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- Convenors:
-
Matthias Rompel
(GIZ - Justus Liebig University Giessen)
Jörn Ahrens (Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany)
Lameck Mwewa (Unicaf University Zambia)
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- Format:
- Panel
- Stream:
- Climate change
- Location:
- Room 1199
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 8 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
The panel reflects on the social impact of climate change in southern Africa. The panel is interested in risk perception, vulnerabilities, resilience, climate-induced social change, adaptation mechanisms, and in the asymmetries of knowledge production on the subject.
Long Abstract:
Mainstream climate science has so far mainly been coined by natural science perspectives and statistical climate models. However, in recent years social sciences have increasingly examined the effects of climate change on social conditions and cultural practices. A better understanding of the social impact of climate change, of vulnerabilities and political and cultural responses to the climate crisis, seems to be significant for the formulation of adequate responses to climate change. Still, scientific knowledge production and academic collaboration follows asymmetric patterns between Africa and Europe.
The southern African region is severely impacted by global climate change, with multiple stress factors that add up to pre-existing vulnerabilities: As a region which is already one of the world's poorest and where land and water resources are already under stress, it is warming up faster than other regions, with significant changes in rainfall patterns and extreme weather events. Such phenomena impair the functionality of agriculture, challenge infrastructures and economies, force people to migrate, alter urbanization, and transform daily routines, traditional institutions, and lifeworld interactions.
The panel aims to provide a platform for presenting the most recent research on the social impact of climate change in southern African societies. Thus, it is interested in aspects of risk perception, social vulnerabilities, strategies for resilience, climate-induced social change processes, and adaptation mechanisms to climate change. It also emphasizes epistemological analyses of the bases for knowledge available in southern African societies, and in asymmetries of knowledge production on the subject.
The panel will give special attention to papers by scholars based in Africa.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Wednesday 8 June, 2022, -Sosten Chiotha (LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa) Eunice Shame (Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD))
Paper long abstract:
The agriculture sector is the mainstay for livelihoods in Malawi, the majority being smallholder farmers. Smallholder farmers are among the most vulnerable groups to the impacts of climate change, a serious threat to food security and nutrition which also undermines poverty alleviation programmes. A four year programme (2017-2020) targeting highly vulnerable communities to climate change was implemented by LEAD in three extension planning areas in Eastern region of Malawi. With limited opportunities for income generation, climate change makes an already difficult situation worse for smallholder farmers through increased frequency of droughts, floods and in general through unreliable and poor seasonal rainfall distribution. This programme was designed to build socio and ecological resilience to climate change through several innovative climate smart interventions to improve land use practices, extension services, income generation, food security and nutrition. These included promoting drought tolerant and cover crops, integrating livestock into smallholder farming systems and promotion of village forest areas. Within 4 years, the adaptive capacity of the communities greatly improved against the base line. The positive impact outcomes and areas requiring improvement will be discussed.
Acknowledgement
LEAD implemented the programme as a subset of a wider programme by eight NGO’s in Malawi and Mozambique funded by NORAD through Development Fund of Norway.
Gabriel Faimau (University of Botswana)
Paper short abstract:
This paper focuses on three overarching questions: first, in what ways does climate change manifest itself in Botswana? Second, what are the adaptation options to climate change in Botswana? Third, what existing methods does Botswana have to monitor climate change?
Paper long abstract:
As climate change continues to be a global issue, local communities worldwide find it necessary to develop their adaptive capacity and coping mechanisms. Botswana has long been considered highly vulnerable to climate change as a semi-arid country. Climate and environmental changes thus have become fundamental issues in Botswana. This paper focuses on three overarching questions: first, in what ways does climate change manifest itself in Botswana? Second, what are the adaptation options to climate change in Botswana? Third, what existing methods does Botswana have to monitor climate change? In response to these questions, the paper will examine and provide a systematic review of the following documentary sources: 1) the climate change reports published by different agencies and NGOs; 2) scholarly works on climate change issues in Botswana; 3) Botswana media reports on climate change. This paper intends to uncover the local knowledge of climate change, epistemological approaches that underline analyses of climate and environmental change, and the availability of adaptation options to climate change in Botswana.
Rejoice Chipuriro (Bournemouth University)
Paper short abstract:
Climate crisis is gendered due to prevailing patriarchal structures reflected in social conditions and cultural practices biased towards men. The paper reviews gendered responses to the climate crisis whilst acknowledging women farmers’ agency in resisting marginalisation to mitigate climate risks.
Paper long abstract:
Climate crisis in Southern Africa has widened the inequality gaps further impoverishing vulnerable farmers whose livelihoods are being threatened by increasingly erratic rainfall patterns. In Zimbabwe, most poor farmers rely on rain-fed agriculture due to inadequate irrigation infrastructure and depleting water levels. Monoculture promoted as part of agriculture commercialisation has wiped out most drought resistant indigenous crops, compromising food security and biodiversity. Women bear the brunt of these natural disasters and declining food sources due to the prevailing patriarchal structures and gendered roles ascribing them the nurturing duties. The paper interrogates how climate change impacts on social conditions and cultural practices. It draws empirically from a qualitative study on historiography of 23 elderly women farmers in Mashonaland Central which is the second poorest province in Zimbabwe. It reviews gendered responses to the climate crisis whilst acknowledging women farmers’ agency in resisting marginalisation and their application of indigenous knowledge to mitigate climate risks.