Determinants of Smallholder Livestock Farmers' Household Resilience to Food Insecurity in South Africa

This study identified factors affecting livestock farmers' agricultural drought resilience to food insecurity in Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Data of 217 smallholder livestock farmers were used in a principal component analysis to estimate the agricultural drought resilience index. The structural equation approach was then applied to assess smallholder livestock farmers' resilience to food insecurity. The study found that most smallholder livestock farmers (81%) were not resilient to agricultural drought. Assets (beta = 0.150), social safety nets (beta = 0.001), and adaptive capacity (beta = 0.171) indicators positively impacted households' resilience to food insecurity with 5% significance. Climate change indicators negatively impacted households' resilience to food insecurity. Two variables were included under climate change, focusing on drought, namely drought occurrence (beta = -0.118) and drought intensity (beta = -0.021), which had a negative impact on household resilience to food insecurity with 10% significance. The study suggests that smallholder livestock farmers need assistance from the government and various stakeholders to minimize vulnerability and boost their resilience to food insecurity.