Farm-level crop diversification in the Midlands region of Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa: patterns, microeconomic drivers, and policy implications

This study assesses the multiple cropping practices among small-scale farmers in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. Based on household survey data, a principal component analysis unveils some dominant crop combination practices such as planting maize and other food crops on the same field, growing sugarcane, vegetables, and potatoes, and combining trees with fodder production. The results of logit transformation models suggest that crop diversification is generally constrained by technological factors (land and labor), and mitigating income and production risks are key motivations among poorer farmers. These findings infer that crop diversification could be a major co-benefit of the ongoing land reform, but explicit strategies should focus on dryland farming areas.