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Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project
Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614136849924096 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Made, Chiedza Daina |
| author2 | Heinecken, Lindy P. T. |
| author_browse | Heinecken, Lindy P. T. Made, Chiedza Daina |
| author_facet | Heinecken, Lindy P. T. Made, Chiedza Daina |
| author_sort | Made, Chiedza Daina |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/134687 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:15.075Z |
| 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:10019.1/134687 Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project Made, Chiedza Daina Heinecken, Lindy P. T. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Climate change adaptation Resilience (Ecology) Women farmers -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District Farms, Small -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District Rural development -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District UCTD Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. Made, C. D. 2025. Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/fb9d8a2a-7eaf-4837-b891-333a626ee3de ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Climate change is real, and its occurrence in Zimbabwe is no longer debatable. Zimbabwe lies in a semi-arid belt of Southern Africa, with 80% of farming relying on rain-fed agriculture. This increases the country’s vulnerability as agricultural productivity trends and other economic indicators, such as gross domestic product, have been observed to follow annual rainfall patterns. Climate change has a profound impact on smallholder rural women farmers’ livelihoods, making the transformation of these livelihoods difficult. With agriculture driving rural economies and feeding entire communities, climate shocks are putting food security under severe strain. Most rural women farmers have limited capacity to adapt to climate-related shocks, resulting in a vicious cycle of food insecurity, malnutrition, and environmental degradation. The objectives of the study are to establish perceptions and knowledge of the effects of climate change on the livelihood assets of smallholder rural women farmers in the Chiredzi District in Zimbabwe; assess the resilience strategies used to adapt to climate change; analyse the effectiveness of the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF)-Enhancing Community Resilience and Sustainability (ECRAS) project in climate change adaptation and whether this has brought about transformative resilience competencies among smallholder rural women farmers; and assess the gendered effects of climate change among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District. Theoretical concepts underpinning the study include the 2012 Resilience Conceptual Framework (RCF), which incorporates the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach, and various feminist perspectives on the effect of climate change on women. The study adopted an interpretivist research paradigm that involved inductive reasoning, which necessitated a qualitative research design. The researcher used qualitative interviews (in-depth and key informants), focus group discussions, and non-participant observation methods as means for data collection. The study results show that there is evidence of growing awareness among rural women farmers on climate change. In their crop production, rural women farmers are growing small grains using certified seed varieties, and they have learned to adjust planting dates according to the season. To cope, many have diversified their livelihoods, finding new ways to make ends meet. Climate change in the Chiredzi District is erratic rains, prolonged droughts, and unpredictable seasons, along with high temperatures, more frequent floods, and new pests and diseases that are wreaking havoc. These occurrences affect smallholder rural women farmers’ livelihood assets required for their crop, livestock, and horticulture production, among other livelihood options. To adapt and build resilience against climate change, rural women farmers in the Chiredzi District depend on various strategies such as climate-smart agricultural practices, Village Saving and Lending Schemes (VSLSs), migration and remittances, and small businesses. Lack of access and limited adaptive and transformative resilience capacities hindered women from transforming their livelihoods. The study also shows that smallholder rural women farmers in the Chiredzi District are vulnerable rather than resilient to climate change effects as they are not able to meet their food security needs. Furthermore, the rural women farmers, have no access to adequate nutrition, not able to protect their environment, have no income security, no health security and have limited opportunities to participate in the decisions that affect their lives due to the gendered nature of climate change shocks. