THE DETERMINANTS AND ACCEPTANCE OF CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE PRACTICES IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Weather variations have posed enormous barriers to water resources, availability of food, human health, infrastructure, and natural environment. These phenomena underscore the need for climate smart practices in South Africa. The study examined in context, the socio-economic determinants, and acceptance of climate smart agriculture practices in Mzinti, Nkomazi Local Municipality South Africa. From a known population of 455 farmers, 212 samples were selected for the survey and considered realistic for the study. This survey comprised questions that were clear, unbiased, and relevant to the research questions. Enumerators were further briefed on the study objectives and the importance of consistent and ethical data collection. The team comprised of four primary data enumerators. A pilot survey with 20 randomly selected smallholder farmers was undertaken to identify and address any questionnaire that may be ambiguous. Based on this pilot, minor revisions were made to improve the questionnaire and ensure accurate reflection of intended variables, thus enhancing the reliability of the data collection instrument. A randomized sampling method was employed to select respondents who participated in the study. This allowed every participant to have a fair chance of being chosen. The study used the structured questionnaire, and the field survey was done between the month of April 2023 and July 2023. Descriptive statistics: frequency count, tables, and percentages, were used to explain the socio-economic determinants for acceptance of climate smart agriculture practices. The hypothesized variables were assessed using the binary logistic regression to determine the correlation between the socio-demographic characteristics and dependent variables. The result revealed that age (p< 0.007), crop yield (p<0.001), farm income (p<0.047) farm size (p<0.020, and food shortages (p<0.001) were correlated and statistically significant in determining the acceptance of climate smart agriculture practices. The study concluded that climate smart agriculture practices enhance farmer productivity, and it is influenced by factors such as age, farm size, and scarcity of food, crop yield, and farm income. The adoption of climate smart agriculture enables farmers to have increased crop yields, have access to food, increased income of the farm. Thus, it can be concluded that CSA practices effectively enhance the productivity of vegetable farming and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]