This study focuses on rural livelihood diversification and improvement in dry districts of Zimbabwe during the period from 2000 to 2010. It establishes and documents livelihood activities and interventions in three semi-arid districts in Zimbabwe, analyses evidence for rural livelihood diversification and improvement and related challenges, and analyses institutional and policy issues that determine rural livelihood development in the politically charged period from 2000 to 2010. Rural livelihood diversification and improvement is not a recent phenomenon. For years, rural people have diversified their livelihoods for different economic reasons. Despite several studies on rural livelihoods in Zimbabwe, no similar studies have been done to determine the types of livelihood diversification that occur in a politically charged environment and whether they improve people‟s livelihoods. The study was guided by both the sustainable livelihoods framework and the actor oriented approach. Qualitative methodology was used for the overall data collection. Firstly data was collected „from the top‟ through in-depth interviews with officials from government institutions, non-governmental organisations and community leadership structures. Secondly data was collected „from the bottom up‟ through selected participatory methods in study areas. The overall study findings show that despite having increased livelihood interventions in all semi-arid areas, the politically fraught atmosphere constrained livelihood improvement and poverty remained. Although evidence for livelihood diversification is undisputed in the study, the extent to which it contributed to livelihood improvement was limited. The extended period of political constraint reversed some of the livelihood improvement gains recorded by external interventions. As most of the support was targeted at addressing the immediate food needs of the poor in semi-arid districts, this affected the number of long-term interventions targeted at sustainable livelihood development. The study found that the changing policies and institutional arrangements constrained and limited the potential of some of the livelihood strategies adopted during the period under study and as a result most livelihood activities were limited to survival strategies. The study shows that despite a decline in agricultural production during the period under study, it remained the major livelihood activity. Agricultural activities such as cotton and maize production and livestock rearing experienced a decline, but were partially revived through external support from both the government and nongovernmental organisations. Agriculture as a livelihood activity largely benefited from external interventions that rehabilitated irrigation infrastructure and the provision of agricultural inputs during the period. However, despite the dominance of agriculture as a livelihood activity in semi-arid areas non-farm livelihood activities, both locally initiated and externally fostered, played a significant role in supporting rural livelihoods. Poaching and wild fruit harvesting provided food for immediate consumption, whilst gold and diamond panning, wood carving and the commercialisation of non-timber forest products generated cash income for rural livelihoods. Non-farm external livelihood interventions identified resulted in a number of rural livelihood development models important for future rural development. These models were developed around the commercialisation of non-timber forest products for cash income generation, rural human capital development through vocational skills training and rural small livestock asset development. Human capital resulted in the development of rural industry in the form of community based enterprises. Indirectly it also contributed to migrant labour that sent cash and goods back home. The study shows that it is evident that in a politically charged environment livelihood diversification has a range of positive effects. The re-emergence of the barter exchange economy in rural communities contributed to livelihood diversification although sustainability was limited. It is also possible for both barter exchange and the cash market to co-exist in a politically charged environment. The study also shows that traditional leadership and local authorities in study areas became more politicised and militarised and this diverted them from facilitating and supporting rural development and inhibited rural livelihood development efforts by different rural players. The study found that rural livelihoods are not static, and they adapted as best they could in the face of exogenous trends and shocks. Rural areas underwent deep transformations as a result of political dynamics, local livelihood initiatives and external livelihood support. Rural livelihoods changed as rural people devised combined livelihood strategies that went beyond farming. However, in contrast to the widely accepted argument that diversification plays an important role in poverty alleviation, this was clearly not the case in Zimbabwe‟s politically charged environment. This study contributes to the development debate with a case study on the type and extent of livelihood diversification strategies possible in a politically charged environment. Methodologically the study contributes to the possible application of a dual data collection system where data is collected from the top using different methods from those used to collect data from the bottom. This enriched the data at triangulation phase during analysis. The study also contributes to the understanding of the political economy, the type of rural livelihood development possible in politically charged environments, and to how rural people in Zimbabwe react and behave in an endeavour to survive. There was an increased role played by external interventions in livelihood diversification but the extent of their contribution to positive livelihood outcomes was constrained by the politically charged environment that prompted the interventions in the first place. The normal processes of policy development and implementation changed as the role of politicians in planning and implementation became evident and policy aims shifted from rural development to political party self-preservation.

