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Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe
Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614140489531392 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Muzerengi, Tapiwa |
| author2 | Zweig, Patricia |
| author_browse | Muzerengi, Tapiwa Zweig, Patricia |
| author_facet | Zweig, Patricia Muzerengi, Tapiwa |
| author_sort | Muzerengi, Tapiwa |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131851 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:18.472Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131851 Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe Muzerengi, Tapiwa Zweig, Patricia Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies. Natural disaster warning systems -- Zimbabwe -- Chipinge district Hazard mitigation Natural disasters -- Research -- International cooperation Ethnoscience Droughts -- Zimbabwe -- Chipinge district UCTD Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies play a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of natural hazards on vulnerable communities. Among these hazards, droughts pose significant challenges, affecting various regions globally. Indigenous communities, with their deep understanding of local ecosystems and traditional knowledge systems, have developed unique Early Warning Systems (EWS) to anticipate and respond to drought events. This study investigated how existing indigenous and scientific EWS could be integrated to improve their effectiveness and reach to small-holder farmers, using the drought-prone Chipinge South area of Zimbabwe as a case study. Key informant interviews, focus group discussions and documentary reviews were employed to collect data about existing warning systems and tools. NVIVO software was then used for thematic analysis of the collected information. The study found that existing scientific drought EWS had many limitations, most notably their inappropriateness for local farmer populations who still rely significantly on indigenous knowledge to forecast drought. Referencing similar studies from other parts of the world, it became evident that this knowledge could be integrated with scientific early warning data for a more robust EWS that is both more understandable and acceptable to those most at-risk of drought hazards. The resulting early warning information should then be effectively communicated to inform preparedness and response among local small-scale farmers, thereby improving their resilience to drought. The findings suggest that the documentation of existing indigenous EWS is critical before it is lost to time, and if possible incorporated into school curricula. The cross pollination of information between and among all stakeholders should be encouraged to inform more robust EWS. The use of anticipatory action was regarded as one of the best ways of harmonizing indigenous and scientific EWS. Drawing on research findings which identified weaknesses in existing EWS in Chipinge, an integrated Drought Early warning Systems (DEWS) framework was developed for the study area. It provides a guide, consisting of a series of steps to follow in developing a new and integrated local-area DEWS. These included stakeholder mapping and engagement, planning a drought early warning process, leading to the operationalisation of an integrated DEWS, followed by process monitoring and reviews. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ramprisikobeperking- (RRB-) strategieë vervul ’n deurslaggewende rol om die uitwerking van natuurlike gevare op kwesbare gemeenskappe te beperk. Droogte is een van hierdie gevare wat aansienlike uitdagings inhou en verskeie streke wêreldwyd raak. Inheemse gemeenskappe, met hulle diep begrip van plaaslike ekosisteme en tradisionele kennisstelsels, het eiesoortige vroeëwaarskuwingstelsels (VWS’e) ontwikkel om voorvalle van droogte te voorsien en daarop te reageer. Hierdie navorsing ondersoek hoe bestaande inheemse en wetenskaplike VWS’e geïntegreer kan word om doeltreffender te werk en kleinboere te bereik. Die Chipinge-Suid-streek van Zimbabwe, waar droogtes dikwels voorkom, is as studiegeval gebruik. Data oor bestaande waarskuwingstelsels en -middels is deur middel van onderhoude met sleutelfigure wat inligting kan verskaf, fokusgroepgesprekke en dokumentêre navorsing ingesamel. Die ingesamelde inligting is vervolgens tematies ontleed met NVIVO-sagteware. Die navorsing het bevind dat bestaande wetenskaplike VWS’e vir droogte talle gebreke het. Die vernaamste daarvan is dat dit nie gepas is vir plaaslike boeregemeenskappe, wat steeds grootliks op inheemse kennis staatmaak om droogtes te voorspel, nie. Ander, soortgelyke navorsing uit ander wêrelddele toon duidelik dat inheemse kennis met wetenskaplike vroeëwaarskuwingsdata geïntegreer kan word om ’n kragtiger VWS op te lewer wat verstaanbaarder sowel as aanvaarbaarder is vir diegene wat die meeste aan droogtegevaar uitgelewer is. Die gevolglike vroeëwaarskuwingsinligting moet dan doeltreffend oorgedra word sodat plaaslike kleinskaalse boere hulle daarvolgens kan voorberei en daarop kan reageer, en droogtes dus met groter veerkragtigheid kan hanteer. Die bevindings toon dat dit noodsaaklik is dat bestaande inheemse VWS’e gedokumenteer word voordat dit in vergetelheid verval en sodat dit, indien moontlik, in skoolkurrikula opgeneem kan word. Die kruisbestuiwing van inligting onder alle belanghebbendes moet aangemoedig word sodat kragtiger VWS’e daarvolgens kan ontwikkel. Vooruitskouende optrede word beskou as een van die beste maniere om inheemse en wetenskaplike VWS’e met mekaar te harmonieer. Aan die hand van navorsingsbevindings wat swakplekke in bestaande VWS’e in Chipinge uitgewys het, is ’n geïntegreerde raamwerk vir ’n droogte-VWS (DVWS) vir die studiegevalstreek ontwikkel. Dit bied ’n gids wat bestaan uit ’n reeks stappe wat gevolg moet word om ’n nuwe, geïntegreerde DVWS vir plaaslike gebiede te ontwikkel. Dit sluit in om belanghebbendes na te spoor en te betrek, om ’n vroeëwaarskuwingsproses vir droogtes uit te werk wat tot die inbedryfstelling van ’n geïntegreerde DVWS sal lei, en om dit met prosesmonitering en -hersiening op te volg. Masters 2025-04-03T07:46:39Z 2025-04-03T07:46:39Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131851 en Stellenbosch University 98 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Natural disaster warning systems -- Zimbabwe -- Chipinge district Hazard mitigation Natural disasters -- Research -- International cooperation Ethnoscience Droughts -- Zimbabwe -- Chipinge district UCTD Muzerengi, Tapiwa Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe |
| title | Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe |
| title_full | Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe |
| title_short | Disaster risk reduction and drought: Indigenous early warning systems in Chipinge District, Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | disaster risk reduction and drought indigenous early warning systems in chipinge district zimbabwe |
| topic | Natural disaster warning systems -- Zimbabwe -- Chipinge district Hazard mitigation Natural disasters -- Research -- International cooperation Ethnoscience Droughts -- Zimbabwe -- Chipinge district UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131851 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT muzerengitapiwa disasterriskreductionanddroughtindigenousearlywarningsystemsinchipingedistrictzimbabwe |