Browsing by Author "Jiri, Obert."

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Climate change and variability impacts on crop production in the low potential smallholder farming regions of Zimbabwe.
(2016) Jiri, Obert.; Mafongoya, Paramu L.; Chivenge, Pauline.
Climate change and variability is one of the most serious global problems affecting many sectors in the world. It is considered to be one of the most serious threats to sustainable development with adverse impact on environment, human health, food security, economic activities, natural resources and physical infrastructure. Southern Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world, particularly because of widespread poverty, recurrent droughts, inequitable land distribution, over-dependence on rain-fed agriculture and low adaptive capacity. Yet rural farmers in southern Africa have managed to survive the vagaries of climate change over the years. The central argument in this study was that coping and adaptation strategies to climate change by local smallholder farming communities in Zimbabwe who traditionally relied on indigenous knowledge systems are at risk and less effective because the use of indigenous knowledge systems is becoming unreliable due to climate change and variability. The main objective of this study was to identify local smallholder farmers’ perceptions to climate change and variability and the influence of indigenous knowledge systems in deciding and adopting coping and adaptation strategies. This study used a combination of participatory and field data collection tools in Chiredzi District, one of the areas affected by climate change impacts in Zimbabwe. Household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews were done in selected wards in the district. Field trials were done to identify climate smart cropping options to assist farmers in coping and adapting to climate change and variability. The results indicate that farmers use a variety of local indicators for weather forecasting and climate prediction, for adapting to climate change and variability. Integrating indigenous knowledge systems with climate scientists’ efforts can contribute to effective on-farm adaptation initiatives. One objective of this research was to identify IKS used by farmers to predict seasonal weather patterns, and the subsequent adaptation strategies. The information was collected using focus group discussions, household survey, and ethnographic interviews. Most farmers (72.2%) indicated that low rainfall is the major limitation to agricultural production. Without reliable local scientific weather forecasts the farmers use tree phenology, animal behaviour and atmospheric circulation as sources of local knowledge to predict the onset and quality of the season. These forecasts are then used for designing crop choices, planting dates and agronomic practices. Study results obtained show that the use of IKS in local farming communities is an effective way of building coping and adaptation strategies. The results revealed that IKS are being eroded and becoming less accurate in seasonal weather prediction. Therefore, future studies on IKS should use multiple methods that combine indigenous knowledge and scientific weather data in order to obtain more complete and accurate information for local area season quality prediction. Another study objective was to examine farmer perceptions on climate variability, current adaptive strategies and establish factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate change. The results showed that farmers perceived that there has been a decrease in annual rainfall and an increase in average temperatures. A linear trend analysis of rainfall and temperature data from 1980 to 2011 corroborated the farmers’ perceptions. Farmers’ adaptation options included adjusting planting dates and crop diversification. Off-farm income has reduced the dependence of the farmers on agriculture. A multinomial regression analysis showed that socio-economic factors such as gender, age, number of cattle owned, land size and average crop yields influenced farmer adaptation strategies. We conclude that although farmers are diverse in their socio-economic attributes, they exhibit homogeneous perceptions on changes in climate, which are consistent with observations of empirical climate data. These perceptions help to shape smallholder farmer coping and adaptation strategies. The variability of climate demands the use of a variety of agronomic strategies and crop choices in order to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change and variability. Traditional drought tolerant crops such as sorghum are often chosen when drought seasons are anticipated. However, there are certain crops, originating elsewhere, that could help the smallholder farmers increase diversity of crops that can be grown in changed climates. One such crop is tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolias). Resource poor farmers, affected by drought effects of climate change, can adopt climate smart crops to achieve food, nutritional and heath security from combinations of cereals and legumes. This study revealed that these rural farmers are highly vulnerable and resilient, largely using indigenous knowledge systems to cope and adapt to climate change. Availability and access to scientific weather information to make cropping and other decisions at the local level remain key issues to usage of climatic data by rural farmers. One the other hand, indigenous knowledge is what they have been using but is also becoming unreliable due to climate change, increasing vulnerability and demanding more resilience. Integration of indigenous knowledge and scientific seasonal forecast seems to be a key possible thrust to reduce vulnerability, enhance resilience of rural farmers and increase their adaptive capacity. This study concludes that farmers can use indigenous knowledge systems to make adaptation decisions. However, there is need to integrate indigenous knowledge systems and scientific knowledge to reduce vulnerability and increase adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers. Climate smart crops provide a useful option for farmers affected by climate change and variability to improve food and nutritional security and livelihoods.
