in size from 30 to 800 km2 and formed an effective and extensive manipulative
experiment for investigating interaction of bush density, animal stocking, use of fire and
landscape-scale processes. The first descriptive classification (at 1:250 000) of the area
was developed using Inverse Distance Weighted interpolations. This confirms similar
landscape/vegetation patterns in the KNP and Mocambique.
The current mode of determining stocking density or carrying capacity was interrogated
and indices suitable for complex multi-species systems developed. This was done in the
context of equilibrial/disequilibrial paradigms. Application of the original indices
resulted in drought-related declines in animal biomass of 4000 kg km2 over 20 years due
to overestimation of carrying capacity. The model proposed here uses rainfall, animal
type, biomass and vegetation parameters to determine stocking density for both coarse
(regional) and ranch-specific scales.
Principal driving determinants (rainfall, geology, soil type, tree density canopy cover,
animal numbers, feeding classes and fire) of vegetation structure and their influence on
the herbaceous layer were investigated. Groupings on ecological potential showed 'high'
potential areas are less sensitive to animal impact than those classified as 'low' potential. Sustainability, embedded in a forward-looking component viz. Strategic Adaptive
Management (SAM) with well-articulated endpoints viz. Thresholds of Potential Concern
(TPCs) was used to study fluctuations in animal populations with Connochaetes taurinus
(Blue wildebeest) as the case study.
The TPC approach provides strong pointers for proactive management aimed at
maintaining the system within bands defined by TPCs supporting operationally practical
and periodically reviewed objectives.Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.
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Joubert-Wallis, Marie. "The contribution of culture to the spread of HIV." Diss., 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/647.
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Cultural factors have been shown to play a role in human decision making and behaviour. The main objective for this research was to identify and evaluate the possible influence of Shangaan cultural beliefs, myths and behaviours, on the spread of HIV within the Mnisi tribe. A qualitative method of investigation was followed; interviews with three participants and observations of the Mnisi culture were used in the construction of the investigation and findings. Through the information obtained two cultures influencing the spread of HIV in the Mnisi tribe were identified, they are (1) The culture of power-rule and fear, and (2) The culture of poverty.Psychology
M.Sc. (Psychology)
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Davies, S. J. "The importance of browse in late dry season and early wet season diets of cattle and goats in a communal area of the Eastern Transvaal lowveld." Thesis, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/21651.
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A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 1991.The contribution of browse and grass to the diets of cattle and goats was assessed in relation to the total biomass of woody foliage and grass available in the study area. Livestock made less use of browse during the dry season than was shown by studies conducted in the Sahel and Nylsvley, northern Transvaal. Goats fed more selectively, utilised newly flushed foliage more and fed upon a greater variety of woody plant species than did cattle. Browse contribute nore to goat diets than to cattle diets although goats were less often supplied with browse. For goats, feeding on standing browse, 'supplied browse and leaf litter occupied 34.7 % of observation time before the tree/shrub flush and 8.3 % post-flush; for cattle the contributions were 14.7 % and 5.8 %, respectively. Fruits, flowers and bark were utilised only during the pre-flush period and only by goats. Goats spent significantly more time grazing and more time browsing than did cattle during the post-flush period. Agave sisalana (sisal) contributed to cattle diets during the preflush and post-flush periods, and to goat diets during the pre-flush period. Since relatively little standing woody foliage is accessible to the animals (16.6 % preflush and 30.7 % post-flush of the wet season maximum), lopping of woody foliage by herders substantially increases the amount of food accessible to livestock, and supplied browse was eaten wherever it was encountered. Aerial cover of grass averaged less than 20 %, grass biomass ,less than 120 kgDM.ha·t and biomass concentration of grass less than 553.5 gDM.m"3 for catena toplands, catena bottomlands and drainage line thickets. The low contribution of browse to livestock diets during this study was due to the scarcity of accessible, palatable forage, exacerbated by the late flush 011 woody plants. In addition, local people harvesting live wood for fuel may compete with foraging livestock. To increase the supply of food for livestock further the rollowing practices could be encouraged: storage of woody foliage litter until the late dry season, use of chemicals to increase the nutritional value of poor quality browse and establishment of woodlots of palatable, perhaps leguminous, evergreen woody species for use as livestock fodder.
