Smallholder farmer perceived effects of climate change on agricultural productivity and adaptation strategies

The agriculture sector is sensitive to climate change and the capacity of smallholder farmers in developing countries to adapt is limited. Similar to adoption of any development-oriented strategies, perception is pre-requisite to successful adaptation of agricultural strategies against climate change effects. This study was conducted in the semi-arid Lower Gweru Communal area of Central Zimbabwe to sensitize smallholder farmers on climate change and to establish their perceptions of the projected climate of Zimbabwe by 2050. Data were collected during 2011 from a total of 60 farmers drawn from six villages in Mdubiwa and Nyama Wards. Farmers were selected using systematic random sampling from a households list and grouped into three wealth groups: resource rich; resource poor and intermediate. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with each group to investigate their perceptions of the projected climate by 2050 and their proposed adaptive strategies. Farmers perceived the projected climate to have negative effects on their livelihoods and there were no outstanding differences in the nature of responses across the three categories of farmers. Farmers’ responses showed that they were concerned about crop and livestock productivity as well as availability of water resources, food and nutrition security and about their general well-being. The intermediate wealth group, which had more than half of its members above 70 years of age provided the least number of ideas for adaptations. Farmers also suggested how they could possibly counteract some of the predicted negative effects or maximize on positive effects. Strategies that were suggested by the farmers were largely concerned with cropping and tended to address water shortages. It was concluded that almost all strategies suggested by farmers were self-directed, rather than directed at authorities like government or donors to do something for them thus showing that farmers had the will power to deal with climate change themselves

CONSTRAINTS TO CROP PRODUCTION AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS IN SEMI-ARID CENTRAL AND WESTERN ZIMBABWE

Smallholder farmer agricultural productivity in developing countries is limited by diverse biotic and abiotic constraints. They have, however, developed adaptive strategies to cope with some of these constraints, thereby strengthening their resilience to various stresses. The objective of this study was to establish crop production constraints faced by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Lower Gweru and Lupane areas of Zimbabwe, as well as coping and adaptation strategies used. Focus group discussions and structured interviews were used to collect data. High rainfall variability (CV = 0.30) had the highest ranking (most important), followed by shortage of inputs collectively, from focus group discussions. Farmers adapted to rainfall variability mostly through choice of crop and planting dates, adjusting the levels of inputs (fertiliser in particular) they used, as well as by resorting to cropping in areas with a high water table. Sixty percent of the farmers in both communal areas experienced shortage of planting seed, while shortage of fertiliser was reported by 75 and 30% of the farmers in Lower Gweru and Lupane, respectively. Labour was a major constraint to 65 and 20% of the farmers in both locations, respectively; while draft power shortage affected 50 and 25% of the farmers. About 50% of the farmers in Lupane reported the problem of crop damage by elephants. The HIV and AIDs pandemic and poor soils were also reported during focus group discussions. Farmers coped with input shortages by hiring and sharing resources. They reduced damage from elephants by harvesting their crops early. The effect of HIV/AIDs weakened the labour force and some communities in the study areas helped affected families by working in their fields.La productivit\ue9 agricole des petits paysans dans les pays en d\ue9veloppement est limit\ue9\ue9 par de diverses contraintes biotiques et abiotiques. Ils ont, cependant d\ue9velopp\ue9 des strategies adaptatives pour faire face \ue0 ces contraintes, consolidant ainsi leur resilience aux divers stress. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9tablir les contraintes de la production agricole auxquelles font face les petits paysans dans les basses regions semi-arides de Gweru et Lupane au Zimbaw\ue9, ainsi que les strategies d\u2019adaptation utilis\ue9es. Des discussions de groupes et des entretiens structur\ue9s ont \ue9t\ue9 utlis\ue9s pour la collecte des donn\ue9es. La grande variabilit\ue9 de pluies (CV = 0, 30) a re\ue7u le rang le plus \ue9lev\ue9 (le plus important); suivie de la p\ue9nurie g\ue9n\ue9rale d\u2019intrants, selon les discussions de groupes. Les paysans se sont adapt\ue9s aux variabilit\ue9es de pluies \ue0 travers le choix des cultures et des dates de semis, en ajustant les niveaux d\u2019intrants (engrais en particulier) qu\u2019ils utilisaient, ainsi qu\u2019en se recourant aux espaces de production avec une nappe phr\ue9atique affleurant la surface du sol. Soixante pourcent des paysans dans les deux zones communales rencontraient la p\ue9nurie des semences, alors que la penurie en engrais \ue9tait rapport\ue9e par 75 et 30% des paysans de la basse Gweru et Lupane, respectivement. La main d\u2019oeuvre a \ue9t\ue9 une contrainte majeure pour 65 et 20% des paysans dans les deux regions, respectivement; tandis que le manque de traction animale a affect\ue9 50 et 25% de producteurs. Environ 50% de producteurs au Lupane ont rapport\ue9 le probl\ue8me de destruction des plantes par les \ue9l\ue9phants. La pendemie du VIH/SIDA et la pauvret\ue9 des sols ont aussi \ue9t\ue9 rapport\ue9es pendant les discussions de groupes. Les producteurs se sont adapt\ue9s au manque d\u2019intrants en loyant et en partageant leurs ressources. Ils ont r\ue9duit les dommages caus\ue9s par les \ue9l\ue9phants en r\ue9coltant de fa\ue7on pr\ue9coce leur cultures. Les effets du VIH/SIDA ont affaibli la force de la main d\u2019oeuvre et certaines commaut\ue9s dans les milieux d\u2019\ue9tude ont aid\ue9 les familles affect\ue9es en travaillant dans leurs champs

