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Abstract
Climate change is a global challenge which is causing persistent droughts in South Africa. This is concerning in the absence of a proper management strategies targeting small-scale vegetable farmers especially for agricultural sustainability and food security. The sustainability of agriculture and food supply is in line with the second goal (Zero Hunger) of 2030 UN sustainable development goals. The focus of this chapter is on small-scale farmers as opposed to commercial farmers because of the differential vulnerability to drought as a result of social, economic and environmental conditions. Drought persisted in the in major parts of South Africa especially the Northern Cape and existing policies and management frameworks are inadequately equipped to sustain affected famers. Although both small-scale and commercial farmers are affected, small-scale farmers are highly vulnerable as they lose their entire livelihood during droughts. The revision undertook extensive literature and focused on the national framework for the management of drought developed by the Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries DAFF as a conceptual base. The chapter reveals that, drought mitigations strategies employed by the integrated drought management teams are not adequate to address the impact and sustainability on small-scale farmers.
Highlights
Drought is defined as a period of below average precipitation in a given region, resulting in a prolonged shortage in water supply, whether atmospheric, surface or groundwater
Small-scale farmers are mostly affected by socio-economic drought because they are highly dependent on farming for their social being and economic livelihood
This section focuses on addressing the central questions and objectives which is based on the existing management framework to analyse the social, economic, and environmental factors enhancing small-scale farmers’ vulnerability to drought in the province
Summary
Drought is defined as a period of below average precipitation in a given region, resulting in a prolonged shortage in water supply, whether atmospheric, surface or groundwater. Despite the existence of a national policy framework on drought in South Africa, Northern Cape Provincial small-scale farmers are still facing severe vulnerability with regard to prevention, adaptation, prediction, and early warning. Wisner et al, [9] argue that when testing the vulnerability of a community to drought, drought should be conceptualised as a trigger event that causes damage by exploiting underlying social vulnerabilities within populations exposed to its effects It is on this basis that the United States National Drought Policy Commission Report [10] defined drought as persistent and abnormal moisture deficiency having adverse impacts on vegetation, livestock, and people. Farmers in the province face varying degrees of vulnerability to drought conditions within the agricultural sector depending on the size and nature of the farming operation and the drought has had a devastating effect on Northern Cape agricultural production and the impact on small-scale farmers is phenomenal. The Western region of the Province receives winter rainfall and currently is experiencing droughts while the eastern regions receive summer rainfall
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