GR2017
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Gadd, Michelle. "Factors influencing the impact of elephants on woody vegetation in private protected areas in South Africa's lowveld." Thesis, 1997. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24905.
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A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of SCience
University of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg
for the Degree of Master of ScienceThis study of the impact of elephants, Loxodonta africana (Blumenbach), in private reserves ln South Africa's lowveld region aimed to determine the sizes and species of woody plants most often affected by elephants and the proportion and severity of elephant impact on the marula tree Sclerocarya birrea. The study was conducted in three parts: vegetation quadrats in areas where elephants had been foraging, direct observation of the feeding behaviour of hand-raised elephants, and transects to sample S. birrea across the study areas. To distinguish preferences, the frequency of elephant impact on each species was compared with the frequency with which it was encountered by the elephants. In the vegetation quadrats, I found that uprooting and leaf stripping were infrequent in all sizes of stems, Main stem breakage affected stems lese than 30 cm in diameter whereas branch breakage and bark stripping increased with increasing size. Favoured species were Combretum collinum, Acacia gerrardii, Albizia harveyl sclerocarya birrea, Dalbergia metenoxyton, and Pterocarpus rotundifolius. Notable among neglected species were Acacia toriifis, Tettnmelle prunioides, and Terminalia sericea which are favoured food items for elephants elsewhere. Other common species which were not selected by elephants were Acacia exuvielis, Cassine transvaalensis, Ehretia emoene, Euclea netalensis and Securinega virosa. Behavioural observation revealed that hand-raised elephants favoured eating Sclerocarya birrea, Combretum epiculeium, and Acacla nigrescens. The elephants stripped bark from A. nigrescens and S. birrea. Assessment of rnarula trees revealed that elephant impact killed fewer than 2% of stems during the preceding season. Fewer than 24% of trees had current season breakage or bark removal. Main stem breakage Was found in stems smaller than 40 ern in diameter. Ring barking was concentrated on the larger size classes, while the smaller size classes escaped any detectable form of elephant impact.
Andrew Chakane 2018
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Hurst, Zachary Matthew. "Effect of Intensive Agriculture on Small Mammal Communities in and Adjacent to Conservation Areas in Swaziland." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2010-12-8995.
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I examined the effect of sugarcane plantations on small mammal communities at
3 sites in the Lowveld of Swaziland during the dry and wet seasons of 2008. I evaluated
changes in species abundance and community parameters in relation to distance to the
interface, as well as the relationship between small mammal communities and
environmental variables. I used pitfall arrays and Sherman live traps to sample small
mammals along 9 traplines at the land-use interface and on a gradient extending 375 m
into each land-use. I used point-centered-quarter, range pole, and line-transect sampling
to characterize plant community structure.
Two generalist small mammal species had increased abundance as distance into
the sugarcane increased. Two species with wide geographic ranges appeared to select
areas within 75 m of the interface. Four species with restricted habitat tolerances or
diets were negatively affected by sugarcane, as was 1 species that selects for low ground
cover. Two species may have avoided the interface. For the majority of species in the
Lowveld, sugarcane does not provide habitat. Sugarcane monocultures > 375 m in width
may form a barrier to movement of small mammal species.
Species richness and diversity significantly decreased at the interface of 2 sites,
however, 1 site had increased diversity associated with the interface. My analysis
indicated a difference in community composition between the 2 land-uses and
differences between the farthest interior conservation area (375 m)-interface (0 m) and
the farthest interior sugarcane (375 m). There was no difference in community
composition between seasons or distances within the conservation area. The farthest
interior sugarcane trapline had distinctness from other traplines within the sugarcane,
and may be of importance for minimizing the effects of habitat fragmentation in lowveld
savanna.
The effects of sugarcane did not extend into adjoining natural vegetation. My
results indicated grass biomass, litter depth and shrub density played important roles in
structuring the communities. Between sites, variation in community structure
attributable to the sugarcane interface varied. The site with poorest vegetative cover had
the highest relative importance of distance to the interface. One species (Steatomys
pratensis) was negatively affected by distance to the interface.
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Ajala, Seun Boluwatife. "Perceived effects of climate change on agricultural production in the Lowveld areas of Mpumalanga province, South Africa." Diss., 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/23366.
