Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

Climate change and variability is of great importance to the sustainability of livelihoods in African society. Slight disruptions in climate then become cause for concern, much pain, suffering and even loss of life results from hunger and starvation. Rural populations are the most affected and yet they have the least means odfc adapting or mitigating the effects of climate change. Most farmers in Africa lack access to information and resources which are relevant to their locations and communities. To address this gap, this study looked at the perceptions of small scale farmers of climate change, the factors influencing adaptation and the adaptation strategies they implemented. The study was exploratory in nature hence had a leaning toward qualitative paradigm, hence the data was collected using interviews, and was analysed for thematic content using the nVIVO statistical package for qualitative data analysis. The data was collected at Nswazi village in Matebeleland south, a semi-arid region that is prone to semi drought conditions and is no stranger to the scourging sun, one of the major findings of this study was noted when the respondents were quizzed on climate change and immediately launched into along anecdotes about the position of the ‘’gods’’ in their culture, which is indicative of the fact that to the African, everything is viewed through religious lens, the climate notwithstanding.