Indigenous farming technique and Strategies to Adapt climate change by smallholder farmers in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Author : Zongho Kom

Abstract :From generation to generation, traditional farming systems have supported indigenous populations across the globe. In rural areas where communities populations primarily depend on farming activity for their livelihood, traditional farming has long been the main source of livelihood. This study seeks to examine the indigenous agriculture. techniques and agrarian resilient methods to adapt to climate change employed by smallholder farmers in Limpopo Province. The study used participatory appraisal for primary data gathering and was further complemented by qualitative and quantitative techniques. Data were collected using focus group discussions, questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. A sample size of 300 Indigenous farmers was chosen for the three surveys. sites. The findings revealed that to increase household food security and adapt to climate change, local farmers rely on using indigenous farming techniques. The findings indicated that indigenous practices of crop productivity can be increased and climate change stock effects lessened by intercropping, crop rotation, cover crops, traditional organic composting, integrated crop-animal farming, and rainwater harvesting. The significance of these findings lies in their potential to guide the development and execution of suitable resilient initiatives that adapt to shifts in rural environment, agriculture, and management. The study illustrates how important indigenous knowledge is to rural communities’ agricultural industries. Additionally, it offers proof that indigenous knowledge should be viewed as a cooperative idea that supports resilience tactics and nature-based solutions that have helped rural communities endure

Keywords :Indigenous farming technique, Limpopo Province, Climate change, Smallholder farmer, rainwater harvesting

Conference Name :International Conference on Climate Change and European Law (ICCCEL -25)

Conference Place London, UK

Conference Date 2nd May 2025