Abstract

Recently, the productivity of all the rangelands in South Africa has been deteriorating, negatively impacting livestock production and farmers' livelihoods. A paradigm shift towards sustainable management practices is therefore needed. The objectives of this study were to document rangeland and livestock management practices that champion farmers use to manage their farms and their understanding of a champion farmer. One hundred livestock farmers, distributed across the nine provinces of South Africa, were interviewed in person. Overall, men still dominate the livestock farming sector in South Africa. The majority of farmers had 21 years or more of experience farming with livestock. Results revealed that rainfall, livestock weight, and health were the most recorded factors on all the farms in terms of record keeping. Forage quantity and plant species were the most used indicators to assess the condition of the rangeland. Over 80% of all the interviewed farmers used body condition scoring as an indicator for assessing livestock condition. We showed that farmers in this study define a champion farmer in different ways, with the majority using terms such as knowledge and passion in their definition. Lastly, we advocate the importance of understanding how farmer-to-farmer learning, using champion farmers as a model for sustainable rangeland and livestock production, can be implemented through government and extension services.

Key words: Champion farmer, farmer-to-farmer learning, rangelands, South Africa.