Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa
| dc.contributor.author | O'farrell, P J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Anderson, P M L | |
| dc.contributor.author | Milton, S J | |
| dc.contributor.author | Dean, W R J | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-01-30T07:59:07Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-01-30T07:59:07Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2009 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2016-01-22T09:45:45Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Human adaptation and response to drought is primarily through evasion or endurance. A review of historical agricultural practices in southern Africa demonstrates evidence of drought evasion response strategies in well-established transhumance routes, where herders move livestock on a seasonal basis in order to exploit resources subject to different climatic regimes. European settlers to the arid regions of South Africa quickly recognised the necessity of these evasion options to survive drought, and adopted the transhumance practices of indigenous farmers. Areas of geographically diverse resource bases became hotly contested by settlers and indigenous farmers. The success of evasion systems are shown to hinge on good social and institutional support structures. When movement is not an option, drought endurance is pursued by attempting to limit the damage to the natural resource base. This is through a number of means such as forage conservation, varying livestock types and numbers, water and soil conservation and taking up alternative livelihood options. State responses to drought over the last century reflect the general South African pattern of racially divided and unjust policies relating to resource access. Historically the state provided considerable support to white commercial farmers. This support was frequently contradictory in its aims and generally was inadequate to enable farmers to cope with drought. Since the advent of democracy in 1994, the state has intervened less, with some support extended to previously disadvantaged and poor communal farmers. Climate change predictions suggest an increase in drought, suggesting that the adoption of mitigating strategies should be a matter of urgency. To do this South Africa needs to build social and institutional capacity, strive for better economic and environmental sustainability, embed drought-coping mechanisms into land restitution policy to ensure the success of this programme, and acknowledge the diversity of the agricultural sector. | |
| dc.identifier | http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajs.v105i1/2.36 | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | O'farrell, P. J., Anderson, P. M. L., Milton, S. J., & Dean, W. R. J. (2009). Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa. <i>South African Journal of Science</i>, http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27079 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | O'farrell, P J, P M L Anderson, S J Milton, and W R J Dean "Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa." <i>South African Journal of Science</i> (2009) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27079 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | O'farrell, P., Anderson, P. M. L., Milton, S. J., & Dean, W. R. J. (2009). Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa. South African Journal of Science, 105(1-2), 34-39. | |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Journal Article AU - O'farrell, P J AU - Anderson, P M L AU - Milton, S J AU - Dean, W R J AB - Human adaptation and response to drought is primarily through evasion or endurance. A review of historical agricultural practices in southern Africa demonstrates evidence of drought evasion response strategies in well-established transhumance routes, where herders move livestock on a seasonal basis in order to exploit resources subject to different climatic regimes. European settlers to the arid regions of South Africa quickly recognised the necessity of these evasion options to survive drought, and adopted the transhumance practices of indigenous farmers. Areas of geographically diverse resource bases became hotly contested by settlers and indigenous farmers. The success of evasion systems are shown to hinge on good social and institutional support structures. When movement is not an option, drought endurance is pursued by attempting to limit the damage to the natural resource base. This is through a number of means such as forage conservation, varying livestock types and numbers, water and soil conservation and taking up alternative livelihood options. State responses to drought over the last century reflect the general South African pattern of racially divided and unjust policies relating to resource access. Historically the state provided considerable support to white commercial farmers. This support was frequently contradictory in its aims and generally was inadequate to enable farmers to cope with drought. Since the advent of democracy in 1994, the state has intervened less, with some support extended to previously disadvantaged and poor communal farmers. Climate change predictions suggest an increase in drought, suggesting that the adoption of mitigating strategies should be a matter of urgency. To do this South Africa needs to build social and institutional capacity, strive for better economic and environmental sustainability, embed drought-coping mechanisms into land restitution policy to ensure the success of this programme, and acknowledge the diversity of the agricultural sector. DA - 2009 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town J1 - South African Journal of Science LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2009 T1 - Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa TI - Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27079 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27079 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | O'farrell PJ, Anderson PML, Milton SJ, Dean WRJ. Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa. South African Journal of Science. 2009; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/27079. | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Department of Environmental and Geographical Science | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Science | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.source | South African Journal of Science | |
| dc.source.uri | https://www.sajs.co.za/ | |
| dc.subject.other | transhumance | |
| dc.subject.other | drought-proofing | |
| dc.subject.other | drought endurance | |
| dc.subject.other | climate change | |
| dc.subject.other | sustainable agriculture | |
| dc.subject.other | social and institutional capacity | |
| dc.title | Human response and adaptation to drought in the arid zone: lessons from southern Africa | |
| dc.type | Journal Article | |
| uct.type.filetype | Text | |
| uct.type.filetype | Image |