Strengthening climate information institutionalization within extension services for improved climate services delivery in South Africa

Abstract

Public agricultural advisors play a vital intermediary role in supporting smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate change and increasing rainfall variability, especially in rain-fed farming systems. Seasonal forecasts offer valuable anticipatory information for agricultural decision-making, yet empirical evidence on how they are integrated into extension advisory services remains limited. This paper examined how public advisors access, use, and communicate forecasts to smallholder farmers, their perceptions of seasonal forecasts, and the perceived barriers limiting farmers’ uptake of seasonal forecast-informed advisory services. Data were collected from 120 advisors through a structured questionnaire and nine Focus Group Discussions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics, seasonal forecast use, and the extent to which they inform farm decision advisory, using frequencies, means, standard deviations, and percentages. Braun and Clarke’s sixstep Thematic Content Analysis was used to identify common themes in perceptions of the use and communication of seasonal forecasts, as well as perceived barriers to farmers’ uptake of advisories. From the results, advisors commonly reported using seasonal forecasts to inform farm decision advisory, primarily obtained from the South African Weather Service. Operational decisions such as crop choice, planting and harvest time, and livestock management were predominantly informed by seasonal forecasts, whereas administrative decisions were least influenced by them. Advisors mainly used smartphones and farm visits to disseminate seasonal forecasts to farmers. Although advisors see value in seasonal forecasts, the impact of seasonally forecast-informed advice is limited by rigid provincial agricultural programs, difficulties in conveying probabilistic uncertainty and scientific terms in local languages, and farmers’ socioeconomic contexts. Concurrently, farmers often prioritized indigenous knowledge and short-term income needs over recommendations based on seasonal forecasts. These findings highlight that the limited uptake of seasonal forecast-informed advice reflects an existing misalignment among climate services, extension systems, and farmers’ decision contexts rather than a lack of relevance. Additionally, these findings have implications for integrating seasonal forecasts with indigenous knowledge to improve contextual relevance for advisors, thereby increasing uptake among smallholder farmers and informing pathways to integrate climate services into extension advisory services.