A bibliometric analysis of smallholder farmers’ climate change adaptation challenges: a SADC region outlook

• Date: 14 October 2024
• Pages: 174-197
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-08-2023-0106
• Published date: 14 October 2024
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Environmental issues,Climate change
• Author: Dumisani Shoko Kori,Walter Musakwa,Clare Kelso

A bibliometric analysis of

smallholder farmers’climate change

adaptation challenges: a SADC

region outlook

Dumisani Shoko Kori,Walter Musakwa and Clare Kelso

Department of Geography, Environmental Management and EnergyStudies,

University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract

Purpose –This paper aims to explore pathways in whichadaptation challenges may occur. Focus is on the

barriers to adaptation,challenges to adaptation and maladaptation with referenceto smallholder farmers in the

SouthernAfrican Development Community region.

Design/methodology/approach –Bibliometric analysis techniques were used to track the literature on

smallholder farmers’adaptationchallenges. Web of Science was the main data source. A total of 41 articles

were retained for analysis and exported into Visualization of Similarities Viewer Software where the

developmentof research on the subject,co-occurrence of keywords analysis, top publishers, citationsand total

link strengthwas done.

Findings –Results indicate that research on smallholder farmers’adaptation challenges is not newbut has

gained more consideration post-2020. The main adaptation challengesemanate from perception barriers and

constraints based on determinants of adoption, limitations for resilience building and achieving sustainable

adaptationas well as contestations around Climate Smart Agriculturetechnologies.

Practical implications –Effective design of adaptation policies shouldcenter on prioritizing the needs of

the local people. This would reduce the occurrencesof smallholder farmers’adaptation challenges, promote

resiliencebuilding and contribute toward achieving sustainable adaptation.

Originality/value –It is equally important to document adaptation challenges.However, adaptation challenges

are rarely shared with the same enthusiasm as its successes. This work focuseson the matter with the intention of

conscientizing smallholder farmersto reduce the risk of repeating the same adaptation mistakes.

Keywords Adoption, Adaptation challenges, Barriers to adaptation, Dis-adoption, Maladaptation,

Mis-implementation, Unintended adaptation outcomes

Paper type Literature review

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Smallholder farmers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region

grapple with climate change impacts. The impacts coupled with the increase in population

© Dumisani Shoko Kori, Walter Musakwa and Clare Kelso. Published by Emerald Publishing

Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.

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legalcode

IJCCSM

17,1

174

Received31 August 2023

Revised29 Oc tober2023

4 January2024

29 April2024

Accepted10 September 2024

InternationalJournal of Climate

ChangeStrategies and

Management

Vol.17 No. 1, 2025

pp. 174-197

EmeraldPublishing Limited

1756-8692

DOI 10.1108/IJCCSM-08-2023-0106

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/1756-8692.htm

make it diff‌icult to achieve food security (Mutengwaet al., 2023). Although Mutengwa et al.

(2023) referred to global food security, this is true at a regional scale, particularly in SADC

where the majority of member states rely on agriculture to sustain livelihoods. The SADC

Regional IndicativeStrategic Development Plan for 2020–2030 noted that almost 70% of the

population in the region relies on agriculture as a source of food (SADC, 2020). However,

climate change has caused dire implications for agricultural production and food security

leading to diminished food availability, accessibility, utilization and stability around the

world including sub-Saharan Africa(SSA) (El Bilali et al., 2020) where the SADC region is

located. Mavodyo (2023) showed that climate change, in particular, variations in

precipitation worsens food insecurity by impeding food affordability while worsening

malnutrition in the SADC region.

National governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society and local

institutions are putting initiatives in place to improve adaptive capacity and build resilience

of smallholder farmers across the SADC region. National governments formulate policies

intended to reinforce smallholder farmers’adaptation to climate change (Chesterman et al.,

2020) and create enabling environments that support the implementation of adaptation

strategies (Ogunyiola et al., 2022). This is facilitated by having political will and

commitment, addressing institutional barriers and improving communication and

coordination (Nemakonde and Van Niekerk, 2023). NGOs provide support for smallholder

farmers through funding adaptation initiatives, providing resources for adaptation (Davies

et al., 2019) and training smallholder farmers on how to implement adaptation strategies

(Morahanye, 2020). Civil society organizations assist in developing locally appropriate

technological innovations well suited to smallholder farmers’needs (Waters-Bayer et al.,

2015) and provide inputs that assist smallholder farmers adapt to climate change (Tofu and

Wolka, 2023). Local institutions such as extension services assist in creating awareness of

climate change impacts through information dissemination while seeking to meet

smallholder farmers’needs (Makate,2020). These are important strides made to ensure that

essential resources are providedfor smallholder farmers to enable successful and sustainable

adaptation.

1.2 Adaptation: an overview

The term adaptation has several def‌initions because it is a complex and dynamic process. There

is neither an agreed theoretical nor operational def‌inition of the term adaptation (Berrang-Ford

et al., 2019). Chaudhury et al. (2016) def‌ine adaptation as actions designed to ease the negative

consequences of climate change. Schipper (2020) explains adaptation as a process involving

changes and choices that seek to protect individuals and societies from adverse effects

of climate change, to allow them to function and attain well-being under changing climatic

conditions. These def‌initions illustrate that adaptation revolves around adjustments made in

response to some climatic stimuli. However, earlier work by Smit et al. (2000) provides an

anatomy of adaptation to climate change and variability and posits that a complete def‌inition of

thetermadaptationshouldspecify,whatisbeingadaptedto,whoorwhatisadaptingand

how adaptation occurs. Further to this, Smit et al. (2000) emphasize that the def‌inition of

adaptation should characterize adaptation in terms of timing relative to stimulus

(anticipatory, proactive or ex ante), intent (autonomous, spontaneous, automatic, natural

or passive), spatial scope (localized or widespread), form (technological, structural, legal,

institutional, regulatory or f‌inancial) and degree of necessity (retreat, accommodate,

protect, prevent, tolerate or restore).

The nature and/or type of adaptation determines whether adaptation initiatives can

succeed or fail. For example, top-down approaches that do not consider the local

International

Journal of Climate

Change Strategies

and Management

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