Climate governance through indigenous knowledge systems for sustainable development in Mutoko District of Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Climate governance has over the years become a topical issue among scholars and policymakers. The concept has come into prominence as a result of the severe effects that climate change has on the livelihoods of communities around the world. In Zimbabwe, rural communities have been grappling with various climate-related challenges occurring in the country since the early 1990s. Nevertheless, the current climate change theories have not effectively established a comprehensive system of climate governance that is within the context of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Therefore, the main aim of this sociological inquiry was to explore climate governance using Indigenous Knowledge Systems in pursuit of sustainable development in a Zimbabwean rural community. The study takes a swipe at adopting either a purely positivist or constructivist paradigm despite the fact that the constructivist paradigm is considered important for understanding Indigenous Knowledge and practices that are employed by local communities to adapt to climate change risks. As such, the study employs an approach that acknowledges the social interpretation and construction of IKS climate governance necessitated by grounded theory. The study adopted a qualitative method and data was collected through in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion. Grounded theory and Thematic Content Analysis were adopted as methods of data analysis. This qualitative enquiry linked climate change with rural livelihoods opportunities in an effort to determine how the impacts of climate change affect rural communities vis-à-vis sustainable development. The inquiry was executed through the theoretical specs of a triangulation of Grounded theory, Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and Afrocentricity. The study found that knowledge of climate change plays a pivotal role in paving way for IKS climate governance. The study also revealed that indigenous climate change adaptation dominates the communities’ adaptation options and it stands as a key informant for Scientific Methods employed and IKS climate governance. Lastly, the major contribution of the study was the development of an IKS climate governance conceptual model that was informed by the findings of the study

Rethinking the nexus of food insecurity, climate change and migration in the developing world: A case of Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper aims to assess the nexus of food insecurity, climate change and migration in the developing world. The world is experiencing triple challenges of food insecurity, climate change and unprecedented migration. Food insecurity as a result of climatic variabilities has a likelihood of pushing people to migrate. Interlinkages between food insecurity, climate change and human mobility should be recognised. The methodology employed in this paper is a literature review, specifically an Integrative literature review of all sources related to the topic under investigation. Findings of the study point to the fact that most of the world\u27s poor rely on subsistence farming for their livelihood, yet this industry is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Adverse shocks to agricultural productivity due to climate changes significantly increase emigration from developing countries, with a more significant impact in low-income countries and a smaller one in middle-income countries

Adaptation measures to sustain indigenous practices and the use of indigenous knowledge systems to adapt to climate change in Mutoko rural district of Zimbabwe

This article examines adaptation measures used to sustain indigenous practices and the use of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) to adapt to climate change in Mutoko rural district of Zimbabwe. Community-based adaptation is able to reduce the vulnerability as well as improve the resilience of the local people to climatic variability and change. Subsistence farmers have always adopted adaptive strategies to some of these changes over the years. As such, the adoption of indigenous practices will significantly help rural community members to adapt to climate change. This study employed a qualitative method and an exploratory design, and the results are derived from 30 purposively selected in-depth interviews. The study discovered that there are numerous measures used to adapt to climate change and subsequently to sustain indigenous practices. The study also found that the community no longer grows maize in large quantities, having shifted to millet and sorghum in order to adapt to climate change. The community also provided various strategies to adapt to climate change. These strategies include mulching, creating large storage houses for produce and creating temporary walls on riverbanks in order to store water when the rivers dry up. This study concludes that climate change adaptation measures employed by the community have significantly helped them to sustain their indigenous practices in many ways. Also, the use of IKS, through activities such as crop type change from maize to traditional millet and sorghum (which facilitates traditional lifestyle and activities), re-establishes the community’s indigenous practices since they are made to observe the practices of yesteryear

Multilateral climate change financing in the developing world: challenges and opportunities for Africa

The Paris Agreement has highlighted the worldwide significance of adaptation. Many investors are considering the effects of climate change and resource scarcity when making decisions. Even while the whole amount of the environmental harm caused by climate change is yet unknown, recent scientific evidence is more frightening, and many governments are taking substantial measures to avert a calamity. The financial innovations and mechanisms created to ease the transition to a low-carbon economy will have far-reaching effects on markets, firms, intermediaries, and investors. Although economists have been working on the subject for decades, financial-economics professionals have only recently become interested in climate change. There has been a growing body of empirical and theoretical contributions in recent years that analyse the influence of climate risks on investment decisions for firms, financial intermediaries, and national governments, as well as the pricing and hedging of climate change risks. This study seeks to establish the role of multilateral climate change financing in the developing world vis-à-vis challenges and opportunities for Africa. Five determinants of the multilateral climate fund were established and they are namely; Reduction of Greenhouse gas emissions, Enabling Environments, Poverty and development linkages, Private investment and Public climate finance

