Will Adaptation Carry the Future? Questioning the Long-term Capacity of Smallholder Farmers’ Adaptation Strategies against Climate Change in Gwanda District, Zimbabwe

Globally, smallholder farmers are adapting to the negative effects of climate change. This paper uses sustainability lenses to interrogate the capacity of current adaptation strategies used by smallholder farmers in Gwanda District, Zimbabwe. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were held with smallholder farmers, non-governmental organisation representatives, and Agriculture and Extension Services Department (AGRITEX) personnel to understand current adaptation methods used by smallholder farmers and the potential of those strategies to continue delivering positive results into the future. The study found out that most adaptation methods currently being promoted such as conservation agriculture and small grains have various implementation challenges which threaten their sustainability as long-term adaptation methods. Among other recommendations, this paper proposes that more research should be directed at understanding low-cost, labour friendly technologies and strategies for use with current adaptation methods in order to reduce the labour strain on ageing rural populations.