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klimaatsverandering is werklik, en die voorkoms daarvan in Zimbabwe is nie meer ʼn onderwerp van debat nie. Zimbabwe lê in 'n semi-droë gebied van Suider-Afrika waar 80% van landbou afhanklik is van reëngevoede boerdery. Dit verhoog die land se kwesbaarheid, aangesien landbouproduktiwiteit tendense en ander ekonomiese aanwysers soos bruto binnelandse produk, gepaardgaan met jaarlikse reënvalpatrone. het 'n diepgaande impak op die lewensbestaan van kleinskaalse vroueboere in landelike gebiede, en die transformasie van hierdie lewensbestaan is moeilik. Die landbousektor is die ruggraat van landelike gemeenskappe en hul voedselsekerheid is aan die voorpunt van klimaatsverandering-skokke. Die meeste plattelandse vroueboere het beperkte vermoë om aan te pas by klimaatverwante skokke, wat lei tot 'n bose kringloop van voedselonsekerheid, wanvoeding en omgewingsagteruitgang.Die doelwitte van die studie is om persepsies en kennis vas te stel van die uitwerking van klimaatsverandering op die bestaansbates van kleinskaalse vroueboere in die Chiredzidistrik; om die veerkragtigheidstrategieë wat gebruik word om by klimaatsverandering aan te pas te beoordeel; om die doeltreffendheid van die ZRBF-ECRAS-projek in klimaatsverandering-aanpassing te ontleed en of dit transformerende veerkragtigheidsbevoegdhede onder kleinskaalse vroueboere teweeggebring het; en om die geslagspesifieke effekte van klimaatsverandering onder hierdie vroueboere in die Chiredzidistrik te assesseer. Teoretiese konsepte waarop die studie berus, sluit in die 2012 Veerkragtigheid Konseptuele Raamwerk (RCF), wat die Sustainable Livelihoods-benadering insluit, en verskeie feministiese perspektiewe op die uitwerking van klimaatsverandering op vroue. Die studie het ‘n interpretivistiese navorsingsparadigma aangeneem wat induktiewe redenasie behels het, en wat ‘n kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp vereis het. Die navorser het gebruik gemaak van kwalitatiewe onderhoude (in-diepte- en sleutel informante), fokusgroepbesprekings en nie- deelnemende waarneming as metodes van data-insameling. Die studie se bevindings toon dat daar groeiende bewustheid onder boere oorklimaatsverandering is. In hul gewasproduksie groei boere klein graansoorte waara gesertifiseerde saadvariëteite gebruik word, en hulle het geleer om plantdatums aan te pas volgens seisoen. Hulle het ook geleer om hul bestaansmiddele te diversifiseer. Klimaatverandering in die Chiredzi-distrik word weerspieël deur onreëlmatige reën, lang droë periodes, en inkonsekwenthede in die begin en einde van reënseisoene; toename in temperature en verandering van winter- en somerseisoene; ‘n toename in die frekwensie en intensiteit van droogtes; ‘n toename in frekwensie en intensiteit van vloede/oorstromings; en ‘n toename in onbekende plae en siektes. Hierdie gebeurtenisse beïnvloed die bestaansbates van kleinskaalse vroue boere wat benodig word vir hul gewasproduksie, veeproduksie, tuinbouproduksie, en ander bestaansopsies. Om aan te pas en weerbaarheid teen klimaatverandering te bou, is vroue boere in die Chiredzi-distrik afhanklik van verskeie strategieë soos klimaatvriendelike landboumetodes, VSLS'e (Village Savings and Loan Schemes), migrasie en oorbetalings, en kleinsakeondernemings. Gebrek aan toegang en beperkte aanpassings- en transformatiewe weerbaarheidsvermoë het vroue verhinder om hul bestaansmiddele te transformeer. Die studie toon dat kleinskaalse vroueboere in die Chiredzi-distrik eerder op die kwesbaarheidspad as op die weerbaarheidspad is ten opsigte van die uitwerking van klimaatverandering, aangesien hulle nie in staat is om aan hul voedselsekerheidsbehoeftes te voldoen nie; nie toegang tot voldoende voeding het nie; nie hul omgewing kan beskerm nie; nie inkomste-sekerheid het nie; nie gesondheid-sekerheid het nie; en beperkte geleenthede het om deel te neem aan die besluite wat hul lewens beïnvloed as gevolg van die geslagtelike aard van klimaatverandering-skokke. Doctoral 2025-12-23T11:50:37Z 2025-12-23T11:50:37Z 2025-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134687 en_ZA Stellenbosch University 317 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Climate change adaptation Resilience (Ecology) Women farmers -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District Farms, Small -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District Rural development -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District UCTD Made, Chiedza Daina Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project |
| title | Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project |
| title_full | Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project |
| title_fullStr | Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project |
| title_short | Climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe: case of ZRBF-ECRAS project |
| title_sort | climate change adaptation and resilience building among smallholder rural women farmers in chiredzi district zimbabwe case of zrbf ecras project |
| topic | Climate change adaptation Resilience (Ecology) Women farmers -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District Farms, Small -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District Rural development -- Zimbabwe -- Chiredzi Rural District UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/134687 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT madechiedzadaina climatechangeadaptationandresiliencebuildingamongsmallholderruralwomenfarmersinchiredzidistrictzimbabwecaseofzrbfecrasproject |