Intensifying climate impacts threaten agriculture worldwide, and KwaZulu-Natal is especially exposed. The province relies on climate-sensitive farming for food security and livelihoods and, in 2022, accounted for 22.3% of South Africa’s agricultural households. As rainfall patterns shift and extreme events become more frequent, both production and incomes are at risk. Indigenous knowledge, built through generations of observation and practice, offers local, low-cost and ecologically grounded methods that support sustainable farming amid uncertainty. It is also a practical pathway for entrepreneurship and adaptation. Yet many public and private programmes overlook Indigenous worldviews, which perpetuates injustices and sidelines indigenous governance and stewardship.
Agricultural extension officers are the hinge between systems, as they connect farmers to information, services and markets. However, many receive limited training in recognising, documenting and sharing Indigenous knowledge. Most extension curricula and programmes still prioritise conventional, input-heavy paradigms, so many officers are not sufficiently prepared or confident to work with indigenous approaches.
To help close this gap, University of Zuland (UNIZULU) academics Dr Jabulile Mzimela and Prof Innocent Moyo (from the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies) recently led a workshop, titled, Bridging climate change, agriculture, Indigenous knowledge, and entrepreneurship for resilient farming communities in eThekwini Municipality, in Pinetown. Extension officers from eThekwini Municipality examined local climate risks and explored how indigenous knowledge and entrepreneurship can strengthen adaptation.
Dr Mosima Mabitsela, from UNIZULU’s Department of Agriculture highlighted the value of underutilised and neglected crops for diversification and nutrition. The programme combined academic inputs with practical activities, and officers left with actions for participatory extension that empowers farmers, encourages collaborative learning, and enables effective knowledge exchange between scientific and Indigenous systems. When extension services act as true intermediaries, these strands can be integrated to secure food sovereignty, safeguard the environment, and support resilient livelihoods.
– Prof Innocent Moyo
Pictures: Supplied