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The study was on the perceived effects of climate change on agricultural production among smallholder crop farmers in the Lowveld areas of Mpumalanga province, South Africa. A total of 351 farmers were randomly selected and well-structured interviews were scheduled that contained both close-ended and open-ended questions.
Data collected was analysed with descriptive statistical tools while logit regression model was used to analyse the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers and their level of awareness of climate change The findings revealed that majority 33.9% of the respondents were 56 years and above and most (72.1%) of the respondents were male. Likewise, 68.4% were married while their major occupation was farming.
It was discovered that most (66.4%) of the farmers were not aware of the changes in climate in the study area. Only 52.7% stated that there was information on climate change. The impacts of climate change on crop production from the view of the farmers included (1) Reduced crop production levels and (2) No production, which have been affecting their livelihood diversely such as increase in socio-economic problems, reduction in income and increase in unemployment.
The result of the logit model analysis revealed a significant relationship between the age of the farmers (0.019), land tenure system (0.062), the manager of the farm (0.036) and the farm ownership (0.072) and their level of climate change awareness.
The study recommends that government as well as stakeholders’ programmes designed to improve farmers’ awareness of climate change and its impact on production should consider the aforementioned explanatory variablesAgriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology
M. Sc. (Agriculture)
Book chapters on the topic "Lowveld area"
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Cole, M. M. "The vegetation over mafic and ultramafic rocks in the Transvaal Lowveld, South Africa." In The Ecology of Areas with Serpentinized Rocks, 333–42. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1992. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3722-5_13.
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Zazu, Cryton, and Anri Manderson. "Agroecology and Climate Change Adaptation: Farmers’ Experiences in the South African Lowveld." In African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 1–16. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42091-8_181-1.
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AbstractMotivated by interest to increase the resilience of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change through uptake of agroecology, two community development organizations commissioned a project evaluation upon which this book chapter is written. The chapter discusses how smallholder farmers were experiencing implementing agroecology, trying to understand the reasons for adopting such an approach to farming. The chapter also explores and problematizes the relationship between trends in adoption of agroecology and the smallholder farmers’ awareness of climate change and adaptation. The chapter confirms that agronomic and income generation are the key reasons for adoption of agroecology. Most of the farmers reminisced about how their crop yields had declined and soils no longer producing enough to feed the family. Other motivating factors for uptake of agroecology included lack of employment, limited income sources, access to health organic foods, and medicinal value of herbs grown. The chapter further concluded that the correlation between adoption of agroecology and farmers’ awareness of it as a climate change adaptation measure is generally weak. Smallholder farmers adopted agroecology more for responding to issues of food security, than any conscious desire to adapt to climate change. Implications of this observation is that practitioners working with smallholder farmers need to rethink their approaches and design of interventions to integrate climate change education and learning, so that strong connections between the agroecological practices promoted and adaptation to climate change are made. Such an approach has potential to improve the sustainability and value of the agroecological practices adopted.
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Zazu, Cryton, and Anri Manderson. "Agroecology and Climate Change Adaptation: Farmers’ Experiences in the South African Lowveld." In African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 363–78. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_181.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractMotivated by interest to increase the resilience of smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change through uptake of agroecology, two community development organizations commissioned a project evaluation upon which this book chapter is written. The chapter discusses how smallholder farmers were experiencing implementing agroecology, trying to understand the reasons for adopting such an approach to farming. The chapter also explores and problematizes the relationship between trends in adoption of agroecology and the smallholder farmers’ awareness of climate change and adaptation. The chapter confirms that agronomic and income generation are the key reasons for adoption of agroecology. Most of the farmers reminisced about how their crop yields had declined and soils no longer producing enough to feed the family. Other motivating factors for uptake of agroecology included lack of employment, limited income sources, access to health organic foods, and medicinal value of herbs grown. The chapter further concluded that the correlation between adoption of agroecology and farmers’ awareness of it as a climate change adaptation measure is generally weak. Smallholder farmers adopted agroecology more for responding to issues of food security, than any conscious desire to adapt to climate change. Implications of this observation is that practitioners working with smallholder farmers need to rethink their approaches and design of interventions to integrate climate change education and learning, so that strong connections between the agroecological practices promoted and adaptation to climate change are made. Such an approach has potential to improve the sustainability and value of the agroecological practices adopted.