Drought and flood impacts on agricultural water availability in smallholder farms in the Overberg District, Western Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

Climate change-driven disasters are among the major problems facing the agricultural sector globally. This study examined the impacts of drought and floods on water availability and agricultural productivity in smallholder farms within the Overberg District Municipality in the Western Cape, South Africa. It further assessed the farmers' coping and adaptive capacity in response to these disasters. A concurrent mixed-methods approach was adopted for the study. Data were collected through a survey of smallholder farmers (n = 100), focus group discussions with smallholder farmers (n = 37), and semi-structured interviews with key informants (n = 13). The results revealed that smallholder farmers perceived drought (33.1%) and floods (29.1%), driven by increasing climate unpredictability, as having reduced water access in smallholder agriculture. Additionally, the results showed that droughts dried up water sources and floods damaged critical infrastructure, affecting water availability and agricultural production. Most farmers lacked a coping strategy (57%), and a significant number (37%) reported having no adaptation strategy. The smallholder farmers received limited institutional support. The study concludes that smallholder farmers require coordinated support to enhance their adaptive capacity and farm productively in the face of climate variability.