Fodder Production Technology Adoption as a Pathway to Relieve Grazing Pressure on Rangelands: Evidence from Communal Crop–Livestock Farmers in Semi-Arid Limpopo Province

Communal rangelands in semi-arid South Africa are increasingly degraded, leading to recurrent feed shortages, yet fodder production technology adoption remains limited and poorly understood. This study employed a cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured questionnaire to collect data from 120 communal and smallholder crop–livestock farmers in Limpopo Province, South Africa, examining the socioeconomic differences between adopters and non-adopters, and identifying the determinants and perceived constraints to adopting biological fodder production technology. Pearson Chi-square analysis revealed that education level, household income, and land ownership were significantly associated with adoption status (p < 0.05). A Probit regression model demonstrated that farming experience, knowledge of fodder production, salary income, farm-generated income, herd size, farmer group membership, and access to extension services significantly increased the likelihood of adoption. Principal Component Analysis identified five major constraint dimensions: low institutional support, lack of resources, lack of knowledge, water scarcity, and competing production priorities. The findings indicated that fodder production adoption is shaped primarily by technology-specific knowledge, productive financial capacity, and institutional support rather than by demographic characteristics alone. By integrating econometric analysis of adoption determinants with multivariate analysis of perceived constraints, the study provides a more comprehensive explanation of fodder production adoption in communal and smallholder crop–livestock systems.