Climate change and vulnerability discourse by students at a South African university

Climate change is expected to pose grave consequences to communities around the world. It is predicted that many people, mostly in the developing world, will experience shortages of water and food as well as numerous health-related effects because of climate change. Therefore, rigorous global action is needed to enable developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change. Universities play a pivotal role in addressing these issues and their impacts through research and technological innovations. Hence, assessing the extent to which university students understand climate change and its impacts displays the extent of hope in mitigating future changes in climatic conditions. This article assesses the knowledge and understanding of climate change and its impacts by students at an institution of higher learning in South Africa. This study utilised a quantitative approach and a descriptive design. The convenience method was used to obtain participants for the study. Self-administered questionnaires were utilised in a survey to collect data from the participants. A sample of 90 university students participated in the survey. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and T-tests. Reliability was measured using the Cronbach’s alpha. The study discovered that university students have low knowledge and understanding of climate change. As a result, the study concluded that if students could be well-informed about climate change issues, they could positively contribute to the development of their communities by crafting smart climate change mitigation and adaptation skills

What Justice? Whose Justice?: Rethinking Climate Justice Through Climate Change Impacts and Options for Adaptation in Africa

Climate change is considered a justice issue based on the causes of the phenomenon, its impacts and polices designed to manage it. Previous studies have revealed that Africa and the entire developing world contribute less to Green House Gas emissions (GHG) which is the leading cause of climate change, but they suffer the most from its consequences, whereas the first world, whose contribution to GHG is immense but the impact of the phenomenon to them is minimal. In this article, I made use of climate change impacts and adaptation options to scrutinise the concept of climate justice in Africa. The article sought to establish whether or not climate justice has a place on the African continent. To achieve that objective, I critically assessed climate change impacts and options for adaptation in various African countries vis-à-vis climate justice. The study found that climate justice is a farce for Africa because climate disruptions affect nations differently and adaptive capacities differ as well. It also emerged that climate change-based impacts in Africa largely affect women and poor people. Lastly, the desire for profit among developed countries and climate-based organisations deters the urgency for climate justice across the globe

Rethinking the nexus of food insecurity, climate change and migration in the developing world: A case of Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper aims to assess the nexus of food insecurity, climate change and migration in the developing world. The world is experiencing triple challenges of food insecurity, climate change and unprecedented migration. Food insecurity as a result of climatic variabilities has a likelihood of pushing people to migrate. Interlinkages between food insecurity, climate change and human mobility should be recognised. The methodology employed in this paper is a literature review, specifically an Integrative literature review of all sources related to the topic under investigation. Findings of the study point to the fact that most of the world\u27s poor rely on subsistence farming for their livelihood, yet this industry is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Adverse shocks to agricultural productivity due to climate changes significantly increase emigration from developing countries, with a more significant impact in low-income countries and a smaller one in middle-income countries

Elucidating Afrocentricity as a Contemporary Theoretical Stance Through 'Epistemic Disobedience'

The use of Afrocentricity as a contemporary theoretical lens has triggered remarkable debate among African scholars. There is growing contestation among African intellectuals on the future of knowledge construction in the wake of the collapse of colonization in Africa. The contestation on the applicability of the Afrocentricity as a theory is largely triggered by the assumed superiority of Western thought. One of the major proponents of Afrocentricity Melefe Kete Asante has prompted an interesting question ‘Why have Africans been shut out of global development?' The question attracts the need for African scholarship to take into consideration a context based theoretical standpoint and methodology. Nevertheless, the quest for a purely African based thought is clashed by postmodernists who contend that there is no such thing as “Africans” because there are many different types of Africans and all Africans are not equal. It is from this standpoint that this paper seeks to position Afrocentricity as a fundamental theoretical perspective in African scholarship. Afrocentricity is considered to be a catalyst of change whose goal is to restore the African understanding of the world. As such, through what some scholars have termed “epistemic disobedience” which is a form of epistemic revolt in favour of decolonisation of thought, this paper provides a critical analysis of the relevance of Afrocentricity as a theoretical standpoint