The State of Climate Resilience in Rural Communities in Southern Africa: Case Study of Dryland Regions of Zimbabwe

The resilience of rural communities in Southern Africa is challenged by environmental and socio-economic shocks such as climate change, hyperinflation, diseases and market instability. Understanding rural resilience is crucial to developing climate-smart societies. This study assesses the resilience of communities in Zimbabwe’s drylands, examining the relationship between the components of the climate resilience capacity index and the total resilience index. Using a systematic review of the literature and data from the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) collected between 2019 and 2021, the findings reveal that frequent droughts significantly compromise resilience. Crop diseases, pests and farming practices, such as crop and livestock production, also impact resilience. Cattle ownership and reliance on indigenous crops such as sorghum and pearl millet improve resilience compared to maize cultivation. Given the socio-economic and environmental similarities across Southern Africa’s drylands, these findings can be generalised to the region. The key factors influencing resilience include education, training, access to information, land tenure, agro-processing training, market distance and income diversification. The study recommends improving climate information systems and mobilising resources to address the root causes of climate vulnerability from a policy and strategic perspective.