The Effect of Agronomic Management on Micronutrients of Vegetables Grown by Smallholders in Free State and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces of South Africa

Abstract

The production of nutritious food amongst rural farmers has been a challenge for m Cany years. Challenges can be attributed to many factors, including poor access to water, use of old planting methods, financial challenges, etc. Therefore, new climate-smart technologies (CSTs) were introduced to the farmers. The CSTs implemented in the study were in-field rainwater harvesting (IRWH) techniques compared with conventional production (CON). These technologies were applied in combination with sound agronomic management practices, such as mulching and fertilizer application, to produce cabbage, beetroot, spinach and orange-fleshed sweet potato. The vegetables produced were harvested and their nutritional composition analysed to assess whether or not agronomic treatments, water-use technology and season affected their micronutrient levels, with a particular focus on provitamin A and mineral levels. The main finding of the study was that the nutrient levels of the vegetables can be enhanced by adopting IRWH technology combined with different agronomic treatments, especially including mulching as one of the treatment combinations. Limitations: Farmer research participants did not always adhere to research agreements, particularly regarding reserving vegetable samples for analyses. As a result, some experiment replicates are missing. Value: The study findings are of socio-economic significance as they demonstrate that rural, small-scale farmers can apply local, accessible and appropriate agronomic treatments and water-use technologies to achieve economically viable yields of nutritive vegetables to enhance food and nutrition security and household livelihoods of the farmers.