There is wide scientific consensus that concentrations of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere are increasing due to human activities, causing global climate change. Climate
change exerts significant pressure on the agricultural sector and economic development of
Africa. Despite a growing number of country-level case studies, knowledge gaps continue to
exist at the level of impact analysis. In addition, while adaptation and coping with climate
variability and change have become key themes in current global climate discussions and
policy initiatives, literature on adaptation in Zimbabwe and Zambia appears to be still limited.
In this regard, this study addressed the following objectives:
⢠To investigate farmer perceptions of threats from climate variability and change and
how these may differ across countries;
⢠To identify and analyse the impacts of climatic variability and change on farmer
households in the two countries; and,
⢠To identify coping and adaptation strategies to climate variability and change
employed by farmers and investigate factors influencing choice of adaptation/ coping
strategies across the study districts
Methods used to collect data for this study are both qualitative and quantitative methods. The
specific method used in the Quantitative approach is the survey. Qualitative methods used
include Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), specifically, resource mapping, historical trend
lines, seasonal and daily activity calendars and matrix scoring and ranking. FGDs and indepth
case studies were also used.
Conclusions drawn from the findings of the study are listed below:
⢠While farmers report changes in local climatic conditions consistent with climate
change, there is a problem in assigning contribution of climate change and other
factors to observed negative impacts on the agricultural and socio-economic system
⢠While there are multiple stressors that confront farmers, climate variability and
change remain the most critical and exacerbate livelihood insecurity for those farmers
with higher levels of vulnerability to these stressors
⢠There are variations in manifestations of direct and structural impacts from climate
variability and change as a result of differences in types of farming systems and
general economic and political contexts
⢠Apart from its overwhelmingly negative effects, climate variability might also have a
positive impact and localised benefits in the context of structural changes in
communitiesâsocial organization and economic activities-under certain circumstances
⢠Significant responses to climate variability and change involve organizing agriculture
and related practices, than switching to off farm initiatives
⢠While farmersâ selection of coping and adaptation strategies to climate variability and
change and the associated outcomes may be intrinsic, this selection tends to be
overwhelmingly shaped by diverse factors such as demography, access to
information and assets and vulnerability levels
Following the above conclusions, the study recommended that there is need to:
⢠Strengthen the capacity of farmers and institutions for identifying and assessing
climate changes through programmes to educate farmers and other relevant
stakeholders on climate change and variability and their potential impacts on farmersâ
livelihoods
⢠Make a transition from designing policies that target climate change issues as a
distinct entity to policies that address climate change issues as an integral component
of multiple stressors that confront farmers
⢠Design appropriate policies that buttress farming systems against climate variability
and change through taking into account variations in these farming systems and other
relevant factors
⢠Make a transition from conceptualisation of climate change impacts in the policy
framework as being inherently negative, to research and policy making with an openminded
lens that dissects climate change and variability impacts in order to enhance
alternative livelihoods for farmers
⢠Provide support for appropriate agricultural innovations and development of new
livelihood activities emerging as farmers respond to climate variability and change
⢠Integrate sectors through interventions that target agricultural extension, meteorology,
academic research and other developmental activities through civil society
organisations
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-03222011-160821 |
| Date | 22 March 2011 |
| Creators | Mubaya, Chipo Plaxedes |
| Contributors | Dr G Kundhlande, Prof A Pelser |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-03222011-160821/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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