Investigation of Coping Mechanisms on Food Systems Synergy Discrepancies Caused by Climate Change Among Young Agripreneurs in Musina Municipality of the Vhembe District

Abstract

Climate change continuously disrupts agricultural stability by affecting all segments of the food system. Climate change determinants, such as rising temperatures, and extreme weather events, disrupt the food system, leading to discrepancies within the food system, including market volatility. The study aimed to investigate the coping mechanisms used by young agripreneurs in Musina municipality to address discrepancies in food systems synergy caused by climate change. The study sample consisted of 94 participants, and simple random sampling was used to select the sample. A structured questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the socio-economic characteristics of youth agripreneurs and determine the food system discrepancies that youth agripreneurs are facing. Multinomial logistic regression was employed to assess the impact of food system synergy discrepancies on the sustainability of youth agripreneurs. The study uncovered that the majority of youth agripreneurs were females and aged between 30 and 35; Furthermore, a significant number of youth agripreneurs possessed secondary education, followed by tertiary education. The study also revealed that major disruptions within the industry segment included an increase in maintenance costs, fluctuations in input prices, delayed supply, irregular input supply, and production inconsistency. Within the commerce segment, the major disruptions that youth agripreneurs highlighted were reduced supply quality, a lack of storage facilities, and a high perishability rate. In the trade segment, major disruptions included market price fluctuations, changes in consumer demand, and supply competition. The study also revealed that most discrepancies faced by youth agripreneurs severely affect their short-term sustainability, more so than their medium-term and long-term sustainability. The study also uncovered that most youth agripreneurs diversify their input suppliers, markets, and distribution channels as their coping mechanism. The study conclude that while most youth agripreneurs are predominantly females with moderate education, they employ more reactive than proactive coping mechanisms to mitigate climate induced impacts. The study recommends prioritising investments in input manufacturing facilities to stabilise the input prices.