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Small-scale rain-fed agriculture is the main livelihood in arid to semi-arid regions of subSaharan
Africa. The area is characterised by erratic rainfall and frequent droughts, making
the capacity for coping with temporal water shortages essential for smallholder farmers.
Focusing on the Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe, this study investigates the impact o...
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Context 1
... case study focused on smallholder farmers in the Zambezi Valley, in the Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe ( Figure 1). The valley is shared by three districts: Mbire, Muzarabani and Mt Darwin. About 250 000 people live in the valley (ZimStats 2012). Their main livelihoods are smallholder farming and livestock production. Smallholder farmers have a mean land holding size of about 1.1 ha per household. They grow maize, pearl millet, sorghum and rapoko (eleusine coracana or zviyo in Shona, the local language) for subsistence, and cash crops such as cotton and tobacco. However, the main cereal crop is maize (Zea mays L.). Although there are other cereals which are not very sensitive to water stress, smallholder farmers prefer maize because it forms the staple food in the area (Nyakudya & Stroosnijder ...
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Smallholder farmers across Zimbabwe have been facing a problem of food insecurity because
of climate-induced droughts and lack of effective use of irrigation schemes. Rainfall patterns
in the country have become more unpredictable and inconsistent with the traditional
farming seasons. Faced with such challenges, many smallholder farmers in Shurugwi...
Citations
... It is established that climate change creates warmer climates that lead to drier conditions, providing ideal kindling for the rapid spread of fires (Westerling et al., 2006;Williams et al., 2019). Farmers' inability to predict the impact of future climate events on their responses is acknowledged by Mavhura et al., (2015), suggesting that some of the strategies adopted by farmers may be insufficiently robust, driven by the need to manage climate change disasters. In the JBWS landscape, farmers employed various coping strategies, with a significant focus on farming-related measures. ...
Climate change is causing various impacts worldwide, including heat waves, droughts, floods, and pest infestations. Understanding how communities cope with predicted impacts and reduce vulnerability is crucial for designing effective policies that enhance their adaptive capacities. This study presents empirical evidence on how climate change manifests in cocoa-forest-dominated landscapes, its impacts, and the mechanisms communities in the Sefwi-Wiawso, Juaboso, and Bia West adopt to reduce their vulnerabilities. Data were collected through focus group discussions and face-to-face interview involving 97 respondents within the landscape. The results indicate that the most common climate change hazards in the area are drought, floods, wildfires, wind/rainstorms, excessive heat, and pest infestations. Women, who are primarily responsible for water fetching and fuelwood collection, were found to be particularly vulnerable. The study identifies various coping strategies and adaptation practices adopted by these communities. The integration of trees into farming practices was found to be the most prevalent coping strategy for both men and women. Other strategies include diversification into alternative livelihood activities, the establishment of early warning systems, and the cultivation of cash crops. The research highlights that adaptation strategies vary depending on the economic opportunities and priorities within different landscapes. While adaptive capacities already exist, they need to be further strengthened, and policies should support, rather than hinder, these capacities and strategies. Existing adaptation strategies also need to be recognized and reinforced through policies.
... grow a range of crops with different moisture requirements to increase the chances of a harvest. Since climate change is expected to lead to more frequent and severe droughts in Zimbabwe, farmers are also adopting strategies to conserve water, including the use of irrigation technologies such as drip irrigation, or the use of drought-tolerant crop varieties (Mavhura et al., 2015). As more frequent extreme weather events are expected, farmers are using conservation tillage practices and planting of cover crops to protect soil from erosion. ...
... This attitude is attributable, largely, to the Civil Protection Act (CPA) of 1989 which informs all disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities in Zimbabwe [18]. While others view the CPA as outdated and irrelevant in contemporary drought planning [19], posits that there is limited evidence to support this notion. However, what has been observed is the predominant focus on civil protection and emergency management, as opposed to a holistic approach to disaster risk management. ...
... Feeds shortages and quality [28][29][30] Diseases and parasites [5,25,31] Markets and prices [32,33] Breeds and breeding [34][35][36][37][38] Management [25,39] Water access and quality [23] Extension service [5,23] Capital and other financial resources [40] Fresh leaves are ground and applied to the wound. Fresh leaves are ground and applied to the wound as a powder on the wound [11,42] Gavakava (Aloe spp.) ...
Cattle play a pivotal role especially for the rural farmer by providing milk, draught power, meat and serving as an indication of wealth among other roles. Research and development of cattle production especially in communal areas can be a sustainable way to improve the livelihoods of the rural population. Major constraints to communal cattle production include high prevalence of diseases, limited forage and poor marketing linkages. For reasons that include; lack of veterinary clinics and extension services, high costs of drugs and potency of the ethnoveterinary medicines, many farmers have resorted to the use of their indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in the management of cattle diseases. Generally, these practices are cheap, locally available, and sustainable especially in times of climate change and variability. One of the challenges in the use of (IKS) is the lack of scientific evidence on their efficacy and the lack of precise dosages, which could lead to toxicity. There is need therefore for documentation, research and scientific validation of IKS to increase their sustainable use and adoption in livestock health management.
