College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

Adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices by smallholder dairy farmers in Chipinge and Mutasa Districts of the Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe

2026-09-30T10:23:52Z

Adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices by smallholder dairy farmers in Chipinge and Mutasa Districts of the Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe Chavhunduka, Tinashe Climate change poses significant constraints on smallholder dairy production systems in Zimbabwe, particularly in drought-prone regions such as Manicaland Province. This study analysed farmers’ perceptions of climate change and their influence on the adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices among smallholder dairy farmers in Chipinge and Mutasa districts. It further quantified the extent of adoption of adaptation- and mitigation-based CSA practices and identified socio-economic and institutional determinants shaping adoption decisions. Guided by the Climate-Smart Agriculture framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization, which integrates productivity, resilience, and greenhouse gas mitigation objectives, the study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Primary data were collected from 154 smallholder dairy households using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics indicated that feed shortages (59.6%) and water scarcity (55.0%) were the most severe climate-related constraints, while 84.7% of respondents reported high awareness of the impacts of climate change on dairy production. Inferential analysis revealed a statistically significant association between climate change perception and CSA adoption (χ², p < 0.05), indicating that perception significantly shapes adoption behaviour. Binary logistic regression results showed that CSA adoption was significantly influenced by household size, education level, herd size, farming experience, access to finance, and perception of climate variability (p < 0.05), confirming that both human capital and resource endowments are key adoption drivers. Further, multinomial logistic regression results demonstrated that district location significantly influenced farmers’ choice among adaptation-only, mitigation-only, and integrated CSA strategies (p < 0.05), highlighting spatial heterogeneity in adoption behaviour. The model exhibited acceptable explanatory power, confirming robustness in predicting CSA adoption categories. Despite high awareness levels (84.7%), CSA adoption remains constrained by structural socio-economic and institutional barriers. Adaptation practices are widely adopted but predominantly reactive and short-term coping strategies, while mitigation practices remain limited and are primarily motivated by productivity gains rather than by emission-reduction objectives. Agroforestry demonstrated moderate adoption (34%) and provided synergistic adaptation–mitigation benefits. v The study concludes that although smallholder dairy farmers exhibit adaptive capacity, their responses remain largely survivalist rather than transformative. Strengthening access to finance, enhancing extension services, and providing targeted incentives for mitigation-oriented technologies are critical to promoting integrated and sustainable climate-smart dairy systems in Zimbabwe

Physicochemical and microbio effects of coal mining on the quality of Naauwpoortspruit river, Mpumalanga, South Africa

2026-09-30T08:09:34Z

Physicochemical and microbio effects of coal mining on the quality of Naauwpoortspruit river, Mpumalanga, South Africa Seletisha, Moses Shimo Coal mining has been shown to affect both surface water and groundwater quality, primarily because of the presence of acidity in mine drainage, heavy metals, and microbial contaminants. Hence, this study aimed to determine the environmental impacts of coal mining and processing activities on the quality of water of the Naauwpoortspruit River in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga Province. This study used an integrated mixed-methods approach to capture the responses and lived experiences of residents as to how coal mining influences water quality within the Naauwpoortspruit River in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, South Africa. Qualitative data on perceived water quality and associated health risks were obtained from focus group discussions. Quantitatively, we collected 18 water samples from Masakhane, Coalfield, and Boat Camp during both dry and wet seasons. Qualitative feedback showed that the residents perceived the water as discoloured, foul-smelling, and not safe, with frequent diarrhoea, stomach cramps, and skin irritations. The physicochemical analyses indicated a pH within the range of 7.17-7.35. Iron (Fe) ranged between 0.10-0.30 mg/L, manganese (Mn) within 0.00-0.04 mg/L, while aluminium (Al) ranged from 0.04 to 0.22 mg/L and sulphate (SO₄²⁻) within 143 to 188 mg/L. Aluminium and iron were found to exceed the permissible limits set by SANS 241:2015 at some sites. Microbiological testing showed significant contamination. Total coliform bacteria ranged from 555 to 920 CFU/100 mL, and faecal coliforms varied between 34 and 766 CFU/100 mL. Of these sampling sites, the Boat Camp site showed the highest level of faecal pollution. The study concluded that coal mining environment and related human activities have degraded the water quality of the Naauwpoortspruit River, presenting notable environmental and public health risks. It emphasized the urgent need for improved mine water management and more effective wastewater control

Guild structure and population dynamics of small mammal assemblages in suburban patches of KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld grassland within eThekwini

