Asset Portfolios in Climate Change Adaptation and Food Security: Lessons From Gokwe South District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Climate variability and change are projected to continue impacting many of the poor and small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to examine how small-scale farmers in the Gokwe South district of Zimbabwe are building their adaptive capacity and resilience against climate change and achieving food security. Primary data was collected using questionnaires both in structured and semi-structured interviews, and participatory observations through a transect walk for physical observations. The study utilised the participatory climate change asset adaptation appraisal (PCCAA), as a methodological and analytical framework, to explore the different ways in which the small-scale farmers in the Gokwe South district of Zimbabwe are building their adaptive capacity and resilience against climate change. The study also explores the factors that influence small-scale farmers’ adoption of climate change adaptation and food security. The small-scale and rural farmers in Zimbabwe are not passive actors but are actively involved in developing innovative local adaptation strategies using an array of available assets. Findings from this study noted that asset absence or its replacement with the ‘wrong’ mix of assets and asset erosion exacerbated the food insecurity in the Gokwe South district.