Abstract
COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected social and economic activities in the agriculture systems. The extent of pandemic disruptions on agriculture food production systems is lamentably scanty in rural areas. A survey was carried out in the Northern Drakensberg areas of Bergville, and it assessed the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural food production in smallholder farming systems comprising crop-livestock systems. A survey was conducted using structured questionnaires that measured the impact of COVID-19 within farming operations and average crop yield trends pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19. Most farmers (77.1 to 92.4%) reported having limitations in accessing agricultural inputs of seeds, fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated a continuous decrease in yields of maize, dry beans, and soybeans across two years of cropping seasons during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study demonstrated that COVID-19 lockdowns accompanied by movement restrictions negatively impacted food production of staple crops (maize, dry beans, soybeans) despite suitable rains received during COVID-19 production periods. COVID-19 policies and legislations sensitive to the plight of poor rural communities are necessary as these communities are more reliant on local agricultural food production for their livelihoods and income. Strong co-operations must be established among input suppliers, smallholder farmers associations, extension services, and local retailers to assist smallholders to obtain inputs at local retailers even during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralIt is paramount to establish the resilience of smallholder farmers amid disaster and other shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic to sustain staple food production, a pillar of food security
During the first diagnosis of COVID-19 in South Africa, the latter age groups were found to be associated with comorbidities increasing higher levels of contraction of the pandemic leading to high levels of stress [30]
The results indicated a continuous decrease in crop yields of maize, dry beans, and soybeans across two years (2019/2020 to 2020/2021) of cropping season during the COVID19 pandemic
Summary
It is paramount to establish the resilience of smallholder farmers amid disaster and other shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic to sustain staple food production, a pillar of food security. Smallholder farmers are those farmers who manage farming land that ranges from less than one hectare to 10 hectares in size [1,2]. Smallholder farmers are crucial to ending hunger and undernutrition worldwide [4] They are key to global food security and nutrition as they produce about 80% of the food in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)
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