Current development thinking revolves around sustainable development, which must be achieved at every level of society in order to attain sustainable livelihoods. One way of fulfilling this, is by ensuring that human beings are put at the centre of the development process, that is, development should be woven around people and not people around development. In other words development should be participatory and people should have the opportunity to invest in the development of their capabilities in various facets of their life. This notion was applied to the Sanale community of Insiza District of Zimbabwe. The community in question mobilized itself around projects as a way of tackling mounting environmental and food security problems. The thrust of this thesis therefore is to establish how community participation enhances environmental management and how it can also lead to improvement of food security of the community in question. The study adopted a qualitative research paradigm which entails the non-numerical examination of phenomena focusing on the underlying meanings and patterns of relationships. This is because the study utilized a case study method as a way of gaining an in-depth understanding of the community. Hence, in order to obtain information on the activities of the community in as far as conservation and livelihood issues are concerned fieldwork was undertaken and interviews conducted with household respondents and key informants. A focus group discussion was also conducted with community members involved in programme activities. Review of documents and literature such as journals, occasional papers, proposals , brochures, organizational reports and internet search was conducted in order to obtain information from secondary sources and gain insights from the literature on the subject matter. Also the observation method was used to cross check claims made by both community and key informants with regard conservation and livelihood endeavors by the community. Research findings indicate that the Sanale community managed to pull itself out of a precarious position characterized by environmental degradation and constant food deficits. This was achieved through self-mobilisation and participation in project activities. Such initiatives impacted positively on the lives of poor Sanale villagers including women. It also emerged that projects in Sanale have led to full realization of human capabilities as the community in question presides over their own decisions, have cultivated the right attitude to plan and work resulting in natural resources conservation and fulfillment of livelihood needs. In short, participation of the community in their own development has been a key factor in the success of their projects. Such success can be measured in terms of the improvement of the situation of the community after the inception of projects as compared to before project inception. This was also made possible by stakeholders such as NGOs, Government departments, CBOs and local leaders who played a facilitator role. The study concluded that interactive participation and self-mobilisation of communities is a necessary ingredient for resource conservation and improvement of household food security. However, it emerged in the study that there is need to strengthen institutional structures, national or local, to allow full integration of environmental and developmental issues, at all levels of decision-making. Also important was the sustenance of the Sanale project beyond the life of grants such as GEFSGP and ERF. Further, fostering community participation in all stages of the project cycle is important for the project and community. Above all, the issue of sustainability should preoccupy such projects and multi-stakeholder partnerships should be encouraged if rural projects are to last into the foreseeable future. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The Rural Non-Farm Economy (RNFE) is a concept that has gained significance quite recently. Its significance has been prompted by the realisation that agriculture alone cannot sustain the poor subsistence farmers in Zimbabwe. This realisation comes amid the growing concern over increased hunger and poverty in the country‟s rural areas due to a decline in agricultural production. Drawing on the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) this study postulates that RNFE is a livelihood strategy that can address rural poverty and social transformation in Zimbabwe. Such an approach to rural development can take up the slack and provide the much needed income for the rural communities to survive. However, RNFE has not yet been used as a social mechanism for poverty alleviation in Zimbabwe. Therefore, this study was undertaken with the objective of investigating the prospects and challenges of the RNFE in Seke District. Although the study is focusing on Zimbabwe, the study may also address the problem of rural development in other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study revealed that only a few household heads in Sekewere engaged in both traditional and non-traditional activities. However, the study noted that the household heads encountered many challenges which include; poor market, low income obtained, shortage of inputs, no access to credit and no support from government or other development agencies.Overall, it was recognised that the household heads engaged in RNFE were not realizing the full benefits of RNFE. Therefore, in order to promote the growth of RNFE and make it more productive, the study posits the following key points to be take into consideration by the various stakeholders in rural development; agricultural development, infrastructural development, rural town development, improving access to financial services, facilitating rural-urban linkages and the implementation of development projects aimed at promoting self-employment in the non-farm sector.

This study sought to probe the exclusion of young people from the land distribution process and therefore, overlooking their economic empowerment and development. The focus was on economic empowerment of the youth to participate meaningfully or undertake agricultural initiatives in the resettlement areas of Mutare district in Zimbabwe; youths’ ownership and control of economic assets. The data was gathered using a case study research design with the qualitative method being the main research approach.