2026-09-22T13:03:10Z

Guild structure and population dynamics of small mammal assemblages in suburban patches of KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld grassland within eThekwini Mwelase, Zamawelase Immaculate The KwaZulu-Natal Sandstone Sourveld (KZNSS) landscape is one of the Critically Endangered ecosystems that forms part of the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany (MPA) biodiversity hotspot. It is a biodiversity hotspot which supports important assemblages of endemic fauna and flora and provides social and ecological services to the eThekwini assemblages. More than ~90% of this landscape has been completely altered and modified, and only ~0.1% is under statutory protection. To understand and improve conservation efforts for this threatened ecosystem, it’s important to understand the effects of anthropogenic and environmental factors on biodiversity in this vegetation type. The Durban Metropolitan Open Space System (D’MOSS) initiative is one of the eThekwini efforts to conserve areas with high biodiversity value. Small mammals are key components in terrestrial ecosystems and their abundance and diversity are key bioindicators of ecosystem health, habitat quality, and the impacts of fragmentation. This study aimed to assess small mammal guild structure, species richness, diversity and population dynamics between D’MOSS and protected areas within this landscape. A Capture Mark Recapture (CMR) approach was used to monitor the seasonal dynamics of the native small mammal assemblages. Live trapping transects and H.B. Sherman™ live box traps were implemented inside and outside three protected areas (Krantzkloof Nature reserve, Giba Gorge Nature Reserve and Doornrug and Uitkomst Conservancy (reference site)) between July 2018 and June 2019. Over 16 586 trap nights, 890 unique individuals representing 11 small mammal species from 8 families and two Orders, were captured. The haul was dominated by rodent species. Mastomys natalensis (54%) and Rhabdomys dilectus (28%) suggesting that these species form the core of the small mammal assemblage in this threatened landscape. Local elevational gradients, regional variation and habitat management regimes (treatments) had a significant influence on total captures, trap success, minimum know alive (MKA), species richness and diversity Slope aspect, one of the under-surveyed environmental variables in small mammal studies significantly influenced total captures, trap success, MKA, and species richness, while seasonal variation significantly influenced total captures and MKA. Grassland condition significantly influenced total captures, MKA, and species richness. The body size of several small mammal species varied in response to changes in elevational gradients, slope aspect, seasonal variation, grassland

Impact of climate change adaptation strategies on food security of groundnut farming households in Yirol East County South Sudan

2026-09-23T12:40:52Z

Impact of climate change adaptation strategies on food security of groundnut farming households in Yirol East County South Sudan Achuoth, Makur James With projected temperatures rising higher than the rest of the world – and an increase in the occurrence of droughts, floods, and other natural disasters – the people, economy, and ecosystems of Africa are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. South Sudan is experiencing substantially warmer and drier weather, and the combination of these effects leads to increasing evapotranspiration and more droughts. The main purpose of this study was to identify adaptation strategies used by groundnut farmers in Yirol East County (District), assess the factors influencing the adoption of these adaptation strategies as well as evaluate the impact of adopted climate adaptation strategies on the household food security of groundnut farmers. Four payams (sub-districts) in Yirol East County namely; Adior, Malek, Pagarau, and Yali were targeted for data collection. A sample of 481 respondents was drawn from the total population of 113,052 farming households in the study area. Primary data were collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaires in kobo collect software and focused group discussion (FGD). In this study, objective one used descriptive statistics while objectives two, three, four, and five used inferential analysis from the sampled data. Objective six was analysed qualitatively. Findings of the descriptive statistics show that most of the participants were female as shown by 64.4% while the rest were male as shown by 35.6%. Most of the participants were in the age category ranging from 31 – 45 years as shown by 52.8% out of which 92.9% of the participants were married. However, the majority of groundnut farmers 82.7% had not attained basic education levels. Most of the respondents have been residence in a community for more than 11 years as shown by 60.1%, of which 55.9% with farming experience in years was more than 11 years. The findings further show that there is a positive and significant relationship between good agricultural practices and distance to market (r=0.443; p=0.000), knowledge of climate change adaptation strategy (r=0.286; p=0.000) as well as access to extension services (r=0.257; p=0.000), membership to farmers’ group (r=0.294; p=0.000) as well as perceived change in droughts and floods (r=0.146; p=0.001). Other factors such as membership of the farmers’ group (r=0.136; p=0.003) and perceived change in droughts and floods (r=0.186; p=0.000) have a positive and significant relationship with farm technology adopted by groundnut farmers in Yirol East County. Nevertheless, the study established that distance to market (r=0.462; p=0.000), knowledge of climate change adaptation strategy (r=0.359; p=0.000), access to extension services (r=0.250; p=0.000) and membership to farmers’ group (r=0.432; p=0.000) have a positive and significant relationship with off-farm activities such as business, casual labour and formal employment. The study also revealed that gender of the farmer (r=0.100; p=0.028), experience in farming (r=0.098; p=0.032), length of residence in the community (r=1.000; p=0.000), access to climate and weather information (r=0.117; p=0.01) and perceived change in prevalence of diseases and pests (0.275; p=0.000) have a positive and significant relationship with livestock farming as climate change adaptation strategy. The research further shows that the decision to adopt climate change adaptation strategies (CCAS) is determined by farmers’ age, sex, farming experience, farm size, farmers’ income, and knowledge level. In addition, the findings showed that climate change adaptation strategies (CCAS) adoption has a significant relationship with food secure status and food insecure status of groundnut farming households. The research has found that four major socio-economic sectors (SES) which include livestock, water, agriculture, environment/forestry, and health care services in the study area are highly sensitive to the impacts of climate change due to high risks of extreme weather conditions. In light of the findings of this study, a functional climate change adaptation framework was developed for groundnut farming households in Yirol East County but, could as well be used as a reference tool by the government of the Republic of South Sudan, United Nations (UN) agencies, national and international non-governmental organizations (NNGOs/INGOs) in the country. Abstract and text in English