An intersectional analysis of the collective efficacy-drought adaptation nexus among small-scale farmers in uMkhanyakude District Municipality, South Africa

Abstract

Exploring the connection between collective efficacy and climate adaptation is urgent as climate change continues to impact societies globally. While existing research indicates a positive link between collective efficacy and climate adaptation, there remains a gap in understanding how this relationship unfolds in the South African context. Therefore, this study analyses the collective efficacy–agricultural drought adaptation nexus among small-scale farmers in uMkhanyakude District Municipality. Guided by the Actor-Network and Intersectionality theories, this qualitative study employed thematic analysis to explore this association. The findings indicate that collective efficacy improves farmers’ drought adaptation. Moreover, the historically denigrated philosophy of Ubuntu, an African Indigenous Knowledge System, challenges dominant colonial epistemologies by emphasising interconnectedness, communal knowledge, and collective adaptation. However, fragmented adaptation networks and the absence of intersectional perspectives reinforce colonial racial and gender constructs and exacerbate vulnerabilities. To address these issues, farmers, institutions together with policy makers must critically examine historical legacies and systemic barriers that affect adaptation dynamics. Moreover, this paper advocates for embedding Ubuntu and intersectionality into drought adaptation policies and practices, to transform cultural practices that sustain power dynamics and inequalities and to foster the development of inclusive, equitable and effective drought adaptation measures.