article · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Rural small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face severe challenges from climate change because their agricultural activities rely heavily on rainfall while access to finance, equipment, and inputs remains limited. In Zimbabwe, these constraints hinder crop production and threaten livelihoods. An assessment using participatory research methods examines how rural communities adapt to drought and water scarcity. Farmers actively implement several climate-smart measures, such as optimal water resource utilisation, adopting early maturing seeds, soil and water conservation, and nutrient management techniques. They also integrate cost-effective labour strategies and post-harvest storage facilities. Evaluating these initiatives demonstrates how local practices can improve crop yields, mitigate the effects of climate variability, and strengthen household resilience in line with sustainable development goals focused on ending poverty and hunger.
Climate variability severely threatens food security and rural livelihoods across sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding how smallholder farmers successfully implement low-cost conservation, water management, and crop strategies provides essential insight for development organisations and policymakers working to safeguard food production and reduce poverty in drought-prone regions.
The findings point to practical opportunities for seed suppliers, agricultural input providers, and storage solution developers targeting smallholder markets. The focus on early maturing seeds, nutrient management, and post-harvest storage suggests applied, field-tested interventions already in active use by rural farmers, which could be scaled through tailored agri-business distribution and extension programmes.
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Climate change is one of the most significant challenges many rural farmers face in sub-Saharan Africa, as most agricultural practices are rainfed dependent. Many of these rural farmers are small-scale farmers with limited access to financial assets, agricultural equipment, and inputs. With a rapidly changing climate and limited access to agricultural resources, many rural farmers in Zimbabwe have found it extremely difficult to engage in meaningful crop production activities and secure their livelihoods and incomes. This paper employs participatory research methods to examine adaptive strategies adopted by rural farmers. The strategies include optimal water resource utilisation, early maturing seed adoption, soil and water conservation (SWM), and nutrient management techniques (NMT). Cost-effective integration of labour and post-harvest storage facilities is also considered. Rural farmers, despite constraints, actively engage in these adaptive practices. The study assesses the effectiveness of initiatives to enhance crop production and build resilience against climate variability. Discussion centers on the comprehensiveness of these adaptive techniques within the broader framework of sustainable development goals, focusing on goals 1 (No Poverty) and 2 (Zero Hunger). The findings contribute to understanding and promoting resilience among vulnerable households facing climate-related challenges.
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DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1298908
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