Water Wheel May/June 2022: Drought Resilience

Abstract

Study explores the impact of multi-year drought on apple and wheat farmers in the Western Cape For key wheat and apple production regions, the recent multiyear drought was the most severe one experienced in 30 years. This may be an early sign of the effects of climate change on agriculture in the winter rainfall area of the Western Cape. This is evident from Dr Simone Theron’s PhD study. She received her doctoral degree from Stellenbosch University’s Department of Horticultural Science (part of the Faculty of AgriSciences) in April. Theron’s’ dissertation, titled Improving resilience in rainfed and irrigated agriculture under the future climate in the winter rainfall region of the Western Cape: Lessons from the 2015-2018 drought, underlines the urgent need for adaptation in agriculture. Her study sheds light on factors affecting resiliencebuilding in crop production, adaptation approaches, and barriers to adaptation. Theron’s research focused on how producers may be impacted from a climate perspective from now until 2065.

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