The study, which aims to explore the implications of climate change for agriculture, will be based on scientific date and interviews with emerging farmers. Run under the auspices of Project 90 X 2030 – a project which aims to change the way people live so that South Africa can reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gases by 90% by the year 2030 – it will help farmers to predict what type of crops they will need to plant in future.

Project manager Brenda Martin said that due to climate change, the western part of the country would become drier and the eastern part wetter, and the people working on the land would feel it most. Ultimately farmers might have to change to less water intensive crops or to more drought resistant varieties.

Martin said the study would be conducted in such a way as to be accessible to emerging farmers as well as being useful for other development initiatives in South Africa.