Based on transect walks and focus group discussions, the findings of the study showed that many Nkomazi smallholder farmers relied more on their indigenous knowledge (IK) than on scientific weather forecasting (SWF) for farm-level decision-making. This mobile application aims to provide a practical Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) for use by smallholder farmers.
THE PROBLEM AND IT'S SETTING
- Introduction to the research problem
- Problem statement
- Research Aim
- Specific Objectives
- Study limits
- Definition of terms
- Assumptions
- Organization of thesis laid out as follows
- References
The integration of indigenous knowledge with modern climate science for indigenous small farmers to receive and access climate information quickly and easily using modern technology will help improve small farmers' agricultural production. This study aimed to develop a mobile application technology to integrate indigenous knowledge systems with modern climate science to improve agricultural production for smallholder farmers.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Conceptual framework
As highlighted in Figure 1, indigenous knowledge systems are based on socio-cultural beliefs, religious, mythical values and the use of composted manure. This is the aim of this research: to integrate indigenous knowledge systems with modern climate science through the development of a mobile application to improve the agricultural production of small rural farmers.
Food Security crises in South Africa
These studies have demonstrated the existence of indigenous knowledge and its potential for improving smallholder food security. However, it was noted that most agricultural institutions in South Africa tend to ignore indigenous knowledge as a solution to household food security and rural economies.
Indigenous knowledge systems
- Indigenous knowledge climate indicators
- Accessibility and documentation of indigenous knowledge systems
Indigenous small farmers in rural communities often use animal behaviour, appearance and movement to predict weather (Chang'a et al., 2010). Essentially, indigenous small farmers relied on these indicators for their farm practices (Jiri et al., 2015).
Indigenous Knowledge in Agriculture
- Indigenous Knowledge applications weed management
- Indigenous Knowledge application Pest management
- Indigenous Knowledge application in soil fertility management
Smallholder farmers in rural areas have developed various indigenous techniques to improve and maintain soil fertility. Indigenous smallholder farmers have used mulching to conserve soil moisture and keep the soil cool, as well as fertilizers to maintain fertility (Onduru et al., 2008).
Relevance and utilization of indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation
Smallholder farmers have also adopted the crop rotation technique into their farming systems over time. However, based on research conducted by Ubisi et al., (2017) in Limpopo Province (Vembe and Districts), there is evidence that while smallholder farmers face severe climatic variations in rural indigenous skills to cope with prolonged droughts and severe heat has been developed.
Smallholder farmers in South Africa
The effects of climate change have become the most critical issue for rural smallholder farmers from the global to the local level (Kumar, 2014). According to Louw et al. (2007), timely transportation of products to markets is one of the key obstacles for small farmers in rural areas.
Constraints faced by smallholder farmers
- Crop production constraints
- Road and Transport
- Technological barriers
- Market Information
- Quality constraints
In addition, Louw et al. (2007) pointed out that transportation of products is one of the key obstacles for small farmers in rural areas. Due to lack of access to market information, most smallholder farmers are unaware of advanced agricultural practices and post-harvest management techniques, resulting in low-quality production (Kibirige, 2013).
Mobile applications for agricultural and rural development
- Existing Agricultural Mobile Applications
This mobile application can provide the most affordable ways for small farmers to access information and management systems that were previously unavailable to them. However, these existing applications do not accommodate indigenous farmers, which are the current gaps facing South African rural smallholder farmers.
Comparative review of Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Science
It is a way of life – it looks at both the process of knowing and the knowledge itself. It has rules of the cognitive process' It is based on the rules of science, which are evidence, repeatability and.
South African government interventions to assist smallholder farmers
Summary
A Case Study from Osun State, Nigeria', Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 15(3), pp. 2011) 'Integrating indigenous knowledge with conventional science:. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 12(1), pp. 2010) Kleinboerlandbou in Oos-Africa: trends, impacts and relationships.
