The impact of drought on commercial livestock farmers in South Africa

ABSTRACT

This article reports on a study that aimed to assess the impact of the 2015 drought in South Africa on commercial livestock producers, with specific reference to the associated drought adoption strategies. The study was based on primary data collected from 350 commercial livestock producers from seven different provinces. The findings revealed that the effect of drought had a significant impact on average herd size, livestock feeding, and sheep flock. Commercial livestock producers did not receive any form of assistance from the government. The majority of the farmers did not have any preventive measures in place during the drought. The study recommends that the government and policymakers should introduce a mechanism to support commercial livestock farmers when drought strikes.

KEYWORDS:

• Aid – Development policies
• Environment (built and natural) – Agriculture, Climate change
• Civil society – Participation
• Sub-Saharan Africa

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Frikkie Mare is a Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, South Africa.

Yonas T. Bahta is a Senior Researcher and Head of Department in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, South Africa.

Walter Van Niekerk is a Lecturer in the Department of Agricultural Economics, University of the Free State, South Africa.

Notes

1 Agricultural drought is a shortage of precipitation during the growing season which impinges on crop production or ecosystem function in general due to soil moisture drought (IPCC 2012). Commercial livestock producers are producers who produce beyond subsistence levels. Farming is geared towards commercial purposes and focuses on profit-making strategies. These producers can be small and large in scale. Producers who sell more of their livestock’s offspring than is kept back to grow the herd or for self-consumption are included, because they produce animals for the commercial market.