Matunhu Jephias, Mago Stephen, Matunhu Viola
Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Commerce and Law, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa.
Department of Development Studies, Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa.
Jamba. 2022 Feb 16;14(1):1194. doi: 10.4102/jamba.v14i1.1194. eCollection 2022.
Most Zimbabweans living in rural areas experience acute shortages of water for domestic and agricultural purposes. Household poverty amongst rural inhabitants is also increasing because of factors such as El Niño-induced droughts, overdependence on donor assistance and government's failure to invest in sufficient water infrastructure. The purpose of this article is to interrogate the initiatives that have been taken to alleviate food insecurity in Zimbabwe's rural communities. Under the spotlight are the strategies that rural communities and other stakeholders embraced to adapt to the effects of El Niño and to reduce food poverty. We used extensive literature review methodology and explorative qualitative design to investigate how rural communities and other stakeholders in Zimbabwe deal with the issues of food security in the context of persistent El Niño-induced droughts. The results show that rural communities in Zimbabwe continue to experience food security challenges that require collaboration between communities, government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders to build resilience against El Niño-induced droughts. Modernising water supply systems and agricultural management systems can improve the efficiency and effectiveness in food production and distribution.
大多数生活在津巴布韦农村地区的人面临着家庭和农业用水的严重短缺。由于诸如厄尔尼诺引发的干旱、过度依赖捐助援助以及政府未能投资足够的水利基础设施等因素，农村居民的家庭贫困状况也在加剧。本文的目的是审视为缓解津巴布韦农村社区粮食不安全状况而采取的举措。受到关注的是农村社区和其他利益相关者为适应厄尔尼诺影响及减少粮食贫困所采用的策略。我们运用广泛的文献综述方法和探索性定性设计，来调查津巴布韦的农村社区及其他利益相关者在持续的厄尔尼诺引发的干旱背景下如何应对粮食安全问题。结果表明，津巴布韦的农村社区继续面临粮食安全挑战，这需要社区、政府、非政府组织（NGO）及其他利益相关者之间开展合作，以增强抵御厄尔尼诺引发干旱的能力。使供水系统和农业管理系统现代化能够提高粮食生产和分配的效率与成效。