Constraints to crop production and adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers in semi-arid Central and Western Zimbabwe.

Smallholder farmer agricultural productivity in developing countries is limited by diverse biotic and abiotic constraints. They have, however, developed adaptive strategies to cope with some of these constraints, thereby strengthening their resilience to various stresses. The objective of this study was to establish crop production constraints faced by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Lower Gweru and Lupane areas of Zimbabwe, as well as coping and adaptation strategies used. Focus group discussions and structured interviews were used to collect data. High rainfall variability (CV = 0.30) had the highest ranking (most important), followed by shortage of inputs collectively, from focus group discussions. Farmers adapted to rainfall variability mostly through choice of crop and planting dates, adjusting the levels of inputs (fertiliser in particular) they used, as well as by resorting to cropping in areas with a high water table. Sixty percent of the farmers in both communal areas experienced shortage of planting seed, while shortage of fertiliser was reported by 75 and 30% of the farmers in Lower Gweru and Lupane, respectively. Labour was a major constraint to 65 and 20% of the farmers in both locations, respectively; while draft power shortage affected 50 and 25% of the farmers. About 50% of the farmers in Lupane reported the problem of crop damage by elephants. The HIV and AIDs pandemic and poor soils were also reported during focus group discussions. Farmers coped with input shortages by hiring and sharing resources. They reduced damage from elephants by harvesting their crops early. The effect of HIV/AIDs weakened the labour force and some communities in the study areas helped affected families by working in their field

Lecturer Induction Programmes: A Case Study of Midlands State University and Zimbabwe Open University in the City of Gweru, Zimbabwe

Staff induction is designed to give newly appointed employees the support they need in any organisation. If properly designed and provided, induction activities can be instrumental in ensuring that new staff become productive in the shortest possible time. In their new organisation, new staff should be familiarised with the environment and processes, introduced to key persons, and trained in the use and application of new IT systems. Despite the many ways in which staff induction is critical to efficiency in institutions, it was necessary to find out whether universities also provide apposite inductions for new staff. A case study was conducted to investigate the views of newly appointed lecturers on the adequacy of their induction at Midlands State University (MSU) and Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) in the city of Gweru in Zimbabwe. Twenty-two lecturers were conveniently and purposively sampled to participate in this study. The findings of the study indicated that some critical components such as familiarisation with the work environment and formalised knowledge transfer needed by the lecturers to conduct their work were done at the two universities under study. Nonetheless, the induction disregarded the work load and the majority of participants did not get training in new IT systems. The study recommends that university staff inductions, inter alia, should be load related, done timeously, and incorporate all critical components

