The world bank group paper highlights how humaninduced climate change is likely to intensify natural climate variability in zimbabwe. Mpofu senior lecturer, department of geography and environmental studies, zimbabwe open university. Climate change, variability and sustainable agriculture in. Reclassification of agroecological regions of zimbabwe. Subsaharan africa has been portrayed as the most vulnerable region to the impacts of global climate change because of its reliance on agriculture which is highly sensitive to weather and climate variables such as temperature, precipitation, and light and extreme events and low capacity for adaptation. In the process of trying to overcome the new threats, the region also creates opportunities for new development 10. This study reclassifies the agroecological regions natural regions of zimbabwe using soil data, meanannual rainfall and length of growing season. The impacts of climate change in zimbabwe are likely to stall the countrys development, pose a serious risk to food security and adaptive. Pdf climate change and variability in southeast zimbabwe. We estimate the effects of climate variability and change on agricultural revenues of smallscale farmers in kenya. Whereas climate change is defined by the ipcc 2014, p. Climate change, vulnerablity and adapatation in zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was divided into five agroecological regions in the 1960s, however, the increased variability of rainfall has possibly affected the agroecological region boundaries.
Research on the impacts of climate change in zimbabwe shows that the. Spatiotemporal variations of wetlands in masvingo district of zimbabwe and influences of climate change and variability. Methodology a field study was conducted in two districts of zimbabwe, seke and murewa in mashonaland east province. Zimbabwe has not been spared of these drastic changes in the rainfall pattern. Climate change and variability have resulted in a shift in the rainfall patterns in many parts of the world. Studies show that agriculture in zimbabwe is sensitive to climate change and significantly lower agricultural yields and reduce the plant crop growth. According to the meteorological services of zimbabwe, since 1987 the country has experienced its six warmest years on.
In zimbabwe research and literature on the impact of climate variability on agricultural productivity as well as the adaptation strategies devised by the rural poor is scant if not non. This study sought to understand the impact of climate change on the livelihoods of local communities, focusing on matobo district in zimbabwe. Climate variability and change pose a significant threat to sustainable development and poverty reduction in zimbabwe. Impacts of climate change and climate variability on. Climate records demonstrate that zimbabwe is already beginning to experience the effects of climate change, notably rainfall variability and extreme events. The effects of climate change and variability on food security in. Climate change is affecting the most vulnerable in zimbabwe. Climate change and variability national centers for. The effects of climate change and variability on food.
The intergovernmental panel on climate change ipcc forecasts 2050 per cent reduction in yields of staples in southern africa. A questionnaire survey was carried out in southeastern zimbabwe to capture the views and perceptions of regions households on issues of climate change and variability. Observations are made from the altered rainfall, temperatures, onset and cessation of rainfall patterns, and. Climate change is inevitably resulting in changes in climate variability and in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration, and timing of extreme weather and climate events. Coping with drought and climate change cwdcc in zimbabwe. The project, coping with drought and climate change in zimbabwe, worked to enhance the capacity of agricultural and pastoral communities in zimbabwe to adapt to climate variability and change. This outcome is already evident in zimbabwe figure 2. Climate change and variability in southeast zimbabwe.
With examples from selected protected areas in southern africa, this chapter highlights studies on detected climate changes particularly rainfall and temperature, outlines the predicted and observed impacts of climate change and variability on wildlife resources in savannah. The study aimed to show the climate change scenarios and explore possible opportunities that could be. Chapter 3 describes the dataset used for this analysis along with the methodology, focusing on the estimation of the impact of rainfall variability on. The impacts of climate change on zimbabwe are already being felt throughout all socioeconomic sectors. Climate variability and climate change 8 effects of global warming on the climate system 8 acclimatization, adaptation and mitigation 8 climate change and food security 9 agriculture, climate and food security 9 food security and climate change. Any part of this manual may be freely reproduced as long as the meaning of the text. Mandated at least every four years by the global change research act of 1990, the u. The impacts of climate change in zimbabwe are likely to stall the countryys development, pose a serious risk to food security and adaptive capacity. The global warming of the past 50 years is primarily due to human activities, predominantly the burning of fossil fuels. This paper sought to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the impact of climate change and variability on subsistence agriculture and the adaptation. In particular, there is a paucity of literature which attempts to disaggregate vulnerability to climate.
Per capita water availability is forecast to fall by as much as 38 percent by 2050, even under a low population growth rate. We use a balanced panel household data set collected in 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2010 from eight agroregional zones and climate data from 1980 to 2010. The country is particularly vulnerable due to endemic poverty, limited coping capacity and a highly variable climate. It emerged in the study that some of effects of climate variability felt by communal farmers in bikita included failure of crops, death of livestock and low crop yields, all of which have led to. A lot of researches have been done on the negative impacts and challenges caused by extreme weather conditions due to climate change and variability. Climate change has posed a serious threat on food security in developing countries in africa. In zimbabwe, tourism is a fundamental tool for development that depends on the rich natural resource base to attract international tourists.
Chipindu3 department of land and water resources, midlands state university, p. Climate change, livelihoods, semiarid regions, zimbabwe 1. The shift in climatic conditions over the subsaharan region towards semi. Pdf this book gives a brief overview of the causes of climate change and then goes into detail about the projected impacts of climate change in. Climate change, 2018, 415, 235247 publication license this work is licensed under a creative commons attribution 4.
