Epistemic geographies of climate change: science, space and politics

Anthropogenic climate change has been presented as the archetypal global problem, identified by the slow work of assembling a global knowledge infrastructure, and demanding a concertedly global political response. But this ‘global’ knowledge has distinctive geographies, shaped by histories of exploration and colonialism, by diverse epistemic and material cultures of knowledge-making, and by the often messy processes of linking scientific knowledge to decision-making within different polities. We suggest that understanding of the knowledge politics of climate change may benefit from engagement with literature on the geographies of science. We review work from across the social sciences which resonates with geographers’ interests in the spatialities of scientific knowledge, to build a picture of what we call the epistemic geographies of climate change. Moving from the field site and the computer model to the conference room and international political negotiations, we examine the spatialities of the interactional co-production of knowledge and social order. In so doing, we aim to proffer a new approach to the intersections of space, knowledge and power which can enrich geography’s engagements with the politics of a changing climate

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CONSUMPTION OF EDIBLE INSECTS WITH DIETARY DIVERSITY, AND HOUSEHOLD FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN SOUTHERN ZIMBABWE

Edible insects are nutritious with potential to improve nutritional outcomes and livelihoods in low-income countries. However, it is not clear whether consumption of edible insects is positively correlated with improved dietary diversity and food security indicators. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the relationship between consumption of edible insects and diet diversity and food security indicators among children and adults from Gwanda district, Matabeleland province in Southern Zimbabwe. The survey collected data on the following; household sociodemographic characteristics, household dietary diversity score (HDDS), food consumption score (FCS), and child dietary diversity score (CDDS). Logistic regression was used to examine the associations between edible insect consumption and food security indicators. A total of 303 households were surveyed. A high proportion were edible insect consumers (80.9%) and the rest non-consumers (19.1%). The most consumed insect was mopani worms (Gonimbrasia belina, madora, amacimbi) (74.8%). The consumption of mopani worms was highest in the age group 20-49 years (34.4%) and significantly associated with being married and age of the household head. There was no difference between the mean CDDS for consumers (5.9±1.7) and for nonconsumers (6.0±2.0) (p=0.802). The median (IQR) FCS for consumers was lower at 49 (35, 65) than for non-consumers 53 (36.5, 64). This difference was not statistically significant (p=0.526). There also was no difference between the average HDDS for consuming households (6.2±1.7) and for non-consuming households 6.2±1.5 (p=0.866). There was no significant association between consumption of edible insects and CDDS (p=0.802), HDDS (p=0.866), and FCS (p=0.585). In conclusion, this study showed that Gonimbrasia belina (mopani worms, madora, amacimbi) were the commonly consumed insect mostly as relish due to their palatable taste. Overall, the consumption of edible insects did not seem to improve diet diversity and food security indicators in this setting. National level studies with bigger sample sizes that investigate the contribution of edible insects to overall nutrient intake and dietary diversity are required. Furthermore, interventions to promote the consumption of edible insects, including their commercialization should adopt a social ecological approach to maximise impact

The party-state in the land occupations of Zimbabwe: the case of Shamva district

There has been significant debate about the land occupations which occurred from the year 2000 in Zimbabwe, with a key controversy concerning the role of the state and ruling party (or party-state) in the occupations. This controversy, deriving from two grand narratives about the occupations, remains unresolved. A burgeoning literature exists on the Zimbabwean state’s fast-track land reform programme, which arose in the context of the occupations, but this literature is concerned mainly with post-occupation developments on fast-track farms. This article seeks to contribute to resolving the controversy surrounding the party-state and the land occupations by examining the occupations in the Shamva District of Mashonaland Central Province. The fieldwork for our Shamva study focused exclusively on the land occupations (and not on the fast-track farms) and was undertaken in May 2015. We conclude from our Shamva study that involvement by the party-state did not take on an institutionalised form but was of a personalised character entailing interventions by specific party and state actors