Women’s income-generating projects are regarded as a critical area in promoting sustainable livelihoods in the lives of the poor. This study centres on a cattle project in Sadomba village in Nyanga District, Zimbabwe. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role and contributions of income-generating projects with regard to women; the necessary conditions for a successful cattle production project; the major challenges in women’s income-generating projects, and how income-generating projects can be strengthened, all in relation to this cattle project.The study is underpinned by the sustainable livelihood approach and literature on micro-financing of women’s projects in various countries. The study is based on qualitative methodology using a case study design and methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation. The data was analysed using thematic analysis and sub-themes that arose in the study and thereafter all the data was grouped by a process of coding. The results indicated that the Sadomba cattle project has benefited the project members in terms of income generation by the selling of cattle and milk, for agricultural purposes (draught power) and also income they obtained from hiring their cattle to other community members in rainy seasons. The income generated has assisted them to send their children to school and attain higher education.In addition, it promotes community engagement when they share paddocks and dip tanks. However, despite these benefits, they face a number of challenges such as long distances to the market, a lack of microcredit and the unavailability of exotic breeds. Therefore, there is need to integrate the conditions that are necessary for successful income generating projects to the Sadomba cattle project.

Thesis (M. Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / Rural areas of Zimbabwe suffered acute shortage of banking services. Conventional banks feared high transaction costs and lack of collateral associated with this market segment. This research aimed at evaluating impact of microfinance on rural farming sector. Finding out the general banking and microfinance situation, appraising scheme impact and making recommendations were the research’s objectives. A descriptive research design was used. A population of 3,400 members constituting 289 Investment Groups (IGs) was used. Quota and purposive sampling were used to select 20 IGs and 154 individual respondents. Sample survey, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) were data collection methods. The survey findings showed that the five Department For International Development’s (DFID’s) Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) asset bases increased more for the treatment than the control groups, signifying microfinance impact. Wealth ranking, meant to triangulate survey results, depicted upward mobility of groups; old ones transcending to rich categories while the new moved into top poor rank, also demonstrating impact. Further, scheme achieved women empowerment basing on their numerical predominance and improved self-confidence, signifying impact. The study recommends that Farmers’ Association of Community self-Help Investment Groups (FACHIG) resuscitated its savings component using the Self-Help Group (SHG) thrift approach to ensure scheme sustainability. In addition, climate change, a phenomenon which increased droughts, could have dampened impact. However, the research did not delve into this area, compelling a future study.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy , April 2017 / This study examines the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of female elderly headed households in Gutsa village, Murape Ward, in Goromonzi District of Mashonaland East province in Zimbabwe. It is based on intensive ethnographic fieldwork that I undertook for close to nineteen months in Gutsa village. The key questions that I sought to answer in this thesis were: How is local knowledge about weather and climate change constructed? What is the nature of contestations surrounding this knowledge, and in particular surrounding the attribution of climate change to particular causes or events? How are livelihoods organized in response to the impact of climate change? I examined elderly women heads of households' perceptions and understandings of weather and climate change, issues of conflict and consensus regarding attribution and causality of weather and climate, the concepts that are used to refer to climate change, elderly women’s struggles to make sense of, and respond to climate change and to organize livelihood activities in response to the ongoing impact of climate change. In order to answer my research questions I adopted the use of Participatory Rural Appraisal, participant observation, archival research, life-history interviews, narrative research and in-depth interviews as data gathering approaches. I focused on the situated experiences of ten elderly women heads of households in Gutsa village existing in a wider community. In doing so this thesis explored these women’s complex understandings and interpretations of weather and climate dynamics as well as the relationship between climate change and their multiple and competing responsibilities. The thesis also analyses the implications of the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in the district, peri-urban development, resource commoditization and commercialization, rapidly shifting markets, changing property relations, social networks, livelihood opportunities, gender relations, changing household structure, the politics of local authority and governance and the dynamics of ecosystems and interspecies interaction. The thesis argues that there is a central vernacular climatological theory that is widely shared among the elderly as well as among other situated individuals in the village and the wider community. / MT2018

