Smallholder farmers’ social knowledge systems are evolving in connecting key actors within and outside their knowledge systems. These key actors play a vital role in navigating the complexity and the dynamics of organisations, and effectively influence the community. This study identified the opinion leaders of smallholder farmers and measured the extent of their influence on the quality of these farmers’ knowledge of agriculture. Furthermore, the study explored the reasons why farmers choose their opinion leaders. A structured questionnaire was administered to 219 purposively selected smallholder farmers in the rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were captured and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and STATA to run multinomial logistic regression model (MNL). The results showed that farmers participated in field visits and attended farmers’ group meetings to communicate with agricultural advisors and group leaders. In addition, the findings showed that interactions could be a crucial element of knowledge and learning for farmers. This showed that the farmers required a consistent flow of material resources and knowledge. The time and energy spent by farmers building social relationships with these opinion leaders reflected the accumulation of information and resources gathered. Issues related to accessibility, availability and, quick feedback regarding farmers’ problems emerged, which seemed to influence the farmers’ choice of an opinion leader. The language and accessibility to sources of knowledge and feedback were crucial to the smallholder farmers included in the study. Furthermore, the results revealed that farmers’ educational level, farmers who engaged in agriculture for household consumption, and opinion agricultural skills have statistical significance on farmers’ choice of opinion leaders. Considering the findings, it is suggested that efforts to improve farmers’ active knowledge systems and access to the opinion leaders within these active knowledge systems should take into consideration the socio-economic factors that influence farmers’ choices and participation in social systems and social interactions. These findings may help agents develop a better understanding of the dynamics of local communities and the social complexity that shapes farmers’ environments and decisions. To be a progressive and effective opinion leader, constant, continuous assessment is needed to increase leadership skills. In addition, the enhancement of programmes, which will recognise the active opinion leaders within the communities, are needed to strengthen the efforts and impact for more resilient outcomes.

The existing link between knowledge systems, empowerment, and food security of farmers has been proven in many studies. However, the measurement of their empowerment level focusing on the psychological dimension of their participation in these knowledge systems is limited in the agricultural sector. These knowledge systems empower farmers to access intangible and tangible resources that are valuable for farmers’ decision-making and performance. Thus, it was crucial for the study to investigate the levels of psychological empowerment outcomes attained by smallholder farmers, to evaluate the progress made by knowledge systems that were initiated and activated to empower farmers and improve their food security. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 219 smallholder farmers who are actively linked to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture. Applying empowerment theory and previous studies, five psychological empowerment outcomes were identified. The principal component analysis method (PCA) was employed to generate the principal component (PC) of the perceived farmers’ psychological empowerment level and the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) to measure household food security. The results showed that smallholder farmers were moderately and highly competent, had a sense of self-efficacy, had a sense of control, had agricultural knowledge, and were food secure. These systems not only empowered the farmers with tangible assets but also intangible outcomes as shown in the results of the study. These knowledge systems should be highly tapped into especially in this period of COVID-19 lockdowns accompanied by movement restrictions to ensure the sustainability of agricultural systems and inclusive empowerment of intangible and tangible skills for farmers. These knowledge systems could be used to comply with COVID-19 policies and legislations that are sensitive to physical contact and platforms for farmers to engage in knowledge transformation and empowerment.

This study examines the impact of climate change on urban food gardens in Sobantu and Mpophomeni townships in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It emphasises the importance of understanding how climate change affects the production side of the food system in urban settings, particularly given the vulnerability of resource-limited urban farmers to erratic rainfall, pests and natural disasters. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, the study explores various factors influencing urban farmers’ responses and behaviours in the face of these risks. An explorative approach is employed, utilising open-ended, face-to-face interviews with 103 randomly selected participants. The results reveal that climate change disproportionately affects resource-limited urban farmers, leading to challenges such as erratic rainfall, pests, and natural disasters. The study highlights the significant impact of elevated temperatures, shifting weather patterns and the introduction of pests and diseases on food gardens, which in turn affects seed and crop selection. The findings highlight the critical need to understand the impact on the production side of the urban food system, given the vulnerability of urban farmers and their households to food insecurity. The survey results show a spectrum of food security levels among farmers, offering insights into the varied challenges faced by farmers within the urban agriculture landscape.