Abstract
Climate change adversely impacts on smallholder farmers who are heavily dependent on rainfed agriculture. While efforts have focused on develo** resilient communities through development of adaptation strategies, barriers and limits to managing climate change are usually not given enough space in development programs. In this study, we profile the barriers and limitations to managing climate change as experienced by smallholder farmers in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP), Zimbabwe. The farmers identified the major hazards affecting their agricultural activities. Using a participatory approach, a buffet of adaptation strategies were suggested and field-tested over three seasons (2014–2017) for their effectiveness. The strategies included conservation agriculture, mulching, crop diversity, staggered planting, response farming, and supplementing crop-water requirements. The results showed that adaptation strategies such as conservation agriculture failed during long and severe dry spells and droughts and poor water resources limited the capacity to which supplementing crop-water requirements could be achieved. The language in weather forecasts and advisories was too technical, and the forecasts given were too course to have significant meaning at the local level. Lack of government support, lack of pro-poor financial schemes, and poor road infrastructure limited the capacity to which the smallholder farmers could manage climate extremes. The results showed that there are natural and financial barriers that limit the level of adaptation strategies and therefore development of adaptation strategies requires a holistic approach that is fully supported by correct policies.
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Gwenzi, J., Mashonjowa, E., Mafongoya, P.L. (2021). Barriers and Limits to Climate Change Management for Locally Developed Adaptation Strategies: Case Study of Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe District, Zimbabwe. In: Luetz, J.M., Ayal, D. (eds) Handbook of Climate Change Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57281-5_71
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