Over the last four weeks, the blog has explored the changing face of urban agriculture across our sites in Chikombedzi, Triangle/Hippo Valley, Maphisa, Masvingo, Chatsworth and Mvurwi. We have explored the growth of urban agriculture and its different forms (backyard, … Continue reading → …
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ZimbabweLand
Urban agriculture: surviving in a collapsing economy
Over the last few weeks, we have looked at urban agriculture in different parts of Zimbabwe; from a city like Masvingo to small towns and growth points like Chikombedzi, Triangle/Hippo Valley, Maphisa, Chatsworth and Mvurwi. In all cases we see … Continue reading → …
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Urban agriculture in Zimbabwe: a photo story
Over the last few weeks the team from Chikombedzi, Triangle, Matobo, Masvingo, Chatsworth and Mvurwi have been exploring the growth of urban agriculture and its implications for wider food systems. They have talked to many urban producers and taken photos … Continue reading → …
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Changing food systems in Zimbabwe: shifts from rural to urban production
Last week’s blog discussed the massive growth of urban agriculture in Zimbabwe. How is this affecting the wider food system? What are the impacts on traditional sources of production in the rural areas? And what was the role of the … Continue reading → …
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The growth of urban agriculture in Zimbabwe
The growth of urban agriculture in Zimbabwe has been phenomenal. Every space seems to be cultivated, with a huge array of crops. Today you see tractors, irrigation pumps, trucks carrying produce to markets, with significant investments in commercialised agriculture happening … Continue reading → …
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How to respond to ‘drought’: rethinking standard approaches
Over the last four weeks, a blog series has asked what is the best way to respond to ‘drought’? This is an important question for a country like Zimbabwe, and with climate change the question will become even more important. … Continue reading → …
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Rethinking disaster responses: from risk to uncertainty
Previous blogs in this series have highlighted how farmers’ responses to ‘drought’ are focused on adaptive adjustments to farming and livelihood practices that unfold as a ‘performance’. A drought is not a single event, but emerges over time, and responses … Continue reading → …
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Insuring against disaster: the politics of protection
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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