Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions for the adoption of in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) technique in Thaba Nchu, South Africa

Abstract

A systematic engagement strategy was used to identify contextual factors that prevent farmers from accepting the in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) technique. The purpose of the qualitative study is to assess farmers’ knowledge and attitudes about the technique, as well as their adoption and perceptions thereof. A total of 48 knowledge, attitude, perception, and adoption questionnaires were used to gather information. The gathered data was used to determine whether farmers had made an informed choice. The results show that less than a third (27%) made an informed choice while 89.6% had a positive attitude. The overall reflection of excellent knowledge (75%) about the technique was high among farmers aged 41 and over and amounted to 55.6%. According to the survey results, farmers over the age of 45 years (75%), women (56.2%), farmers with a high school certificate (62.5%), and those who are unemployed, continue to adopt the technique (56.2%). According to the binary logistic regression model, increasing household family size had a significant negative impact on adoption (p < 0.05), whereas farmers with high school certificates and crop-livestock households had a significant positive impact (p < 0.01). Most farmers (56.3%) agreed that there was a lack of training, and that more attention is needed on issues such as lack of rainfall (63.3%) and technology taking up more land, which reduce farmers’ crop population and yield (52%). Farmers’ narratives about anticipated interventions, such as intercropping training and timely drought warning services, should increase their adoption. This study focuses on farmers’ specific technology adoption needs, offering another perspective on how achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of zero hunger and climate action necessitates a decentralized approach.

Keywords:

• rainfed
• smallholder farmers
• informed choice
• knowledge transfer
• farmers’ adoption
• in-field rainwater harvesting technique

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Water Research Commission (WRC), National Research Fund (NRF), and Food and Beverages Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FoodBev SETA). We thank the extension officers at the Free State Department of Agricultural and Rural Development (DARD), Thaba Nchu for their assistance in organizing meetings with farmers during the interviews. We also recognize that this study is part of a Ph.D. research project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the Water Research Commission (WRC), National Research Fund (NRF, No. TTK190214417227), and Food and Beverages Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FoodBev SETA).