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AbstractThis study identifies the livelihood strategies of rural women that are critical for reducing household poverty in Msinga, South Africa. Principal component analysis was used to identify the different livelihood strategies pursued by the women as well as their capital endowments. The probit model was used to assess the livelihood strategies, in addition to capital assets and other socio‐economic factors, which are crucial for poverty reduction among rural households. It was found that certain women's livelihoods, in addition to capital endowments and other socio‐economic factors, are critical to move their households out of poverty. Therefore, humanitarian and development agencies should focus on promoting women's strategies that enhance poverty reduction. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Factors affecting households' choices to participate in markets are often not disaggregated by gender, leading to policies that are insensitive to women's needs. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the study analysed challenges faced by male and female-headed households in goat commercialisation in the semi-arid Msinga area of South Africa. The main constraints were poor condition of goats and mortality, high illiteracy rates of women, shortage of transport to take goats to the market and limited access to information. The study recommends that women be provided with greater market access and information and for the government to avail more attractive investment opportunities to reduce the use of goats as a store of wealth.

This study assessed the provision of informal training offered by the Limpopo Department of Agriculture, South Africa, to agricultural extension officers (AEOs). The study used surveyed 90 public extension officers purposively sampled. There were statistically significant differences in extension officers' exposure to climate change between their education levels and in the provision of climate change training between extension officers' work experience ( P⩽0.05). The study concluded that the majority of AEOs have not been fully exposed to climate information prior to their employment. This suggests that the information gap in Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) stems from the slow mainstreaming and integration of climate change information.

This study examined gaps in climate information within public agricultural extension in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It assessed extension officers' climate change perceptions, knowledge and climate education. Lastly, the study examined the extension approaches for overall suitability of climate information disseminated to rural smallholder farmers. The results indicated that participants were predominately male, with tertiary education. Education levels had an influence on exposure to climate education and extension approaches in disseminating agricultural information to farmers. There is a need to retool extension officers in climate change extension work, integrating indigenous knowledge to increase suitability and acceptability of information by smallholder farmers.