This study is a response to a request from those developing the Second Economy Strategy to help identify the key elements of an implementable programme to support the smallholder sector. At the core of the exercise was a set of case studies of ‘best practice’ – that is, of smallholders...

Water productivity in smallholder rain-fed agriculture is of key interest for improved food and livelihood security. A frequently advocated approach to enhance water productivity is to adopt water harvesting and conservation technologies (WH). This study estimates water availability for potential in situ WH, and supplemental water demand (SWD) in smallholder...

This paper uses the sustainable livelihoods framework to explore the contribution of smallholder production to food security in some sub-Saharan African countries and relates it to the South African case. Noting that many of the world’s hungry are smallholder farmers, it is clear that food insecurity is closely linked to...

Permaculture Trainers Reference Manual.

The first objective was to develop a comprehensive picture of each project in terms of its membership, its activities and its internal organisation. The second was to situate the projects within their wider context, which included the local community, local government (represented by officials and councillors of local and district...

Over the coming decades, global change will have an impact on food and water security in significant and highly uncertain ways, and there are strong indications that developing countries will bear the brunt of the adverse consequences, particularly from climate change. This is largely because poverty levels are high, and...

With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of climate-related shocks, such as floods and droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa. For farm households, an increase in the frequency of climate-related income shocks could lead not only to lower expected income,...

Agricultural production remains the main source of livelihood for rural communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, providing employment to more than 60 percent of the population and contributing about 30 percent of gross domestic product. With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to significantly...

This study analyzes five marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa, which span three of the country’s four coastal provinces, namely, the Langebaan Lagoon MPA, the Maputaland MPA, the St Lucia MPA, the Tsitsikamma MPA and the Mkambati MPA. A biological, conservation-oriented fisheries science dominates the agendas of these MPAs....

In this latest edition of the Dimitra Newsletter, as in previous editions, we highlight the importance of access by rural populations, and particularly women, to information and communication. The ability to access information and to share it through dissemination and networking is crucial in order to combat inequality, malnutrition and...

Considering water as an economic good entails, among other requisites, properly assessing the cost incurred by supplying and managing the resource, and the required infrastructure thereof. Regarding irrigation, the International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) set up a method for assessing the full financial costs, in the form of...

This paper proposes to discuss the current vulnerability of the southern African region to climate variability, the projected impacts of climate change and the various strategies and policies that are being deployed to address climate issues, focussing mainly on the agricultural sector. The potential role of research and technology in...

The value of wild edible vegetables in food security has not been given sufficient attention in South Africa. Consequently, there are no formal interventions that seek to encourage people to use traditional vegetables as sources of essential nutrients. Studies on the role of wild leafy vegetables in food security could...

Diversity among smallholders farming 1.28 ha plots at Dzindi Irrigation Scheme in the Thulamela Local Municipality of Limpopo Province; South Africa is investigated by applying farming style theory. Farming styles refer to specific farming strategies, which are conscious responses of farmers to the prevailing ecological and socioeconomic conditions. The specific...

Exporting deciduous fruit from the Western Cape Province of South Africa to markets in Europe, North America and Asia contributes significantly to the province's Gross Domestic Product. The main export producers are large-scale farmers. Even with the change in discriminatory legislation and practices in South Africa after 1994, few smallholder...

Over the past decade, Africa and other developing regions have been in the midst of tremendous changes. Market liberalisation and governmental decentralisation policies have interfaced with globalisation and urbanisation trends to dramatically transform social, political, economic and cultural lives. Agriculture can no longer remain behind-serving only to meet subsistence food...

The rising world population is increasing the pressure on agriculture to produce more food. This is more so for the African continent, where it is not just about food supply, but also a critical factor in economic development, poverty alleviation and improving living standards especially in rural areas. On the...

In South Africa the racial and agricultural policies aimed at national food self-sufficiency created an agricultural structure dominated by large, mechanised farms that are owned and operated by a small number of individuals or companies. New agricultural policy should therefore focus more on peasant farming in the subsistence sector in...

This publication is intended to inform IFAD-supported project management units (PMUs), other donors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in Eastern and Southern Africa about IFAD’s Gender Strengthening Programme in the region. The programme is currently in the process of identifying challenges faced by projects, emphasizing empirical findings from field diagnostic...

This paper summarizes the results of six DFID funded country studies on encouraging sustainable agriculture in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. It emphasises the need for continuing government and donor support for sustainable increases in agricultural productivity which must underpin poverty alleviation. In this context, moves toward...