Investigation of methods adopted by smallholder broiler farmers adapting to climate change

Abstract

Broiler farming is one of the fastest businesses with a short production cycle and low initial capital. This practice helps alleviate poverty, ensures food security, and improves people's nutritional status by providing immeasurable employment opportunities for communities. Even though broiler farming is of great benefit, smallholder farmers face challenges, climate change being one of them. The aim of the study was to investigate methods that smallholder broiler farmers have adopted to adapt to climate change. The study was conducted in the Thulamela and Musina municipalities of the Vhembe district. For this study, 124 small-scale broiler farmers were purposively selected (those farming with less than 2000 broilers per cycle) to represent 57 for Thulamela and 67 for Musina municipalities. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using open and closed ended questions. IBM SPSS statistics version 29 was used to determine frequencies using descriptive statistics and mean scores. The results from the study reflected that the age of most farmers who are involved in broiler farming is 36-45 (40.3%). About 79.9% of female farmers are involved in broiler farming compared to 21% of male farmers. The results show that most broiler farmers (96%) sell their live chickens locally. The results reflected that 54% of the farmers strongly disagree with changing from closed housing systems to an open-sided one during summer. Furthermore, 66.1% of the farmers strongly agree that during the summer season, they are challenged with high mortality rates due to heat stressed. On perceptions of farmers, the mean score reflected that the farmers ranked decrease in sales volume in summer (x̄=2.39) as more important, followed by an increase in water intake in winter (x̄=2.54) and changing the housing system (x̄=2.63). It emerged that farmers (49,2%) have developed their strategies for adapting, which include use of Aloe vera, Munzere (Bridelia micrantha), salt and sugar and dipping chickens in water as a measure of cooling the broilers; with the cooling system being expensive. About 98.4% prefer to use open-sided housing as ventilation compared to the cooling system. In conclusion, because of change in climate and expensive conventional adaptation methods, the farmers have developed their own indigenous and cheaper ways of adapting to climate change. I recommend that further studies need to be conducted on the effectiveness of indigenous methods adopted by smallholder broiler farmers.