Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe
Climate change has become one of the most profound threats to smallholder agriculture in semi-arid and arid areas. Farmers in this sector are especially vulnerable to climate change due to reliance on rain-fed agriculture, limited access to capital and technology among other challenges. While severa...
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Springer, Cham
2022
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| Online Access: | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5242 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_254 |
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| author | Tendai Nciizah Elinah Nciizah Caroline Mubekaphi Adornis D. Nciizah |
| author2 | Nicholas Oguge |
| author_facet | Nicholas Oguge Tendai Nciizah Elinah Nciizah Caroline Mubekaphi Adornis D. Nciizah |
| author_sort | Tendai Nciizah |
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| description | Climate change has become one of the most profound threats to smallholder agriculture in semi-arid and arid areas. Farmers in this sector are especially vulnerable to climate change due to reliance on rain-fed agriculture, limited access to capital and technology among other challenges. While several potential adaptation options exist, many barriers hinder effective adoption of these practices, hence production in marginal areas remains very low. This chapter discusses crop adaptation through the adoption of small grains in Zvishavane rural, a semi-arid area in Zimbabwe. Small grains are conducive in hot areas; their drought-tolerant nature enables them to thrive in marginal areas making them an appropriate strategy in responding to climate change. However, several production and policy challenges associated with small grain production hinder their adoption by farmers. In view of this, this chapter discusses the potential of small grains as an adaptation strategy to climate change in Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe, and addresses potential challenges and opportunities for increased adoption and future research. The review showed that farmers in Zvishavane have perceived climate change due to noticeable changes in rainfall and temperature patterns in the past years. Despite small grain production being the best strategy due to drought and high temperature tolerance, an insignificant number of Zvishavane farmers is involved in small grain production. This is due to numerous barriers such as high labor demand associated with small grain production, the challenge posed by the quelea birds, food preferences, low markets, and low extension services and government support. It is therefore necessary to encourage adoption of small grains by developing improved varieties, adoption of climate smart agricultural practices, improved technical support, and access to markets among other interventions. |
| format | book part |
| id | ir-11408-5242 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Springer, Cham |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-52422022-11-24T17:03:39Z Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe Tendai Nciizah Elinah Nciizah Caroline Mubekaphi Adornis D. Nciizah Nicholas Oguge Desalegn Ayal Lydia Adeleke Izael da Silva Department of Sociology, Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa Department of Development Studies, Zvishavane Campus, Midlands State University, Zvishavane, Zimbabwe School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, South Africa Soil Science, Agricultural Research Council – Institute for Soil, Climate and Water, Pretoria, South Africa University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya Center for Food Security Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria Strathmore University, Nairibi, Kenya Adaptation Climate change Mitigation semi-arid areas Small grain production Smallholder farmers Vulnerability Climate change has become one of the most profound threats to smallholder agriculture in semi-arid and arid areas. Farmers in this sector are especially vulnerable to climate change due to reliance on rain-fed agriculture, limited access to capital and technology among other challenges. While several potential adaptation options exist, many barriers hinder effective adoption of these practices, hence production in marginal areas remains very low. This chapter discusses crop adaptation through the adoption of small grains in Zvishavane rural, a semi-arid area in Zimbabwe. Small grains are conducive in hot areas; their drought-tolerant nature enables them to thrive in marginal areas making them an appropriate strategy in responding to climate change. However, several production and policy challenges associated with small grain production hinder their adoption by farmers. In view of this, this chapter discusses the potential of small grains as an adaptation strategy to climate change in Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe, and addresses potential challenges and opportunities for increased adoption and future research. The review showed that farmers in Zvishavane have perceived climate change due to noticeable changes in rainfall and temperature patterns in the past years. Despite small grain production being the best strategy due to drought and high temperature tolerance, an insignificant number of Zvishavane farmers is involved in small grain production. This is due to numerous barriers such as high labor demand associated with small grain production, the challenge posed by the quelea birds, food preferences, low markets, and low extension services and government support. It is therefore necessary to encourage adoption of small grains by developing improved varieties, adoption of climate smart agricultural practices, improved technical support, and access to markets among other interventions. 581 599 2022-11-24T17:03:38Z 2022-11-24T17:03:38Z 2021-05-21 book part https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5242 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_254 en African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation 978-3-030-45106-6 open Springer, Cham |
| spellingShingle | Adaptation Climate change Mitigation semi-arid areas Small grain production Smallholder farmers Vulnerability Tendai Nciizah Elinah Nciizah Caroline Mubekaphi Adornis D. Nciizah Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe |
| title | Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Role of Small Grains in Adapting to Climate Change: Zvishavane District, Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | role of small grains in adapting to climate change: zvishavane district, zimbabwe |
| topic | Adaptation Climate change Mitigation semi-arid areas Small grain production Smallholder farmers Vulnerability |
| url | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5242 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_254 |
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