Rural households awareness and preceptions to variability in climatic conditions in rural South Africa

Understanding climate variability is key to the reduction of human foot print and communal farming production. This study evaluates climate change awareness and perceptions of climate variability among the Eastern Cape communal farmers. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 130 heads of households across Ntabankulu local municipality for participation in the study. Data were collected through a pre-tested questionnaire. The study revealed that about 70% of the interviewed households knew about climate change. On the other hand, 80% agreed that the climate is changing, 70% were defiant that the change is caused by human beings and approximately 25% were convinced that the climate change is as a result of natural causes. The respondents fail to construe the causes of climate change and past trends climate. Factor analysis findsage, gender and years of education as having a positive significant effect on understanding climate change. The paper recommended for an extension service that would encourage the elderly and the educated to transfer information on climate change. South African weather services, extension workers, councilors, civil societies and other development agencies have a lot to learn from the investigated households.