Cyclone Idai Impact on Women’s Livelihood in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Climate shocks in Zimbabwe have been of worry to the sustenance of women livelihoods. The study sought to assess climate shocks and women’s livelihood in Chimanimani. To recommend for future gender sensitive adaptation and mitigation measure. Positivist and interpretivist paradigm, mixed research design were used. Used sample of 1,464 women, questionnaires, interviews, direct observation and focus groups for data collection. Findings, women were actively engaged in agricultural and heavily affected by the cyclone. No special considerations for women livelihoods. Adaptation strategies were early recovery, conservation agriculture, water harvesting, climatic resilience crops and environmental education. The provision of food aid as emergency phase, cash for work, and food for work or assets. Noted mitigation were use of organic fertilisers to reduce greenhouse gases, improved cropping, grazing and agro-forestry practices. To increase biomass productivity and carbon sequestration, it was also noted that there is now more reinforcement on forestry legislation to reduced deforestation and promotion of afforestation/reforestation. Noted was policy gaps in a gender based approach to climate shocks resilience and preparedness, as there was a clear exhibition of ignorance on the fundamentals of gender based approaches to climate chock resilience, mitigation and preparedness in District. Recommend need to consolidate and mainstream policies in harmonizing the sustainability of women livelihoods in climate shock resilience undertakings and preparedness. Establishment of climate smart technology and investing in breeding drought resilient crop varieties. Gender mainstream of women livelihoods in climate shock resilience. Increased developmental initiatives on capacity building and to strengthen environmental education programmes.

Introduction

According to the WMO Conference (2006), the consequences of climate variability and climate change have developed from being a fable to a truth as the disastrous results of its harmful impacts are becoming more perceptible. The threat to human and food security essentials are being felt in a big and overwhelming way for all to observe. The disasters which have followed across the world are far reaching and the resultant repercussions of global warming permeating indiscriminately. The ever rising temperature and deterioration of the North and South Pole glaciers, rising sea water levels and opposite effects in other parts of the world, rainfall and droughts on mainland are the order of the day (Ncube et al., 2016). The trail of disasters that are threatening the existence of mankind on planet earth as the impacts are ravaging and as a result high mortality, disaster induced displacements, outbreak of diseases and the decimation of housing structures and the destruction of infrastructure is a repeated challenge. Women vulnerability is therefore increasing in this global matrix as they form the nucleus of the family heartbeat anchoring and supporting family in all facets. It is women who are likely to be exposed to the onslaught of climate change injuries creating food insecurities leading to uncertainty to humanity.

The rural and urban women sustain their livelihoods from a variety of entrepreneurial ventures and natural disasters pose a serious threat to their sources of livelihood notwithstanding their vulnerability (Ncube et al., 2016). Niang et al. (2014) reviewed that the growing inequality in developed countries as compared to developing countries on prioritising contingency and shocks on climate change effects on women is atrocious as the offensive of its results persist in wreaking havoc on communities and infrastructure unrestricted. Though there are conventions and platforms on climate change and it’s tall on women at global and regional levels respectively, the response of African countries is worrying for the reason that there is lack of prioritisation and preparedness in preventing the apparent threats to women and the sources of their livelihood (Nkomwa et al., 2014). There is impeccable evidence that natural disasters have worsened the plight of women resulting in their demise and children as appendages. It is against this background that the researchers sought to investigate on the climate shocks on women livelihood in Chimanimani District.

The continuing traces of climate change provoked natural disasters that have badly affected Chimanimani District over the years due to cyclones that have been predicted and forewarned prior to happening continue to present women as punch bags to these circumstances thus germinating endemic cycles of poverty due to lose of livelihoods (AGRITEX, 2019). Cyclone Idai was a classic example of one which had been put on air two weeks before it hit the anticipated path. This has formed a cycle of likely disasters with no means in place to lessen the potential negative impacts with particular interest on the livelihoods of women in this district. As contrasting to developed countries, Zimbabwe’s government evident in the case of Chimanimani District was left wanting as no clear strategies were in place to safeguard the livelihoods of women despite proof of vulnerability and affirmation that such a disaster was looming. The lack of clearness and uncertainty of measures to undertake by the responsible authorities in order to minimize the threats to livelihoods had serious corollary. There is no clear appreciation and understanding of whether it is a challenge of capacity to implement precautionary measures or it is rather a policy gap with regards to adaptation and resilience strategies for sustainable livelihoods to women. AGRITEX (2019) reviewed that there has been a challenge of complying with the paradigm shift from disaster management to disaster risk management, which has become the global and regional yardstick for climate change imperatives with gender approaches being a prerequisite.

The disaster management complex has exposed communities to disaster risks rather than mitigation of the impacts prior to their manifestation the current floods bedevilling Chimanimani is empirical evidence that shows the sustaining challenge to the Chimanimani community.

Therefore, the impacts on women’s livelihood are adverse and unlikely to be sustained under such circumstances. An investigation then into the livelihoods of women becomes pertinent. The main objective of this study was to assess and analysis the climate shocks and women’s livelihood in Zimbabwe, a case study of Chimanimani District. This was to recommend for future gender sensitive adaptation and mitigation measure to the study area.

Source : Cyclone Idai Impact on Women’s Livelihood in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe | InformativeBD