Analysis of factors influencing the implementation of climate-smart agriculture technologies in a climate change hot spot in South Africa

Worldwide, food shortages have occurred due to increased drought conditions associated with climate variability. Smallholder farming communities in southern Africa tend to be affected significantly due to their dependence on rain-fed agriculture. In response, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) has been embraced by many countries as a way of alleviating this problem. The extent of CSA implementation has not yet been established in many areas, and more research is required in this regard. The present study thus sought to evaluate CSA to determine the factors that influence its implementation by smallholder farmers in Ditsobotla Local Municipality, which is a climate change hotspot in South Africa. Ninety households were sampled using the systematic sampling approach. Primary and secondary data sources were used, and data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 30. A binary logistic regression model and descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data. Content analysis was applied to qualitative data. The results revealed that the farmer’s source of income (p = 0.024), access to inputs (p = 0.016), source of inputs (p = 0.016) and the frequency of agricultural extension officers’ visits (p = 0.009) significantly influenced the implementation of CSA technologies. The study, thus, concludes that the main factors which limited the farmer’s capacity to adopt CSA were limited access to inputs, income sources and agricultural extension services. To deal with existing barriers and accelerate the adoption of CSA technologies, policy frameworks should prioritise the creation of enabling conditions that facilitate ready access to inputs, income sources and more frequent and consistent engagement by agricultural extension officers.