... Physical factors that contribute to drought vulnerability include soil type, vegetation, and topography [4]. Arid and semi-arid regions are more susceptible to drought due to low rainfall, high temperature and high evaporation rates [5]. Similarly, regions with sandy soils may be more vulnerable to drought because they have a lower waterholding capacity. ...
... Thus, a probable explanation for the failure to practice transhumance in both Musina and uMhlabuyalingana could be fear of livestock theft (Chakoma et al. 2016;Matope et al. 2020). It is imperative to disseminate IK to assist farmers in the prediction of impending droughts to give them opportunities to adopt IK technologies (Mavhura et al. 2015). ...
Farmers have developed indigenous knowledge (IK) on predictive and adaptation strategies to sustain water security. The objective of the study was to determine factors that influence the integration of IK and conventional knowledge (CK) to ensure water security for livestock. Focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Farmers in Musina and uMhlabuyalingana use IK indicators to predict rain for water security. Farmers in uMhlabuyalingana predicted rain using wind movement more than their counterparts in Musina (P < 0.05). Taboos were used (P > 0.05) in both Musina and uMhlabuyalingana to ensure water security. Cultural prohibitions were used more in uMhlabuyalingana to cope with water shortages than in Musina (P < 0.05). Boreholes, home taps and municipal water were not properly maintained (P > 0.05). Socio-economic factors had greater influence on the integration of IK and CK. Males were 2.24 times likely to support integration of IK and CK compared to women. Adults were 7.1 times likely to support integration of IK and CK compared to those that were younger. Farmers were open to the integration of conventional and indigenous knowledge to ensure water security. Promoting the integration of IK and CK enables stakeholders to gain access to valuable information which can, in turn, promote sustainable community development.
... Thus, a probable explanation for the failure to practice transhumance in both Musina and uMhlabuyalingana could be fear of livestock theft (Chakoma et al. 2016;Matope et al. 2020). It is imperative to disseminate IK to assist farmers in the prediction of impending droughts to give them opportunities to adopt IK technologies (Mavhura et al. 2015). ...
... For example (Harvey et al., 2014), using household surveys in Madagascar, found that, although farmers employed various adaptation strategies to tackle climate change (e.g., planting new crop varieties, crop diversification, and drought-tolerant crops), these strategies were still insufficient to prevent them from remaining food insecure. Mavhura et al. (2015) found that numerous farmers' adaptation strategies, including droughttolerant crops, short-season cultivars, and crop variety diversification, were used to cope with drought events in the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe, have been ineffective in reducing the impact of drought on food security. ...
... Based on these study findings supporting transformational changes in addition to the currently employed adaptation strategies is needed (Mavhura et al., 2015). Strengthening appropriate stakeholders, including central governments, local government authorities, nongovernment organizations, and other development practitioners, helps build more infrastructure for irrigation systems, promote crop insurance and improved varieties, and increase opportunities for livelihood diversification (Popoola et al., 2018). ...
The study evaluates the farmers' choices and adoption of adaptation measures and plans by smallholder farmers to reduce the effects of climate change on their farming activities. We conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. We found 66 associated studies to understand farmers' adaptation measures to climate change impacts in Africa. The paper summarizes four categories, including i) crop varieties and management; ii) water and soil management; iii) financial schemes, migration, and culture; and finally, iv) agriculture and weather services. The findings revealed that majority of studies identified crop diversification (51.5%), planting drought-tolerant varieties (45%), changing planting dates (42%), and planting early maturing crops (22%) as dominant strategies. These adaptation strategies are a welcome development and may be beneficial for responding to the impacts of climate change. However, they might not be effective during times of more extreme climate changes in the coming decades. Hence, more transformative changes, such as building more infrastructures for irrigation, promoting crop insurance , using improved varieties, and increasing opportunities for livelihood diversification, should be considered in addition to the existing adaptation strategies and potentially contributes towards SDG 1 (No Poverty) and 2 (Zero Hunger).
... Amongst these are recurrent meteorological droughts that have been mooted as the chief challenge to many communal and small-scale commercial farmers in their efforts to abate food insecurity. 24 Meteorological drought are when the aggregate rainfall for the whole farming season is less than the amount needed to produce a crop. 25 On the other hand are Agricultural droughts which are more usual than meteorological droughts. ...
Abstract
This study explored the impact of programmes implemented by non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) in addressing food security challenges in Chief Mazivofa Village
(CMV), using CARE as a case study. The study contributes to the inconclusive debates on
whether NGOs resiliently impacted food security in CMV, or not, and also adds to studies
in the community of interest. It was found that the top-down approaches applied by NGOs
to address food security challenges have failed to appreciate local knowledge and to capture
the community’s expectations, which has resulted in unintended consequences, such as relief
aid dependency at the expense of productivity, empowerment, and sustainability. NGOs
should adopt a bottom-up model that strikes a balance between necessity, dependency, and
sustainability and which is, therefore, more empowering.
... At the same time, the effectiveness of informal safety nets, collective work, ethno-based disaster warning and flood recession farming systems is under threat from chronic poverty (ibid). In the Zambezi valley, irrigation development is a challenge because of the high cost of irrigation infrastructure development and the limited suitable hydrogeological conditions for irrigation development (Mavhura et al. 2015). Adaptation at times produces undesirable effects for climate justice. ...
