Awareness and perceptions of climate change impact amoung small-scale maize farmers in Eswatini : the case study of Hhohho, Manzini and Shiselweni regions

Abstract

Agricultural production is the major source of household food security and income for smallholder maize farmers in the rural households in the Kingdom of eSwatini. The sector also contributes approximately 6.5% to the national gross domestic product and 50% of raw material for industries and other sectors. However, the sector is faced with several challenges which hinder its development. The challenges are brought about by climate change. Farmers implement various strategies to adapt to the negative effects of climate change. Farmers awareness and perceptions of impacts of climate change influence the strategies and hence, farmers’ level of adaptation. This study was undertaken to assess smallholder maize farmers’ awareness and perceptions of the impacts of climate change in three maize producing regions of eSwatini. Descriptive statistics and a regression model were used for data analysis. The results from a descriptive analysis indicated that 71.3% of farmers were aware of climate change, while 28.7% were not aware. A regression test revealed that climate-related information was highly significant in determining farmers’ awareness of the impacts of climate change. A Likert scale analysis showed that rural-urban migration, floods incidents and soil erosion were the most important variables that influenced small-scale maize farmers’ perceptions of climate change. The study revealed that there should be more focus on improving extension services to promote access to financial services.