Increased Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor, L) Productivity: Unlocking its potential for food crisis mitigation for small holder communal farmers in the Semi-Arid regions: A case of the Zambezi Valley Region in Zimbabwe: Review Article

This paper analyses current and projected trends of sorghum production in Mbire as influenced by the ZRBF programme from 2016 to 2020. Average cereal production in this district has been dominated by maize 56.01% with sorghum accounting for 43.99 % since 2015. Between 2014 and 2017 trends in area, production and yield of sorghum were negative but were positive from 2018 to 2020. Mean yield was 0.29 t/ha with upper and lower limits of 0.41 t/ha and 0.10 t/ha respectively. Trends in area planted under maize and sorghum in the district showed a gradual increase for sorghum from 7000ha in 2015 to approximately 12000 ha in 2020 and an inverse trend for maize from approximately 12000 ha to 7000 ha for the same period. Rainfall varied during these years with a mean of 702.3mm per year which was slightly above normal for the region. Sorghum was primarily used for food (62 %) whilst 28% was used for food processing with just 10% for animal feed and non- food uses. Trading of sorghum attached USD value over the years ranged between USD 240 to 290 per MT as officially communicated by GMB and Delta Beverages. There was a general positive trend in area planted under sorghum with corresponding increase in production indicating farmers’ adoption of sorghum production. Increasing production of sorghum by 41.5% from the baseline scenario is forecasted by 2025. These results suggest that in future, sorghum will play an increasingly important role in food security of these communities

An evaluation of the performances and subsequent calibration of three solar radiation estimation models for semi arid climates in Midlands Zimbabwe

The Hargreaves, Bristow – Campbell (B­C) and Donatelli – Campbell (C­D) solar radiation estimation models were evaluated to establish their performances in the semi arid climate of Midlands Zimbabwe. The models were also calibrated to attain the site specific empirical coefficients so as to improve in terms of prediction accuracy. To achieve this evaluation, daily incoming solar radiation, minimum temperature and maximum temperature were measured for a year (July 2013 to June 2014) at two sites (Mlezu and Mvuma) in Midlands Zimbabwe. The temperatures were used to calculate daily solar radiation for the Hargreaves, B­C and C­D models. The measured solar radiation at both sites was used to evaluate the performances of the models using the Mean Absolute Prediction error (Err), Model Efficiency (EF), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Bias and coefficient of determination (R2). All models were calibrated using linear regression equations. The B­C model performed better than the other models overall. The least performer was the C­D model. The B­C model had the lowest Err (17.85 % and 16.31 %), RMSE (3.725 MJm­2day­1 and 3.486 MJm­2day­1) and Bias (2.501 MJm­2day­1 and 1.281 MJm­2day­1) values at both sites. The Hargreaves and C­D models’ performances were almost similar at both sites. The Bias levels were between 3 MJm­2day­1 and 4 MJm­2day­1, and the RMSE values were slightly above 4 MJm­2day­1. The EFs of all the models were acceptable since they were > 0. Calibration improved the performances of all the models. The EF values of all the models ranged between 0.55 and 0.7, the Err reduced to between 11 % and 16 % and the Bias was reduced to < 0.5 MJ m­2 day­1 for the Hargreaves and B­C models. The Bias was however still higher for the C­D model (~ 2 MJ m­2 day­1). The average site specific “K” coefficient of the Hargreaves model, the “a” coefficient of the B­C model and the CD_b coefficient of the C­D model were found to be 0.1361, 6.274 and 0.1895. Solar radiation estimation models are supposed to be calibrated before use for improved prediction accuracy

EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON URBAN AND PERI-URBAN FARMERS IN CENTRAL ZIMBABWE

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global economy since its advent in 2020. The agricultural sector is among the sectors that have been significantly affected by the pandemic. The effect of the pandemic in the agriculture sector is cutting across all the value chains inclusive of production, marketing and input supply, among others. In addition, both small-scale and large-scale producers have been affected. This study looks at the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban and peri-urban agriculture in Gweru, Zimbabwe with a view to derive lessons that can inform discussion on how the urban and peri-urban farmers can circumvent economic shocks such as COVID-19 in the future. Agriculture in and around urban areas is practised by a significant number of people in some continents including Africa. Urban and peri-urban agriculture has a noticeable contribution to food and nutrition security and has a potential to reduce poverty. Face -to -face interviews were conducted with a total of 40 individual farmers using a structured questionnaire and three virtual focus group discussions were held with a total of 24 farmers. Simple random sampling was used to select participants from a list of farmers provided by the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services. Each member of the population had an equal chance of being selected. The study established that the pandemic has had several effects on these urban and peri-urban farmers including limited access to markets, loss of income, increased cost of farming, competition from non-traditional farmers, adoption of innovative delivery mechanisms, difficulty in accessing inputs and reduced farm labour. Farmers were forced to adopt information technology to enhance communication among themselves and other stakeholders. To protect and safeguard livelihoods within the agricultural system, the study recommends that the government increases spending on social safety nets for urban and periurban farmers, reform agricultural finance and improve financial support to smallholder farmers

EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON URBAN AND PERI-URBAN FARMERS IN CENTRAL ZIMBABWE

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the global economy since its advent in 2020. The agricultural sector is among the sectors that have been significantly affected by the pandemic. The effect of the pandemic in the agriculture sector is cutting across all the value chains inclusive of production, marketing and input supply, among others. In addition, both small-scale and large-scale producers have been affected. This study looks at the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban and peri-urban agriculture in Gweru, Zimbabwe with a view to derive lessons that can inform discussion on how the urban and peri-urban farmers can circumvent economic shocks such as COVID-19 in the future. Agriculture in and around urban areas is practised by a significant number of people in some continents including Africa. Urban and peri-urban agriculture has a noticeable contribution to food and nutrition security and has a potential to reduce poverty. Face -to -face interviews were conducted with a total of 40 individual farmers using a structured questionnaire and three virtual focus group discussions were held with a total of 24 farmers. Simple random sampling was used to select participants from a list of farmers provided by the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services. Each member of the population had an equal chance of being selected. The study established that the pandemic has had several effects on these urban and peri-urban farmers including limited access to markets, loss of income, increased cost of farming, competition from non-traditional farmers, adoption of innovative delivery mechanisms, difficulty in accessing inputs and reduced farm labour. Farmers were forced to adopt information technology to enhance communication among themselves and other stakeholders. To protect and safeguard livelihoods within the agricultural system, the study recommends that the government increases spending on social safety nets for urban and periurban farmers, reform agricultural finance and improve financial support to smallholder farmers

Constraints to crop production and adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers in semi-arid Central and Western Zimbabwe.

Smallholder farmer agricultural productivity in developing countries is limited by diverse biotic and abiotic constraints. They have, however, developed adaptive strategies to cope with some of these constraints, thereby strengthening their resilience to various stresses. The objective of this study was to establish crop production constraints faced by smallholder farmers in semi-arid Lower Gweru and Lupane areas of Zimbabwe, as well as coping and adaptation strategies used. Focus group discussions and structured interviews were used to collect data. High rainfall variability (CV = 0.30) had the highest ranking (most important), followed by shortage of inputs collectively, from focus group discussions. Farmers adapted to rainfall variability mostly through choice of crop and planting dates, adjusting the levels of inputs (fertiliser in particular) they used, as well as by resorting to cropping in areas with a high water table. Sixty percent of the farmers in both communal areas experienced shortage of planting seed, while shortage of fertiliser was reported by 75 and 30% of the farmers in Lower Gweru and Lupane, respectively. Labour was a major constraint to 65 and 20% of the farmers in both locations, respectively; while draft power shortage affected 50 and 25% of the farmers. About 50% of the farmers in Lupane reported the problem of crop damage by elephants. The HIV and AIDs pandemic and poor soils were also reported during focus group discussions. Farmers coped with input shortages by hiring and sharing resources. They reduced damage from elephants by harvesting their crops early. The effect of HIV/AIDs weakened the labour force and some communities in the study areas helped affected families by working in their field