Dr Lelethu Mdoda | Climate change | Best Researcher Award

Senior Lecturer at  University of KwaZulu-Natal,  South Africa

Dr. Lelethu Mdoda is a Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, specializing in Agricultural Economics. He earned his PhD at 25 from the University of Fort Hare, focusing on market participation and value chain integration among smallholder farmers in South Africa.

Profile:

• Google Scholar

🎓 Academic Background:

• PhD in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics (2017) – University of Fort Hare
  • Thesis: Market participation and value chain integration among smallholder farmers in Eastern Cape
• MSc in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics (2015) – University of Fort Hare
  • Dissertation: Farmers’ awareness of climate change and its effects on productivity
• BSc in Agriculture – Agricultural Economics/Economics (2013) – University of Fort Hare

🔬 Research Focus & Expertise:

Dr. Mdoda specializes in agricultural policy, climate change adaptation, smallholder economies, food security, and rural development. His expertise extends to agribusiness, value chains, sustainability, and resource economics. He has extensive experience in applied econometric modeling, data analysis, and market research.

📚 Professional Career & Contributions:

• Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
• Published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles
• NRF Rating: Y2
• Active in mentoring, research, and project management

🌍 Professional Memberships & Leadership:

• President of the African Farm Management Association (AFMA)
• Member of AEASA, IAAE, and IFAMA

🏆 Awards & Recognitions:

• DAAD German Scholarship (2016)
• NRF Bursary for MSc (2015)
• Best Agricultural Student Award (2007)
• Travel Grants from IFAMA (2016, 2017)

🤝 Community Engagement & Projects:

• Founder & Executive Director of #HaySureLesner Foundation – Youth mentorship, drug abuse awareness, and career guidance
• Nguni Project – Market coordination for livestock farming
• Keiskamahoek Market Day – Supporting smallholder farmers with market access
• WRC Project – Enhancing smallholder irrigation farming in Eastern Cape

Publication Top Notes:

• Factors affecting the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by livestock farmers in the Eastern Cape province
  L Mdoda, L Mdiya
  Cogent Social Science 8 (1), 2026017 (43 citations, 2022)

• Factors affecting subsistence farming in rural areas of Nyandeni Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province
  S Qange, L Mdoda
  South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 48 (2), 92-105 (43 citations, 2020)

• The direct and indirect economic contribution of small-scale black agriculture in South Africa
  M Aliber, L Mdoda
  Agrekon 54 (2), 18-37 (36 citations, 2015)

• RETRACTED: Factors impacting sugarcane production by small-scale farmers in KwaZulu-Natal Province-South Africa
  Z Thibane, S Soni, L Phali, L Mdoda
  Heliyon 9 (1) (30 citations, 2023)

• Analysis of profitability of smallholder irrigated food plots in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
  L Mdoda, A Obi
  Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development 3 (53), 225–232 (23 citations, 2019)

• Socio-economic factors affecting home gardens as a livelihood strategy in rural areas of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
  L Mdiya, L Mdoda
  South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 49 (3), 1-15 (21 citations, 2021)

• Adoption drivers of improved open-pollinated (OPVs) maize varieties by smallholder farmers in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
  M Sigigaba, L Mdoda, A Mditshwa
  Sustainability (20 citations, 2021)

• Profit efficiency in family-owned crop farms in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa: A translog profit function approach
  N Mujuru, A Obi, S Mishi, L Mdoda
  Agriculture & Food Security 11 (20), 2-9 (18 citations, 2022)

• Determinants of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies adoption by smallholder food crop farmers in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, Free State
  A Makamane, J Van Niekerk, O Loki, L Mdoda
  South African Journal of Agricultural Extension 51 (4), 52-74 (14 citations, 2023)

• Use of information systems (Mobile phone app) for enhancing smallholder farmers’ productivity in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Implications on food security
  L Mdoda, M Christian, I Agbugba
  Journal of the Knowledge Economy 15 (1), 1993-2009 (13 citations, 2024)