Rainfall data from selected meteorological stations. Climate variability, adaptation strategies and food. Changing farming practices is one important means of adaptation. In zimbabwe, climate variability impacts on freshwater resources affect sustainable development for example, the reduction of poverty and child mortality. Climate is a key factor affecting the characteristics of natural physical systems.
Climate variability is already affecting zambia, and projected climate change impacts include rises in temperature, shifts in precipitation, and possible. Understanding adaptation to climate variability in. This has led developing countries to heavily rely on foreign aid in the form of food handouts to avert hunger. Not many researches have been focused on the positive side in form of opportunities presented due to climate change. Climate change can be used in southeastern zimbabwe as catalyst to reorient the development goals and targets of the region to those that are climate change resistant. Climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in. Climate change, climate variability and extreme events. The likely impacts of climate change on the vulnerability of resourcepoor smallholder farmers and livestock farmers need to be better understood, so that resilience to current climate variability as well as to the risks associated with longerterm climate change can be gauged and appropriate actions taken to increase or restore. The impacts of climate change on food security and health. The primary project objective was to demonstrate and promote adoption of a range of gendersensitive approaches for adaptation to climate change among rural communities. Both have a direct and essential impact on human existence.
Climate change is the most serious global challenge of our time. Climate, which is generally defined as average weather, is usually described in terms of the mean and variability of temperature, precipitation, and wind over a period of time. But while its strong, theres something more powerful. Climate change and variability in subsaharan africa. Introduction the reality of climate change is now a wellaccepted reality and there is emerging evidence that climate change. This issues paper on climate change and water resources planning, development and management was prepared with support from the analytical multi donor trust fund amd tf under the flexible technical assistance for the water sector in zimbabwe managed by michael webster senior water and sanitation specialist of the world bank office in harare. Impact of climate change on food security and health in southern africa two of the most important issues impacted on by climate change described above in southern africa are food security and human health. Climate 1 zimbabwe is endowed with abundant human and natural resources, and these resources are interdependent. An assessment of community vulnerability to climate change in the lupane district of matabeleland north, zimbabwe thomas p. Households selected to take part in the survey were randomly chosen using the arcview gis random points generator points.
Communities have considerable experience in adapting to climate variability, and. Climate change i climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in zimbabwe i iied climate change working paper no. Climate change in zimbabwe 2 in this chapter we look at the current state of people, land and economy in zimbabwe, allowing us to see how climate change will impact on these sectors later in chapter 3. Research article 415, july september, 2018 climate. National climate assessment, global climate is changing and this is apparent across the united states in a wide range of observations. Climate change and water resources planning, development. Effects of climate variability and change on agricultural. Adaptation to current or expected climate variability involves and changing climate conditions adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate stimuli or their effects, which moderates harm or exploits beneficial opportunities ipcc 2001. The last three decades in zimbabwe have seen increased variability in the seasonal distribution of rainfall, an increase in day. Climate change and variability pose a threat to wildlife resources in semiarid savannahs. Even with optimal water management, it is very likely that negative impacts on sustainable development cannot be avoided. Climate variability and vulnerability to climate change.
Abstract the literature on climate change in zimbabwe continues to grow, but literature specifically focusing on how people in rural communities are responding. Dorward4 1 international crop research institute for the semiarid tropics icrisat, p. The paper examines the widespread effects of climate change and variability on food security in zimbabwe. Little research has been carried out on climate change in zimbabwe over the past 5 years. The study aimed to show the climate change scenarios and explore possible opportunities that could be derived from such scenarios in the southeastern region of zimbabwe. Research article 415, july september, 2018 climate change. An assessment of community vulnerability to climate. Zimbabwe, mozambique, lesotho, swaziland and south africa. A case of charewa, mutoko a thesis submitted in fullfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy of rhodes university by sandra bhatasara january 2015 supervisor. Mugandani and others published reclassification of agroecological regions of zimbabwe in conformity with climate variability. The frequency of leishmaniasis epidemics in subsaharan africa is changing, with spatial spread to periurban areas and to adjacent geographic regions, with. Zimbabwes national climate change response strategy. Urgent climate change programming steps must be taken to prevent a livelihoods catastrophe in semi arid regions in subsaharan africa. Climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptation in zimbabwe.
The effects of climate change in zimbabwe one young world. An understanding of the emerging trends of climate change and its effects in local ecologies is an important starting point in addressing the negative effects of climate change. This paper assesses the evidence of climate variability and change and its potential impact on the global tourist resort of victoria falls, zimbabwe. Changes in climate may exacerbate preexisting socioeconomic development challenges, with. More specifically, analysis of climate variability and change using meteorological data from weather stations across uganda reveals that ugandas climate is varying and changing from the norm. The national climate change response strategy was among the processes that sought to establish specific provisions for dealing with climate changes issues. Zimbabwe has not been spared from the effects of global warming. In zimbabwe research and literature on the impact of climate variability on agricultural productivity as well as the adaptation strategies devised by the rural poor is scant if not non existant.
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