8. Drought Adaptation Measures and Risk Tolerance of Commercial, Small-Scale and Subsistence Maize Farmers in the Free State and North West Province of South Africa

South Africa has long been recognized as a country subjected to recurring droughts of varying spatial and temporal dimensions. White maize is the staple food of most of the South African population, particularly the poor. Sixty-nine percent of the total South African white maize production is produced in the Free State and Northwest provinces, mainly under dry-land cultivation. The variability of the South African climate, especially drought periods, impacts on the country’s ability to produce maize in sufficient amounts to ensure food security. This chapter explores the differences between commercial, small-scale, and subsistence farmers’ adaptation measures regarding their cultivation practices to avert the risk usually associated with the expected onset of the season and the intensity of the mid-summer drought. The financial risk tolerances of both sectors are evaluated, as are the costs various agricultural inputs have on a farmer’s ability to cope with drought. In the case of small-scale and subsistence farmers, production capital is lost during a drought as it is used to buy food. The benefit of the shift from an impact-and-relief approach to a risk-reduction approach in the government drought management plan is examined with the objective of improving food security.