SUBSISTENCE FARMING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE: SOWING THE SEEDS OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS IN LIMPOPO, SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Current climate models predict that over the next 30 years the water supply in the rural Limpopo Province of South Africa will become increasingly unstable, threatening food security. Subsistence farming, which has historically provided a significant portion of daily nutrition for residents of the region, will require additional government services, such as access to irrigation, to continue the practice. However, no government programs currently exist to directly support subsistence farming. This paper evaluates policies already in place for emerging farmers, which face similar challenges as subsistence farmers, and proposes that extending government programs to subsistence farmers would help this demographic to adapt to the changing climate. Using a combination of case studies, government documents, news sources and interviews, this paper ultimately proposes that government services for emerging farmers should be considered for expansion to include subsistence farmers.