Browsing by Author "Pereira, Laura"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The role of the retailer in proactive adaptation to climate change at the farm level in South Africa
    (2016) Smit, Katherine; Methner, Nadine; Pereira, Laura
    Globally, agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. Despite the high coping capacity of large-scale commercial agri-firms in South Africa, they are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly due to the semi-arid nature of the country and the frequency of droughts. Vulnerability at the farm-level has major implications for overall agri-supply chain resilience as the impact at the farm level is transmitted up and down the chain. Whilst large-scale commercial agrifirms are adapting autonomously some authors suggest that it won't be enough for them to manage the risks and impacts brought about by the expected rate of climate change. Enhancing the agri-firms' adaptive capacity to adapt proactively – in anticipation of climate change – could be essential to increase supply chain resilience and thus maintain economic development and safeguard employment in the agriculture sector in South Africa. The sustainable supply chain literature indicates that more powerful stakeholders, such as the retailers, have a bigger role to play up and down the chain. The retailer is in a strategic position to influence both supply and demand and thus have a powerful effect on the capacity of the agri-supply chain to proactively adapt to climate change. This study therefore aimed to look at the role of the retailer as an enabler to proactive adaptation at the farm-level for large-scale commercial agri-firms' in South Africa. The study used a qualitative research approach and looked at six agri-firms to gain a deeper understanding of the agri-firms perceptions of the retailer as an enabler and answered three objectives, i) to identify how the agri-firms were responding to climate risks, ii) to identify what barriers constrain proactive adaptation and iii) to explore what role the retailer could play in overcoming those specific barriers to proactive adaptation. The results of the study showed that the agri-firms' relatively high capacity to cope with climate variability, translated into incremental and system adaptation measures and included technological, land use management and financial insurance measures. These responses were, however, often reactive with few agri-firms regarding climate change as a high risk. Their key barriers to more proactive adaptation were: financial (e.g. cost-benefit), information (e.g. uncertainty around climate change impacts and projections), technological (e.g. inadequate research and development), organisational (shareholders only interested in short-term return on investments) and included constraints within the agri-supply chain (e.g. consumer demands for the perfect fruit). To overcome these barriers the respondents suggested a variety of measures that the retailer could do to enhance the adaptive capacity of agri-firms both directly (e.g. research at farm level, funding sustainability programs) and indirectly (e.g. influencing consumers, supporting technological development, supporting large scale research and influencing government policy). Further research on how the retailer perceives itself as an enabler (and whether its perceptions align with the agri-firms) would be necessary to ensure that shared value is created in response to shared risk.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Small scale farmers utilization and perceptions of Bambara groundnut production in South Africa: a case study in a semi-arid region of Limpopo
    (2017) Cook, David; Pereira, Laura; Johnston, Peter
    World food security will be one of the greatest global challenges in the 21st century and utilisation of an increased range of food crops is generally regarded as being vital to meeting this challenge, including the use of legumes. Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) is an African indigenous legume that shows great potential to improve the food and economic security of small scale farmers living in semi-arid regions of South Africa. This study sought to investigate the potential for Bambara groundnut to enhance the food and economic security of small scale farmers in the Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. A total of 43 Bambara groundnut producers were interviewed about Bambara groundnut production and their perceived enablers and barriers of utilizing Bambara groundnut. The study found that the majority of Bambara groundnut producers were old (>65 years of age), female small scale farmers who produced the crop for primarily household use. There were however a small number of farmers who produced Bambara groundnut on a larger scale, mostly to sell. Most farmers perceived that local demand was higher than supply and were able to obtain a high market value for Bambara groundnut. There appeared to be potential economic opportunities for many of the farmers to sell Bambara groundnut. The main reason why most farmers in this study did not sell Bambara groundnut was because the yields they obtained were too low. The main enablers perceived by farmers for Bambara groundnut production were a) The high nutritional value of Bambara groundnut; b) The good taste of the seeds; c) The nitrogen fixation properties of this legume and its ability to improve soil fertility; d) The legume intercrops well with maize; e) Bambara groundnuts high drought resistance; f) Cultural traditions associated with Bambara groundnut; and g) Use as animal feed. The main barriers were a) Low yielding characteristics of Bambara groundnut; b) Lack of available farmland; c) Lack of irrigation; d) Poor land management practices; e) Low soil fertility; and f) The crop's susceptibility to water logging. Overall the farmers were positive about Bambara groundnut production and could potentially benefit from advancements made in this sector of agriculture. The study concludes with recommendations to help improve small scale farmers' production of Bambara groundnut with the aim of improving their food and economic security.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A socio-ecological systems approach to understanding development in a dynamic world : a case study of traditional agriculture in Pondoland, South Africa
    (2015) Kennedy, Kristen; Pereira, Laura; Wynberg, Rachel
    Arguably one of the greatest challenges currently facing humankind is the linking of environmental sustainability with poverty reduction and social justice. These issues all come to a head in the rural smallholder agricultural regions of "underdeveloped" Africa .In these settings climate change and food security are but two of the many challenges faced on a daily basis, compounded by the need for "development". Through a case study of smallholder farmers facing multiple contested development trajectories, this research takes a social-ecological systems approach in order to: 1. investigate the past, present and future dynamics of smallholder agriculture and food practices in mPondo communities of the Wild Coast 2. locate the role of agriculture and agri-food systems in the local development discourses 3. describe the perceived opportunities and challenges which face the local agri-food system Through semi-structured interviews, informal discussions, workshops and participant observation in three regions of the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape a trend of rapid cultural erosion was observed. Many traditional crops are no longer cultivated as farmers turn to commercial seeds and modern cooking methods. Three dominant development trajectories are explored for one region, focusing on the AmaDiba community whose history of resisting imposed development is again being tested by contentious titanium mining proposed in nearby Xolobeni. A central finding is that while resisting imposed development in order to achieve a self-defined development which values mPondo traditions and subsistence off the land, these communities - described as possessing strong community agency - are losing the very culture they are fighting to defend. This is made clear through the social-ecological systems approach of resilience theory. In building resilience to imposed development the community has become vulnerable to other disturbances. As this traditional agri-food system continues to face the enduring shocks of global environmental and social change, the communities must recognise their fragilities as well as the threats which have been overlooked in the past. This study therefore suggests that the community exploit this stage of readjustment so as to reorganise, building on local culture and tradition, through an integrated approach to development which combines agriculture, traditional food and tourism.