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa has led to the proliferation of peri-urban settlements close to cities. Development policy in these areas is multi-pronged. Residents with local tribal, as well as migrant backgrounds take land matters into their own hands. This leads to diverse land transactions and changing household survival strategies. My research investigates the complex interactions between land transactions, Rural Development Policy (RDP), and the emergent household survival strategies between 2002 and 2012 in the peri-urban communal area of Domboshava in Zimbabwe located northeast of Harare the capital city. Domboshava is classified as 'rural' and is administered by traditional authority as well as a local authority called Goromonzi Rural District Council. This Council considers RDP as a solution to increased individualized land transactions. My thesis is based on field research of a case study comprising four villages of Domboshava. Forty-one local residents, as well as a number of key informants such as Traditional Leaders and local government officials were sampled for the study. Qualitative data were collected through structured interviews, review of pertinent documents, as well as observation. The research findings reveal that the rapid pace of urbanization across Africa is widespread and poses key challenges to policies on rural development and land tenure more generally. Research evidence shows the changing practice in access to land rights in Domboshava by migrants from other parts of the country. As a result, land transactions shift from customary inheritance in the tribal line to individualized land transactions such as direct land sales and renting thereby privileging financially better-off households. Household survival strategies also shift from farm based to off-farm and non-farm activities because of the influence of land transactions and a multi-pronged RDP. Changes in household survival strategies of community residents of Domboshava were however not influenced by land transactions and RDP alone, but also by wider political and economic shifts and state interventions such as Operation Restore Order/Operation Murambatsvina and the Fast Track Land Reform Programme. The practice of a multi-pronged RDP as a solution to land transactions in Domboshava became part of the problem as land transactions proliferated unabated. This research is an important topic within the Sociology of Development, and provides useful insights regarding debates on land, policy, and survival strategies in peri-urban communal areas, not only in Domboshava in Zimbabwe, but in sub-Saharan Africa. Appropriate policies that address these peri-urban challenges in Zimbabwe are sorely needed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verstedeliking in Afrika het gelei tot die vermenigvuldiging van buite-stedelike nedersettings naby stede. Ontwikkelingsbeleid in hierdie areas het vele vertakkings. Inwoners van plaaslike stamsgebiede asook van migrante agtergronde neem grondsake in eie hande. Dit lei tot uiteenlopende grondtransaksies en veranderende huishoudelike oorlewingstategiëe. My navorsing ondersoek die komplekse interaksies tussen grondtransaksies, landelike ontwikkelingsbeleid (LOB), en die opkomende huishoudelike oorlewingstategiëe tussen die jare 2002 en 2012 in die buite-stedelike kommunale area van Domboshava in Zimbabwe, gelëe noord-oos van Harare, die hoofstad van Zimbabwe. Dombashava is geklassifiseer as 'landelik' en word geadministreer deur 'n tradisionele owerheid sowel as 'n plaaslike owerheid wat bekend staan as die 'Goromonzi Rural District Council'. Ontwikkelingsbeleid word deur hierdie Raad gesien as oplossing vir toenemende individuele grondtransaksies. Die huidige navorsing is gebasseer op veldwerk van 'n gevallestudie van vier dorpies in Dombashava. Een-en-veertig plaaslike inwoners sowel as 'n aantal sleutelinformante soos tradisionele leiers en plaaslike regeringsamptenare was deel van 'n steekproef vir die studie. Kwalitatiewe data is ingesamel deur middel van gestruktureerde onderhoude, bestudering van pertinente dokumente asook waarneming. Die navorsingsresultate toon dat die vinnige pas van verstedeliking deur Afrika 'n algemene verskynsel is en dat dit belangrike uitdagings bied vir beleid oor landelike ontwikkeling, en grondpag in die besonder. Navorsingsbevindinge wys die veranderende patrone in toegang tot grondregte van migrante van ander dele van die land. Dit toon dat grondtransaksies verskuif het van gewone oorerwing binne stamverband na geindiwidualiseerde grondtransakies soos bv. direkte grondverkope en verhuring om dan sodoende huishoudings wat finansieel beter daaraan toe is, te bevoordeel. Huishoudelike oorlewingstategiëe het ook verskuif vanaf boerderygebasseer na nie- boerderygebasseerde aktiwiteite as gevolg van die invloed van nuwe grondtransaksies en komplekse LOB. Die veranderings in huishoudelike oorlewingstategiëe van inwoners van Dombashava was egter nie slegs beïnvloed deur grondtransaksies en LOB nie, maar ook deur wyer politieke en ekonomiese veranderinge en deur intervensies deur die staat soos “Operation Restore Order/ Operation Murambatsvina” en die “Fast Track Land Reform Programme”. Die praktyk vangrondbeleid met vele vertakkings as oplossing vir grondtransakies in die Dombashava area het deel geword van die probleem soos wat grondtransaksies ongekontrolleerd toegeneem het. Hierdie navorsing is 'n belangrike onderwerp binne die Sosiologie van Ontwikkeling en gee bruikbare insigte in die debatte rondom grond, beleid en oorlewingstategiëe in buite-stedelike kommunale gebiede naby stede, nie alleenlik in Dombashava in Zimbabwe nie, maar ook elders in Afrika. Toepaslike beleid wat hierdie buite-stedelike uitdagings in Zimbabwe aanspreek is dringend noodsaaklik.

