Factors influencing the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices among smallholder farmers in Melani and Msobomvu villages, Eastern Cape Province

Abstract

Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is widely recognised as an effective approach for improving agricultural productivity, strengthening resilience to climate change, and enhancing food security among small-scale farmers. However, the adoption of CSA practices remains uneven in many rural communities, including Melani and Msobomvu villages in the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This study investigated farmers’ awareness and understanding of climate-smart agriculture practices, identified the barriers limiting CSA adoption, and examined the socio-economic and institutional factors influencing adoption decisions. A descriptive research design within a quantitative research approach was employed. Data were collected from 158 randomly selected small-scale farmers using a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of selected socio-economic and institutional factors influencing CSA adoption. The findings revealed that respondents generally possessed a good awareness and understanding of climate-smart agriculture practices, although awareness differed across technologies. Rainwater harvesting (80%), crop diversification (71%), conservation agriculture (68%), and soil conservation (68%) recorded the highest levels of awareness, whereas awareness was comparatively lower for drought-tolerant crop varieties (57%), climate information services (55%), and improved livestock management (49%). The study further identified farmer resistance to change, inadequate financial resources, and limited extension materials as the major barriers limiting CSA adoption. One-Way ANOVA indicated that financial constraints, market access, knowledge of climate-smart agriculture technologies, and extension support were statistically significant factors influencing adoption decisions ( p  < 0.05).