Conrad Murendo, Lars Otto Naess and Kizito Mazvimavi

Youth and Climate change adaptation in Zimbabwe: Case of Chivi and Masvingo districts

• Climate change is one of the factors that will affect the shape of agriculture in the future

• Youths are bearer climate change effects

• Youth have a crucial role for the future shape of the agricultural sector

• Youth involvement in climate change adaptation adaptation strategies less researched

# Focus on rural youth (14-24 years)

Motivation

Research Questions

1. Are rural youths involved in climate change adaptation decision making?

2. Are rural youths participating in climate change adaptation strategies?

District Ward Name TotalMasvingo Charumbira 36

Mugabe 36Mhara 34

Chivi Dewe 36Utsinda 36Maringire 36

Total 214

MethodologyPrimary Data Collection

• October 2011 • Household questionnaire•2 villages per war•Stratified random sampling

Dry region (NRIV)Respondents scoring (1= high, 0 = low or no involvement)# Household members involvement in decision making and implementation of climate adaptation strategies# Over the last 12 months

Decision making in climate change adaptation (%)

Soil & water conservation(n=44)

Conservation agriculture(n=151)

Drought tolerant crops (n=142)

Fodder conservation (n=60)

Male head 81 61 61 68Spouse 2 10 11 3Joint male head & spouse 9 23 24 20

Male youth 8 4 1 7

Female youth 0 2 3 2

Total (%) 100 100 100 100

Youth: Few households MOSTLY where parents are mobile or ill (# Diaspora and HIV/AIDs)

Youth labour supply in Conservation AgricultureHousehold member category

Gender of household head

Proportion (%)Households

Pearson Chi-Square χ2 p - value

Male youth Female (n=77) 39

0.28 0.77Male (n=74) 37

Female youth Female (n=77) 36

5.7 0.03**Male (n=74) 31

• Around 35 % of households had youths providing labour for conservation agriculture activities: weeding, fertilizer application and harvesting.

• Average time worked per day: 3 hours

• Precision fertilizer application (MICRODOSING) under Conservation Agriculture

• Youths not trained in conservation agriculture ONLY household heads

Youth labour supply in Conservation of crop residues for dry season livestock feedingHousehold member category

Gender of household head

Proportion (%)households

Pearson Chi-Square χ2

p- value

Male youth Female (n=31) 32

0.10 0.87Male (n=29) 26

Female youth Female (n=31) 28

0.40 0.61Male (n=29) 26

About 27 % of households had youths providing labourNo differences by gender of youth and head

Crop residues for dry season livestock feeding

Summary• Third of households > Youth labour supply in climate risk

management strategies.

• Trainings exclude youths ONLY focus on household heads

• Training youths necessary especially in key activities like fertilization etc.

Emerging Research QuestionsTheme: Youth and climate change implications

Research questions which embrace heterogeneity 1. Differentiation within youth groups, for example between male

and female? 2. Youth in different wealth groups? 3. Youth and child headed households?

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