Analysis of Rural Livelihood Diversification Strategies among Maize Farmers in North West Province of South Africa

Agriculture still represents the main economic livelihood activity for the majority of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa where it has been noticed that livelihood diversity is predictable or a custom. Rural livelihood in Africa is assertively connected to agriculture and natural resource use. The rural livelihood in Southern African is largely dependent on climatesensitive sectors, South Africa inclusive. Agricultural production and rural household income in the study area are faced with pressure characterized as high population explosion, severe drought and low rainfall caused by climate change, poor soil fertility, soil erosion, land degradation, and many more that pushes rural households to diversify their livelihood strategies into off farm and non-farm income activities. This study was conducted in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in North West Province of South Africa. The purpose is to examine if the respondents in the study area diversify livelihood, identify the choice of livelihood diversification strategies and the determinants. A total number of 346 questionnaires were administered to the farmers in the district using the stratified random sampling technique. Data were captured, coded and analyzed using Special Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23, Eviews and STATA software. Descriptive statistics, multicolinearity analysis, probit model and Tobit regression model were used for the analysis. The results of the analysis concluded that majority of the respondents diversify their livelihood income from farming-based activities into off-farm and non-farm in which education, age, household size and the year of experience were the significant factors that influence the choice of livelihood diversification strategies in the study area.