Integration of indigenous knowledge systems and modern climate science: development of a mobile application to improve smallholder agricultural production.
(2019) Ubisi, Nomcebo Rhulani.; Kolanisi, Unathi.; Jiri, Obert.
In sub Saharan Africa, subsistence agriculture underpins rural livelihoods. However, climate change has negatively affected rural smallholder farming due to over-dependence on climate-sensitive rain-fed agriculture. The effects of climate change have become the most critical issue for rural smallholder farmers. Rural smallholder farmers are greatly impacted by climate change and variability, leading to reduced crop yields, crop failure, loss of assets and livelihood opportunities. However, despite such challenges, farming continued to sustain livelihoods in rural areas over the years. Traditionally, African rural smallholder farmers have relied on their indigenous knowledge (IK) to sustain themselves, maintain their cultural identity as well as understanding climate and weather patterns for their decision-making at a farm level. However, the increase in rainfall variability in the past few years associated with climate change has reduced the reliability of IK. To address such challenges, the study suggests the integration of indigenous knowledge with modern climate science at a local level, to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change. The aim of the study was to establish commonly used indigenous knowledge indicators for climate and weather forecasts predictions and smallholder farmers’ perceptions on the integration of the two knowledge systems as well as the use of mobile app technology to improve agricultural production in Nkomazi Local Municipality, South Africa. The study information was collected through both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data were collected from twelve villages, sampling 100 participants, 8 key informant interviews, transact walk conducted with a small group of farmers (maximum 5) and eight focus group discussions in Nkomazi Local Municipality. ArcMap 10.7.1 was used to map the distribution of indigenous indicators used by Nkomazi smallholder farmers and the Poynton model was used to predict the impact of the increasing temperature on smallholder farmers’ production using the plant and animal indigenous climate indicators in these villages, and SPSS 25 was used to analyse the quantitative data as well as Excel 2016. Qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. From the transect walks and focus group discussions, the study findings revealed that many of the Nkomazi smallholder farmers relied more on their indigenous knowledge (IK) than on scientific weather forecasts (SWFs) for farm level decision-making. The findings also revealed that elderly people passed down indigenous knowledge to them during field practices and through casual conversation as they were regarded as custodians of the indigenous knowledge systems. However, lack of IKS documentation is been the biggest challenge facing those farmers. Smallholder farmers' indigenous knowledge on weather foresting was compared with empirical evidence from Komati weather station from 1993-2018, and there were similarities on both knowledge systems. Further, it was revealed that there were different indigenous climate indicators utilised by Nkomazi smallholder farmers to predict weather forecasts. These indicators included certain patterns and behaviour of plants and animals, atmospheric, astronomic and human ailments. Animal indicators (31%) were the most commonly used followed by plant indicators (26%). The documentation of major climatic events recalled by the smallholder farmers over the study area agreed with what was collected from the rainfall and temperature data. Data from the South African Weather Services highlighted that Nkomazi rainfall has reduced greatly in the years 2000 and 2010 with 40 mm/year, with the highest temperature increase in 2003 (340). Poynton model predicted the indigenous indicators distribution with increasing temperature by 50C. The model predicted negative results with increasing temperature. Meaning that farmers would lose their indigenous indicators for weather predictions to make farm level decisions. Therefore, to address these challenges and help smallholder farmers adapt to the changing environment, the study suggests the need for reliable weather forecasts to guide the farmer's decision-making at a local level. To improve sustainability, efficient documentation of indigenous knowledge and the creation of a framework for integrating the two knowledge systems in weather forecasting is needed. Importantly, there is a great need to create an information dissemination network for weather forecasting within local municipalities. To