Study Conceptual Framework, study design and Description of the Study Area
- Introduction
- Study Conceptual Framework
- Description of the study area
- Nkomazi Local Municipality
- Research study design
- Sample size
- Sampling procedure
- Data collection Tools
- Data collection procedure
- Mobile Application Development
- Data analysis
- Reliability and validity
- Ethical consideration
- Summary
- References
Section A is based on the socio-economic characteristics of the small farmers in the study area. Finally, section D was about smallholder farmers' perceptions of the use of mobile application technology to improve agricultural production.
The role of indigenous knowledge systems in rural smallholder farmers in response
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Description of the Study area
- Data Collection and Analysis
- Results and Discussion
- Demographics
- Indigenous Knowledge weather and climate Indicators
- Smallholder farmers' perceptions of causes of Climate Change
- Indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation
- Conclusions and recommendations
- References
Therefore, this study investigated the role of indigenous knowledge systems, farmer's adaptive measure and indigenous climate indicators used by Nkomazi smallholder farmers in response to climate change. The majority of Nkomazi smallholder farmers had adaptive strategies in place to respond to climate change effects.
Demystifying the knowledge: Integrating IKS and modern science for local weather
Abstract
Introduction
Indigenous knowledge systems and modern climate systems must be recognized as complementary sources of wisdom. Both knowledge systems are complementary sources of wisdom and can be integrated by getting the indigenous information in the context and format that indigenous people are familiar with, can accept and easily understand.
Description of the Study area
If this does not happen, it will be difficult to successfully combine the two knowledge systems for the growth of rural agriculture (DeWalt, 1994). Therefore, the study suggests that farmers should not rely solely on one knowledge system, but should benefit from the power, innovativeness and creativity of both IKS and modern science.
Data Collection
- Rainfall and temperature data
- Sampling
70 transect walk, focus group discussions as well as meetings with the community's elderly small farmers. Interviews helped gather information by exploring the smallholder farmers' perceptions, attitudes, feelings and beliefs about the critical role of integrating indigenous knowledge systems and modern climate science using mobile application technology to improve agricultural production.
Data Analysis
The older smallholder farmers were treated as key informants during the transect walk to help generate specific social and technical indigenous knowledge on weather forecasting, disaster preparedness and agricultural planning. The local extension officer provided a list of households and from there smallholders were randomly selected.
Results
- Socio-economic profiles of the respondents
- Local observations and impacts of climate change
- Nkomazi smallholder farmers’ observations of weather changes
- Smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change and variability
- Indigenous climate forecast indicators in Nkomazi Local Municipality
- Sources of climate change information that the farmers relied upon
- Relationship between gender and IKS reliability
- Forecast for 1993/2008 rainfall variability in Nkomazi Local Municipality
In Nkomazi Local Municipality, respondents noted that compared to the early 1970s, smallholder farmers have experienced several extreme events due to climate change (Figure 4). These smallholder farmers also stated that livestock death (2%) was the least severe climate-related risk (Figure 4).
Discussions
- Impacts of climate and weather changes in Nkomazi
- Smallholder farmers’ uses of IKS in climate change adaptation
- Usefulness of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Agricultural planning
- Uses of IKS climate forecast indicators for weather prediction
- Sources of climate change information
- Indigenous Knowledge systems reliability
- Modern science weather Forecast for 1993/2008 rainfall variability
- Modern science weather forecast for 1993/2008 temperature variability
- Potential integration between indigenous knowledge systems and Modern climate science
- Advantages of integrating IKS and modern science
During focus group discussions, smallholder farmers further emphasized that things have changed from the past. According to Kalanda-Joshua et al (2011), Nessa smallholder farmers are no different as they also pointed out that they rely on their local knowledge for farm-level decisions.
Conclusion and recommendations
The survey results in Table 10 highlighted that the Nkomazi smallholder farmers' source of climate information is mainly from farmer to farmer advice (31%), radio (18%) and television (15%). Therefore, there is a need to integrate smallholder indigenous knowledge and scientific weather forecasting by having both scientific and local indigenous rangers work together to produce accurate and comprehensive weather forecasts for better production and adaptation to climate change.
