Prospects and Challenges for Climate-Smart Communities in Rural Southern Africa

Resilience to climate change has taken centre stage in the development discourse. The adoption of climate-smart strategies in rural areas is essential for achieving sustainable development. This study determined the prospects and challenges of climate-savvy communities in rural Southern Africa. The study conducted a systematic review and content analysis to derive insights into the challenges and prospects for climate-smart communities in rural Southern Africa. The study reviewed 68 publications in the period 2005–2023 using the Scopus database. Findings show that rural communities are exposed to the effects of extreme weather events primarily due to their dependence on the natural environment for livelihood. Attention is paid to the operational performance of local and public institutions in promoting adaptation and resilience. The literature underscores the role of stakeholder participation and partnerships to achieve effective adaptive capacity building in the context of climate change. There are promising prospects for a climate-smart rural Southern Africa, although several barriers have to be overcome to achieve this desired outcome. There is a need for increased education and dissemination of information to promote the development of sustainable, smart rural communities and research to inform the transition to climate-smart rural communities in the region.