achieve household food security, both knowledge systems should be integrated for farmers to make informed decisions. Therefore, mobile App development for rural smallholder farmers will bridge the gap and act as a key driver to reduce smallholder farmers' vulnerability to climate change and enhance resilience to improve productivity as it will focus on improving agricultural production. The mobile application for agricultural and rural development is a software that was designed for the collection and transmission of Indigenous knowledge information and modern climatic data through mobile (Web Application) technology for rural smallholder farmers. This mobile app is meant to provide practical indigenous knowledge system (IKS) used by smallholder farmers. The development of the mobile app will focus on improving agriculture production with functions such as providing climate and market information, increasing access to extension services, facilitating market links ability of sending chats/enquiries to App manager through sending chats and pics by farmers as well as IKS documentation. It will be accessible to smallholder farmers, extension officers and produce buyers. This mobile App will provide significant economic and social benefits among smallholder farmers by reducing product losses, improving agricultural production and providing the opportunity to make our developing country more globally competitive. It will include a non-redundant database (fast) that will include easy capturing of data. This system is user friendly and will be available as a light to load secure Web Application (Both Computer and Mobile). This App will contribute to the field through integrating IKS and modern science. It will assist in transforming, documenting and disseminating IKS information as well as improved accessibility of information through technology and contributing to diffusion of technology as we heading towards the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Urban and peri-urban agriculture: an analysis of the perceptions and use of food sovereignty among low-income dwellers in Harare, Zimbabwe.
(2018) Chihambakwe, Michelle Tendai.; Mafongoya, Paramu L.; Jiri, Obert.
Urbanisation has transfigured the urban landscape and heightened food acquisition within cities. Urbanisation, coupled with systemic socio-economic, political and climatic challenges, has heightened food security concerns. Food sovereignty, which is grounded agroecological and political centred principles has been touted as an alternative avenue to attaining food security. Yet, studies investigating agricultural issues frame responses seldom consider alternatives to the food security approach and rarely examine the urban dynamic. By unfurling extensively debated concepts of urban and peri-urban agriculture and food sovereignty, considers the interaction between food and politics. Mixed methods was employed to identify and draw on indicators associated with food sovereignty principles such as food security and nutrition, the impact of institutional arrangements, climate change adaptation and agroecological practices. Multiphase sampling was used to draw data from 400 urban farmers from four study sites in Harare, including 35 participants in four focus group discussions and eight key informant interviews. Ordinal, binary and multinomial logistic regression was used to analyse quantitative data and NVivo was used to analyse the qualitative data. To reinforce our analysis, Henri Lefebvre’s Right to the City and the Food Sovereignty Framework were used for exploring practices and processes holistically. By so doing, we explored the use and benefits of food sovereignty and corresponding constraints were explored. The key finding is that the practices of urban farmers resonated with food sovereignty, however, lack of attention to UPA, inadequate land, lack of information, undervalued indigenous crops and deteriorating economic environment reduced their control over productive and consumptive practices. This negatively affected their ability to apply principles of food sovereignty to their food systems. Findings also confirm that not all forms of UPA are inherently agroecological, particularly for those that cultivated on a large scale. These findings prompt a re-casting of urban and peri-urban agriculture. Recognition that intricacies produced by the interaction of socio-economic, political and environmental vulnerabilities also affect urban dwellers and concerted effort to pursue alternative avenues have the potential to reinforce food security at both household and national level. It is therefore critical for authorities to formulate policies that support urban and peri-urban agriculture in order to address urban food insecurity.