Coping Strategies and Determinants of Food Availability Amid Climate Change in Rural Communities of Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract

Despite the significance of climate change on household food security, little has been done to assess its effects on crop production and food consumption in South African rural communities. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of climate change on household food availability in rural communities of Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. A cross-sectional survey utilising a structured survey was used to gather data from 117 households in the Raymond Mhlaba Municipality. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Household Food Consumption Score (HFCS) and binary logistic regression. On the HFCS, about 23.9% of the respondents had low food availability, and 76.1% had high food availability. Furthermore, food availability is negatively impacted by climate change. Households perceived that their vegetable production and participation in gardening is negatively affected by climate change due to increasing aridity, therefore compromising their coping strategies. The chapter concludes that climate change education is essential to reduce food insecurity by empowering households with knowledge on enhancing food availability.