2003) 'Traditional phenological knowledge of indigenous peoples in. 2010) 'Development and the documentation of indigenous knowledge: Good intentions in bad company?', Libri, 60(1), pp. 2014) 'Application of indigenous knowledge systems in water conservation and management: The Case of Khambashe, Eastern Cape South Africa', Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 3(4), pp. 2013) 'INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN. 2015) 'Challenges of Documenting and Disseminating Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Food Security in Soroti District', Interdisciplinary Journal of Development, 28(7), pp. 2010) 'Mainstreaming climate change and variability information into planning and policy development for Africa', Procedia Environmental Sciences, 1(1), pp. 1985) 'Legacy of the chameleon: edible wild plants in the Kindom of Swaziland, Southern Africa.
Abstract
Introduction
This mobile application will provide significant economic and social benefits among smallholder farmers by reducing product losses; improve agricultural production and provide the opportunity to make our developing country more globally competitive. The potential development of the mobile application lies in its ability to provide access to services, useful and relevant information.
Description of the Study area
92 Mobile App can be used for the collection and transmission of IK information and modern climate information for small farmers' sustainability in agriculture and rural development and for practical use of IKS. The development of the rural smallholder mobile app will bridge the gap and act as an important possible driver to reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change and increase resilience to improve productivity as it will focus on improving agricultural production.
Methodology
Studies have reported that most farmers have access to and use mobile phones (Costopoulou et al., 2016). This application will function with functions such as providing market linkages, increasing access to extension services, climate and market information and IKS documentation.
Data Collection
One hundred participants were randomly selected based on their farming activities, which were mainly crop producers and the age factor also contributed. Only people aged 50 and older participated in this study.
Data Analysis
Results and Discussions
- Socio-economic profiles of the respondents
- Seasonal calendar with months and activities happening
- Events documented from indigenous knowledge
- Smallholder farmers’ seasonal calendar for crops grown in different seasons
- South African seasonal calendar used by extension officers
- Indigenous climate indicators used by Nkomazi smallholder farmers for weather prediction
- Spatial distribution of Indigenous climate indicators in Nkomazi
- Spatial distribution of dominating indigenous climate indicators used for weather prediction
100 exists among Nkomazi small farmers; they use local climate indicators for weather forecasting and seasonal forecasts. In Nkomazi Local Municipality, small farmers have noticed some changes in climate variability affecting the distribution of some indicators especially plant species (Figure 14).
Poynton Indigenous indicator model
Therefore, it predicts the relationship between temperature increase with the distribution of indigenous climate indicators in the study area. Therefore, these findings support what was pointed out by Cherotich et al., (2012) that, increasing climate has a negative impact on the distribution of indigenous knowledge indicators.
Conclusions
It highlights the prediction of the distribution of the indicators whether the impact of climate change with increasing temperatures will allow the indicators to adapt to new climate conditions or disappear. Similar findings were observed in South Korea where a prediction model was used to predict the distribution of subalpine species and consequently the model predicted a decrease in the species distribution by 2050 and 2070 due to climate change (Graham et al., 2011) .
2016) 'South Africa's 1st Annual Climate Change Report - Climate Change Trends Risks, Impacts and Vulnerabilities', Agricultural Research Council) Malherbe J, pp. https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/reports/themaC_vulnerabilities_ris ks.pdf. 2015) ‘Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems into Climate Change Interpretation: Perspectives Relevant to Zimbabwe’. 2013) 'INTEGRATION OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE WITH INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN DEALING WITH THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND VARIABILITY ON.
Development of a Mobile application to improve smallholder agricultural
- Mobile App Development
- Project Scope
- Situation / Problem / Opportunity
- Project Goals
- In-Scope: People
- Process System
- Location
- Process System
- Location
- Project Objectives
- Project Risks
- Mobile App validation
- Accessing the App
The potential development of mobile applications lies in their ability to provide access to useful, relevant information and services. The mobile application "IKS web App" developed in this study can be accessed from ikswebapp.co.za (register as a user).
Conclusion and recommendations
- Conclusions
- Recommendations for Policymakers
- Recommendations for improvement of the study
- Study critique
How do you choose the crop(s) to grow. Arrange reason levels in the second column – 1 for mostly grown crop). Which agricultural areas do you think have been affected by climate change, describe what you think has happened and what is being done and by whom.
