Drivers and barriers to the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies by smallholder farmers in South Africa: the role of technology characteristics and business models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mmapatla Precious Senyolo
Environments ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Frank Musa ◽  
Judith Kamoto ◽  
Charles Jumbe ◽  
Leo Zulu

Fertilizer trees and shrubs can improve degraded soil and avert the impacts of climate change on smallholder farmers in Malawi. This paper analyses the roles of fertilizer trees and shrubs and factors that determine adoption, as well as the intensity of use of fertilizer on trees and shrubs in maize-based farming systems using the Tobit model. A household survey involving 250 smallholder farmers was conducted in Salima district, Malawi. The analysis shows that adopters of fertilizer trees and shrubs considered fertility improvement, shade, source of food and erosion control as main roles of fertilizer trees and shrubs. The Tobit model shows that households with relatively more land are more likely to adopt fertilizer trees and shrubs than those with small land sizes. Adoption is higher among farmers who had been exposed to fertilizer trees and shrubs for longer periods than others had. Land tenure, education and availability of labor also influence the adoption of fertilizer trees and shrubs. Results further show that household and farm characteristics and availability of extension services explain the current adoption rates of tree-fertilizer technologies. Our findings can guide effective targeting of farmers to ensure higher adoption and sustainability of fertilizer-tree and shrub technology for climate-smart agriculture among the smallholder farmers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-284
Author(s):  
Nomcebo R. Ubisi ◽  
Unathi Kolanisi ◽  
Obert Jiri

Climate change and variability have direct negative impacts on rural smallholder farmers. These impacts involve extreme climatic events such as excessive temperatures, prolonged droughts and floods which affect people’s livelihoods. This study was conducted in Nkomazi Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa. The main objective of the study was to investigate indigenous weather and climate indicators used by smallholder farmers and the role of indigenous knowledge in their farming systems. The research used qualitative methods, including focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The findings indicated that farmers observed animal behaviour, plants, atmospheric indicators and human ailments to predict weather.


2022 ◽  
pp. 345-360
Author(s):  
Erna Kruger ◽  
Hendrik Smith ◽  
Phumzile Ngcobo ◽  
Mazwi Dlamini ◽  
Temakholo Mathebula

Abstract Introduction of Conservation Agriculture (CA) and associated climate-resilient agriculture practices within an innovation system approach, and using farmer-level experimentation and learning groups as the primary learning and social empowerment processes, has created a sustainable and expanding farming alternative for smallholders that is improving their resilience to climate change substantially. Through a knowledge co-creation process, smallholder farmers in the programme have adapted and incorporated a wide range of practices into their farming system, including minimum soil disturbance, close spacing, improved varieties, judicious use of fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides, crop diversification, intercropping and crop rotation as well as fodder production and livestock integration. They have organized themselves into learning groups, local savings and loan associations, water committees, farmer centres and cooperatives and in so doing have created innovation platforms for local value chain development. They have built ongoing relationships with other smallholders, NGOs, academic institutions, government extension services and agribusiness suppliers, and have promoted CA tirelessly within their local communities and social networks. To date, this is the most successful model for implementation of CA in smallholder farming in South Africa and, through networking and upscaling activities, is being promoted nationally as a strategic approach to smallholder adaptation and mitigation programming, in line with the Africa climate smart agriculture (CSA) Vision 25×25 (NEPAD, Malabo, June 2014).


2014 ◽  
pp. 79-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ales Novak

The term ?business model' has recently attracted increased attention in the context of financial reporting and was formally introduced into the IFRS literature when IFRS 9 Financial Instruments was published in November 2009. However, IFRS 9 did not fully define the term ‘business model'. Furthermore, the literature on business models is quite diverse. It has been conducted in largely isolated fashion; therefore, no generally accepted definition of ?business model' has emerged. Therefore, a better understanding of the notion itself should be developed before further investigating its potential role within financial reporting. The aim of this paper is to highlight some of the perceived key themes and to identify other bases for grouping/organizing the literature based on business models. The contributions this paper makes to the literature are twofold: first, it complements previous review papers on business models; second, it contains a clear position on the distinction between the notions of the business model and strategy, which many authors identify as a key element in better explaining and communicating the notion of the business model. In this author's opinion, the term ‘strategy' is a dynamic and forward-looking notion, a sort of directional roadmap for future courses of action, whereas, ‘business model' is a more static notion, reflecting the conceptualisation of the company's underlying core business logic. The conclusion contains the author's thoughts on the role of the business model in financial reporting.


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