One of the most popular responses to drought – and disasters more generally – by aid agencies today is insurance. This fits the current development mood, requiring market-based solutions that operate at a distance and work seemingly ‘efficiently’, offsetting the … Continue reading → …
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Farming with variability: mobilising responses to drought uncertainties in Zimbabwe
Climate change is generating greater variability within and across seasons. This is requiring new responses among farmers in Masvingo province in Zimbabwe. Today, farmers must adapt, be flexible and agile and respond to uncertain seasons as they unfold. This requires … Continue reading → …
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What is drought? Local constructions, diverse perceptions
There is a huge government and aid machinery to respond to ‘drought’ in Zimbabwe. Humanitarian relief, cash-plus transfer schemes, shock-responsive aid, anticipatory action, insurance products, climate-smart development and much, much more, with millions of dollars spent. But what is ‘drought’, … Continue reading → …
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Contested conservancies: livestock, wildlife and people in Laikipia, Kenya
To complement the recent series of blogs on conservation and development issues in the southeast Lowveld of Zimbabwe, I thought readers might be interested in a recent piece I wrote for the PASTRES blog based on a visit to Laikipia … Continue reading → …
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Conservation conflicts: land use in Zimbabwe’s Lowveld
The conservation of biodiversity in places where people also live and farm is not straightforward. The last three blogs have offered some perspectives on the dilemmas faced in the southeast Lowveld of Zimbabwe, and this blog offers an overview. The … Continue reading → …
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Indonesian batik dress a hit at ZITF
Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) commenced yesterday, and already, the Indonesian Embassy stand has had heads rolling with its Batik dress. The fabric which will be sold on Saturday is made of cloth which is dyed with resistant wax and is of Indonesian origin. Batik hand-dyed cotton quilting fabrics are […] …
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Failing institutions: the challenge of governing natural resources in Zimbabwe
The much-lauded book, Why Nations Fail, argued that sustained economic progress only occurs when institutions work. This means enforcement of legal rules, clear secure access to land, regulations that are transparent, bureaucracies that function and of course – emerging out … Continue reading → …
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Protected areas: national assets or shared heritage?
What are the roles of protected areas in national development? Are parks national, even global, assets preserved for posterity and for protecting biodiversity, or are they part of a shared, local heritage, where nature and human use must be seen … Continue reading → …
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Exhibitors begin preps for ZITF
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter EXHIBITORS at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) have started working on their pavilions in readiness for the prime trade exhibition, ZITF deputy chief executive officer Ms Stella Nkomo said yesterday. The exhibitions will be held from 26 to 30 April under the theme: Rethink, Reimagine and Reinvent Value Chains […] …
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The trouble with elephants: why limits on culling are bad for conservation
Elephants are some of the most majestic animals in African savannahs, but they can also be the most destructive. This is witnessed dramatically if you travel to Gonarezhou National Park (appropriately, the ‘place of the elephants’) in the far southeast … Continue reading → …
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