A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa
This systematic review identified the prevalence, effectiveness, and potential benefits of agroecology strategies in promoting sustainable agriculture practices implemented by smallholder crop farmers in South Africa. The review carried out a comprehensive literature search across various academic d...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Climate |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/12/3/33 |
| _version_ | 1797241557238153216 |
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| author | Mashford Zenda Michael Rudolph |
| author_facet | Mashford Zenda Michael Rudolph |
| author_sort | Mashford Zenda |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This systematic review identified the prevalence, effectiveness, and potential benefits of agroecology strategies in promoting sustainable agriculture practices implemented by smallholder crop farmers in South Africa. The review carried out a comprehensive literature search across various academic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of science. The relevant studies were screened and selected based on predetermined inclusion criteria where a total of 262 articles were extracted and reduced to 30 articles for this systematic review. Data were extracted and synthesised to classify patterns and trends in the adoption of agroecology elements. The results obtained from the review of this study highlights the identification of specific strategies such as indigenous crop varieties, conservation agriculture, intercropping, agroforestry, drought-tolerant crop varieties, and water management strategies. These outcomes demonstrated insights into the prevalence of different strategies applied by smallholder crop farmers in South Africa. Furthermore, the review determined the reported benefits, such as increased crop resilience, improved soil fertility, and enhanced water use efficiency. These benefits were assessed on the available evidence from the selected studies. This review contributes to a better understanding of agroecology practices in South African. The results can inform policymakers, researchers, and farmers in developing appropriate strategies to enhance sustainable agricultural practices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:25:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-039735636be44dce8e271c5db3bb47ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2225-1154 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:25:13Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Climate |
| spelling | doaj.art-039735636be44dce8e271c5db3bb47ea2024-03-27T13:31:39ZengMDPI AGClimate2225-11542024-02-011233310.3390/cli12030033A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South AfricaMashford Zenda0Michael Rudolph1Centre for Ecological Intelligence, Faculty of Engineering and the Build Environment (FEBE), University of Johannesburg, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science, Auckland Park Campus, Auckland Park, P.O. Box 524, Johannesburg 2006, South AfricaCentre for Ecological Intelligence, Faculty of Engineering and the Build Environment (FEBE), University of Johannesburg, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science, Auckland Park Campus, Auckland Park, P.O. Box 524, Johannesburg 2006, South AfricaThis systematic review identified the prevalence, effectiveness, and potential benefits of agroecology strategies in promoting sustainable agriculture practices implemented by smallholder crop farmers in South Africa. The review carried out a comprehensive literature search across various academic databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of science. The relevant studies were screened and selected based on predetermined inclusion criteria where a total of 262 articles were extracted and reduced to 30 articles for this systematic review. Data were extracted and synthesised to classify patterns and trends in the adoption of agroecology elements. The results obtained from the review of this study highlights the identification of specific strategies such as indigenous crop varieties, conservation agriculture, intercropping, agroforestry, drought-tolerant crop varieties, and water management strategies. These outcomes demonstrated insights into the prevalence of different strategies applied by smallholder crop farmers in South Africa. Furthermore, the review determined the reported benefits, such as increased crop resilience, improved soil fertility, and enhanced water use efficiency. These benefits were assessed on the available evidence from the selected studies. This review contributes to a better understanding of agroecology practices in South African. The results can inform policymakers, researchers, and farmers in developing appropriate strategies to enhance sustainable agricultural practices.https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/12/3/33agroecological strategiessustainable agriculturesmallholder crop farmersSouth Africa |
| spellingShingle | Mashford Zenda Michael Rudolph A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa Climate agroecological strategies sustainable agriculture smallholder crop farmers South Africa |
| title | A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa |
| title_full | A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa |
| title_short | A Systematic Review of Agroecology Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change Impacts on Smallholder Crop Farmers’ Livelihoods in South Africa |
| title_sort | systematic review of agroecology strategies for adapting to climate change impacts on smallholder crop farmers livelihoods in south africa |
| topic | agroecological strategies sustainable agriculture smallholder crop farmers South Africa |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2225-1154/12/3/33 |
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