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Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihood Strategies and Determinants of Climate Change Adaptation: Perspectives from the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve, Zimbabwe

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Handbook of Climate Change Management

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Abstract

Understanding the livelihood trends and factors that influence adaptation among rural farmers is critical for promoting community resilience toward climate change. This chapter explores the livelihood trends and factors influencing adaptation among small-scale subsistence farmers in the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve (MZBR), Zimbabwe. A mobile household survey, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews were used to collect data from August 2015 to October 2016. In this study, the Sustainable Livelihood Approach Framework of the Department for International Development was used to define the smallholder farmers’ livelihood assets and activities. Smallholder farmers identify crop and livestock production as their major livelihood activity. During drought periods, however, these farmers engaged in household income-based activities as the major coping strategies in order to sustain themselves and their families. The Land Tenure Category that these farmers belonged to influences the coping strategy adopted. The results from the Multinomial Regression Analysis done indicate that being located in a resettlement area negatively impacted on these farmers’ household consumption behavior patterns, and during periods of food shortages, they withdrew their children from school. Conversely, experiencing food shortages during periods of drought had a significantly positive influence on the diversification of household income. Results from this study also reveal that the respondents adjusted the planting dates, planted drought-resistant crops, diversified crops, and used water conservation techniques as ways of adapting to the changing rainfall patterns and extreme temperatures. These findings indicate that biosphere reserves stimulate adaptive management strategies among smallholder farmers that enhance the resilience of socio-ecological systems in the face of climate change. Additionally, they highlight the potential local adaptation strategies that these farmers can use to sustain key livelihood practices.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge joint funding from the Department for International Development (DFID) under the 2015 Climate Impact Research Capacity and Leadership Enhancement (CIRCLE) program, the European Union under the DREAM project, and Chinhoyi University of Technology. The contents of this chapter are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union. Special thanks go to the Institute of Corporate Citizenship, Exxaro Chair in Business and Climate Change, University of South Africa, South Africa for hosting the lead researcher during the CIRCLE fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe

    Olga Laiza Kupika

  2. Director Scientific Services, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Headquarters, Harare, Zimbabwe

    Edson Gandiwa

  3. Institute for Corporate Citizenship, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa

    Godwell Nhamo

Authors
  1. Olga Laiza Kupika
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  2. Edson Gandiwa
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  3. Godwell Nhamo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olga Laiza Kupika .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Johannes M. Luetz

  2. College of Development Studies Food Security Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Desalegn Ayal

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Kupika, O.L., Gandiwa, E., Nhamo, G. (2021). Smallholder Farmers’ Livelihood Strategies and Determinants of Climate Change Adaptation: Perspectives from the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve, Zimbabwe. In: Luetz, J.M., Ayal, D. (eds) Handbook of Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57281-5_339

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