Evaluating the impact of drought on rural communities : a case study of Umuziwabantu Local Municipality in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

Droughts are a natural phenomenon that occur in hydrological cycles. However, the effect of climate change will increase the frequency and severity of drought. It is therefore, important that communities and the ecosystem learn to adapt to these abrupt changes. The rural households are negatively affected by the impacts of drought on their livelihoods. The rural households have limited or basic level of access to water and droughts further impact on their ability to access water. While droughts are natural, the impact may be worsened by human activity. In this thesis, the linkages between agricultural exports and water shortages are assessed. The impact of the water shortages on rural households and their coping strategies are also assessed. The research was undertaken in Umuziwabantu Local Municipality through semi-structured and informal interviews with rural people, commercial farmer and government officials. The analysis was done using the Adaptive Governance Framework and linking it to Sustainable Livelihood Framework. The research findings showed that rural households employ different strategies to cope with the drought and create resilience. It also showed that there is more research needed on the linkages between agricultural exports and water shortages. The governance institutions were also found to not being flexible enough to adapt to the shocks

COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications

Like the rest of the world, African countries are reeling from the health, economic and social effects of COVID-19. The continent's governments have responded by imposing rigorous lockdowns to limit the spread of the virus. The various lockdown measures are undermining food security, because stay at home orders have among others, threatened food production for a continent that relies heavily on agriculture as the bedrock of the economy. This article draws on quantitative data collected by the GeoPoll, and, from these data, assesses the effect of concern about the local spread and economic impact of COVID-19 on food worries. Qualitative data comprising 12 countries south of the Sahara reveal that lockdowns have created anxiety over food security as a health, economic and human rights/well-being issue. By applying a probit model, we find that concern about the local spread of COVID-19 and economic impact of the virus increases the probability of food worries. Governments have responded with various efforts to support the neediest. By evaluating the various policies rolled out we advocate for a feminist economics approach that necessitates greater use of data analytics to predict the likely impacts of intended regulatory relief responses during the recovery process and post-COVID-19