Peasant strategies for adapting to the effects of climate variability in mountainous South Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The effects of climate variability are increasingly experienced by farmers around the world, who are developing several adaptation strategies. This study consisted in analyzing the strategies for adapting to the effects of climate variability in mountainous South Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To collect the data, a questionnaire was sent to 350 small farmers. The results of the study highlight that the main strategies for adapting to the effects of climate variability are crop association, the use of organic fertilizer, modification of the agricultural calendar by farmers, late sowing, early sowing, adoption of new varieties, and abandonment of old varieties, and that their combined or individual use by farmers depends on the type of crop grown, the growing season, and the characteristics of the agroecological zone in which the farmer operates. The study attests that the aforementioned strategies depend significantly on the proximity to two important ecosystems in the region, including Lake Kivu and Kahuzi-Biega National Park, and that they significantly influence the quantities produced per crop, mainly for cassava and permaculture.