Associate Professor Melusi Sibanda

# A Node For African Thought

Research and Innovation

To achieve and maintain the University’s vision and mission, the research and innovation division contributes mainly by promoting the research related goal of the institution which is: to drive growth in UNIZULU research and Innovation

Faculty: Science, Agriculture & Engineering

Department: Agriculture

Discipline: Agribusiness/ Agricultural Economics

Highest Qualification

PhD (Agric Economics)

Contact details

Email: SibandaM@unizulu.ac.za

Phone: 035 902 6068

Campus: KwaDlangezwa

Research Interest Areas

Climate-smart Agriculture, smallholder farming, rural development, ICT integration in Agriculture etc.

Research Niche Area(s) of current projects

Climate-smart Agriculture, smallholder farming, rural development, ICT integration in Agriculture etc.

Active Community Engagement & Service-learning work

Ordinary Member – Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA).

Member – African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).

Certificated Extension Technologist. Level B. (Cert. Ext. Tech. B.) – South African Society for Agricultural Extension (SASAE) Membership

Teaching Interest Areas

Climate-smart Agriculture, smallholder farming, rural development, ICT integration in Agriculture etc.

M/D Supervision completed (3 or 4 projects)

Abegunde, V.O. Factors affecting level of use, and applicability of Climate-Smart Agriculture practices and its implications on food security of small-scale farming households in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis (Agribusiness), University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, 2020. Completed.

Abegunde, V.O. Factors affecting level of use, and applicability of Climate-Smart Agriculture practices and its implications on food security of small-scale farming households in KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis (Agribusiness), University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, 2020. Completed.

Khumalo N.Z. An assessment of the contribution of peri-urban agriculture on household food security in Tongaat, eThekwini Municipality. MSc in in Agriculture (Agribusiness) dissertation, University of Zululand KwaDlangezwa, 2018. (Completed – with an average mark of 77% – Pass with Distinction)

Active Research Projects

Improving household income potential through organized agriculture within the Mkhwanazi Tribal area. A community engagement research project by the Department of Agriculture, University of Zululand

Exploring the extent of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies and its implications within selected farms in KwaZulu-Natal Province

Impactful Research Publications

(Author(s); Year; Title; journal / publisher)

Wekeza, S.P.; Sibanda, M. & Nhundu, K (2022). Prospects for organic farming in coping with climate change and enhancing food security in Southern Africa: A Systematic Literature Review. Sustainability, 14(20), 13489. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013489

Mkhize, M.; Sibanda, M. (2022). Food Insecurity in the Informal Settlements of Inanda Households Living with Children under 60 Months in EThekwini Municipality. Children, 9, 1521. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9101521

Zhou, L., Kori, D.S., Sibanda, M., and Nhundu, K. (2022). An analysis of the differences in vulnerability to climate change: A review of rural and urban areas in South Africa. Climate, 10(8), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/cli10080118

Victor O. Abegunde, Melusi Sibanda & Ajuruchukwu Obi | Sandro Serpa (Reviewing editor) (2022). Effect of climate-smart agriculture on household food security in small-scale production systems: A micro-level analysis from South Africa, Cogent Social Sciences, 8:1, DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2022.2086343.

Tevera D., Sibanda M., Mamba S.F., Tivana L.D. (2021) Assessment of Cyclone Idai Floods on Local Food Systems and Disaster Management Responses in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. In: Nhamo G., Chikodzi D. (eds) Cyclones in Southern Africa. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74303-1_4