Thesis (LLM. (Management and Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Rural areas of Zimbabwe suffered acute shortage of banking services. Conventional banks feared high transaction costs and lack of collateral associated with this market segment. This research aimed at evaluating impact of microfinance on rural farming sector. Finding out the general banking and microfinance situation, appraising scheme impact and making recommendations were the research’s objectives. A descriptive research design was used. A population of 3,400 members constituting 289 Investment Groups (IGs) was used. Quota and purposive sampling were used to select 20 IGs and 154 individual respondents. Sample survey, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) were data collection methods. The survey findings showed that the five Department For International Development’s (DFID’s) Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) asset bases increased more for the treatment than the control groups, signifying microfinance impact. Wealth ranking, meant to triangulate survey results, depicted upward mobility of groups; old ones transcending to rich categories while the new moved into top poor rank, also demonstrating impact. Further, scheme achieved women empowerment basing on their numerical predominance and improved self-confidence, signifying impact. The study recommends that Farmers’ Association of Community self-Help Investment Groups (FACHIG) resuscitated its savings component using the Self-Help Group (SHG) thrift approach to ensure scheme sustainability. In addition, climate change, a phenomenon which increased droughts, could have dampened impact. However, the research did not delve into this area, compelling a future study.

The objective of the Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) initiative is to enhance biodi versity conservation through approaches which balance the needs of local communities reliant upon natural resources, with national and international needs in conservation. This is achieved by addressing the imbalances in the distribution of costs and benefits in natural resource man~gement (NRM). So those who live with natural resources should receive benefits for their effort in conservation. Once there is a benefit stream associated with a resource, communities can then be involved in NRM as a long term strategy. In this way sustainable use of resources is promoted. For successful CBNRM, there has to be a vehicle for eliciting community participation and involvement through planning and decision making. In a communal property management regime, there exist sanctions and rewards for conserving/managing the resource. For community management to be successful there has to be an authority which protects the local rights and ensures that duties are fulfilled . This authority has to be local and national. Within the national context, the authority defining rights and duties in NRM is determined by the institutional framework in which the CBNRM initiative operates. At the community level, community leadership institutions are the authority protecting the rights and enforcing duties. Local leadership gains legitimacy from the wider institutional structures and from the community. How community leadership functions determines largely the structure and functioning of the CBNRM initiative locally. The case study of Kanyurira Ward, a community involved in a CBNRM initiative, namely CAMPFIRE in Zimbabwe, attempts to find out the role of leadership within the evolving institutional structures in shaping the functioning and structuring of the initiative. Analysis of the historical progression of leadership within the community and the community perceptions on leadership selection, monitoring and evaluation, legitimacy and the distribution ofcosts and benefits between the community and the leadership were used to identify the salient factors for effective and efficient local leadership in CBNRM. 11 The study showed that local leadership effectiveness and community expectations of leaders influence performance based on understanding of the leadership role and objectives of the CBNRM initiative. The environments in which CBNRM programmes operate have forced the community to change its leadership selection and monitoring criteria over time. External agencies have their own role expectations for local leaders based on their organizational goals and objectives. These different leadership role expectations place undue pressure on leaders. Community perceptions on cost -benefit distribution within CBNRM programmes affect the sustainability of the programme as they can be an incentive or disincentives to follow NRM rules. Changes in the institutional structures within the communities due to government policies have resulted in overlaps and conflicts in roles of traditional and modem political leadership. Though traditional leadership does not have formal legitimation, it has community acceptance and has persisted over the years. Approaches within CBNRM, need to be evaluated within the community's and leaders world view so that they can address any imbalances and mismatches in role, status and benefit expectations before negating on the CBNRM objective of community participation with benefits for sustainable NRM and development. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.