Exploring climate change effects on sustainable rural livelihood in selected areas of Thulamela Local Municipality, South Africa

The indigenous communities in South Africa are confronted with the climate change which threaten their sustainable livelihood. The threat is propelled by the indigenous communities’ reliance on agricultural practices for sustainable livelihood. This paper explores the effects of climate change on sustainable livelihood in selected indigenous communities in Thulamela Local Municipality in South Africa. The study employed an ethnography research design grounded on a qualitative research approach. A sample of 100 participants consisting of community village heads, local farmers, indigenous knowledge custodians, and entrepreneurs was drawn using a purposive sampling technique. The sample was drawn from 6 indigenous communities under Thulamela Local Municipality. The data was generated using one-on-one semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and non-participant observations and analysed using the thematic analysis. The results show that indigenous crop farming and livestock are the source of livelihood and food security in the indigenous communities in Thulamela Local Municipality. The results also reveal that droughts, floods, and extreme weather temperatures are the climate change affects that affect the farming in the indigenous communities. The results further show that some of the indigenous biodiversity that contributes to the livelihood of the indigenous people is also declining in the communities because of extreme weather temperatures.