Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Drought (Drought coping strategies in southern Africa 1966-2016)
Período documentado: 2020-04-01 hasta 2022-03-31
The project addresses the inadequacies of drought coping initiatives in post-colonial southern Africa over half a century- 1966-2016. The study attempts to find lasting solutions to wide ranging drought risks, particularly scarcities in food, incomes, water and pastures. It researches in detail the elements of success and failure in drought solutions building upon layers of local experience of drought and drought coping.
Drought solutions are worthy studying because drought threats are huge, ongoing and worsening in a world experiencing hitherto unknown El Nino induced drought and life-threatening climatic changes. The project informs topical livelihood issues of profound socio-economic importance to millions of people. It has direct practical as well as academic value for drought responders like farmers, churches, donors, governments and NGOs. The results are quite important for society providing holistic knowledge, tangible and intangible drought mitigation measures in different southern African communities. Sustainable livelihood approaches in the study deploy factors and processes which either constrain or enhance poor people’s ability to make a living in an economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable manner.
The project interrogates and evaluates the efficacy of drought or shangwa coping measures. It aimed to build an evidence base which breaks new ground to facilitate the generation of practical and significant novel proposals for drought disaster preparedness and management in real-life socio-economic difficulties induced by intermittent drought. The project sought to tap into and rely largely on the knowledge of rural farmers rather than established authorities. It aimed to learn and gain insights by being genuinely consultative and by being grassroots based. ‘Experts’ and NGOs were not ignored but it was farmers who were central to the project. The project objectives created a grassroots discussion, crucially gathering drought coping ideas and experiences.
Drought solutions are worthy studying because drought threats are huge, ongoing and worsening in a world experiencing hitherto unknown El Nino induced drought and life-threatening climatic changes. The project informs topical livelihood issues of profound socio-economic importance to millions of people. It has direct practical as well as academic value for drought responders like farmers, churches, donors, governments and NGOs. The results are quite important for society providing holistic knowledge, tangible and intangible drought mitigation measures in different southern African communities. Sustainable livelihood approaches in the study deploy factors and processes which either constrain or enhance poor people’s ability to make a living in an economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable manner.
The project interrogates and evaluates the efficacy of drought or shangwa coping measures. It aimed to build an evidence base which breaks new ground to facilitate the generation of practical and significant novel proposals for drought disaster preparedness and management in real-life socio-economic difficulties induced by intermittent drought. The project sought to tap into and rely largely on the knowledge of rural farmers rather than established authorities. It aimed to learn and gain insights by being genuinely consultative and by being grassroots based. ‘Experts’ and NGOs were not ignored but it was farmers who were central to the project. The project objectives created a grassroots discussion, crucially gathering drought coping ideas and experiences.
Work undertaken focused mainly on data collection and analysis in southern Africa and Basel. Project results are a collection, identification and analysis of more than ten key drought coping measures synchronized with ten principal actors in drought management. Interviewed individual male and female children, youths and adult farmers enriched the project with data about children gathering fruit, family austerity measures in limiting expenses and food consumption, trading/vending youths and labor migration. Extended family members provided assistance in cash or kind to alleviate effects of drought. Male and female elders, traditional leaders like village heads and chiefs chaperoned the management and provisioning of scarce food, water and incomes from community grain banks, water points and thrift societies, respectively. Localized firewood and mining investment schemes generated much needed incomes. The cultivation of drought resilient plants, (eg millet & sorghum), de=stocking, selling cattle and switching to rearing drought resistant animals (eg goats and chickens) stood out as the foremost and durable drought coping strategies, albeit in combination with other measures. Humanitarian aid from churches, non-governmental organisations, local and central governments, bilateral and multilateral donor agencies and governments supplemented the dominant grass-root based drought coping strategies. Donor-community collaborations enhanced water availability at boreholes, water harvests in homesteads and sand wells. Such partnerships also enabled the development of climate smart agriculture, petty trade and crop/income diversification, increased/reliable food/water storage, conservation farming, drip irrigation, furrowing and leveling of fields. Such methods, however, are often affordable for vulnerable resource-poor farmers. Drought data was also collected from newspapers, bulletins and policy papers, drought evaluations reports and the extant drought secondary literature.
The research findings are being exploited through further analysis, presentations and works for publication. The project met key requirements in deliverables such as ethics and data management. Research ethics addressed issues of voluntary subject participation, the purpose and procedure of the study, risks, benefits, confidentiality and informed consent. The data management plan provided key points on a qualitative summary, data origin, size, use, accessibility, findability, openness and interoperability. A personal career development plan was completed alongside the attendance and completion of research methods and scientific training programs at the Graduate Center, mostly via zoom sessions. Regular meetings were held with the supervisor and grant office staff regarding the project plans and work in progress. The research findings have been discussed and shared with colleagues at zoom seminar presentations at the universities of Basel, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. White Horse Press has invited the researcher to submit a book manuscript on the project likely to be published in early 2024. An application for funding will be made to place the book on open access.
The research findings are being exploited through further analysis, presentations and works for publication. The project met key requirements in deliverables such as ethics and data management. Research ethics addressed issues of voluntary subject participation, the purpose and procedure of the study, risks, benefits, confidentiality and informed consent. The data management plan provided key points on a qualitative summary, data origin, size, use, accessibility, findability, openness and interoperability. A personal career development plan was completed alongside the attendance and completion of research methods and scientific training programs at the Graduate Center, mostly via zoom sessions. Regular meetings were held with the supervisor and grant office staff regarding the project plans and work in progress. The research findings have been discussed and shared with colleagues at zoom seminar presentations at the universities of Basel, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. White Horse Press has invited the researcher to submit a book manuscript on the project likely to be published in early 2024. An application for funding will be made to place the book on open access.
The project moves the field ahead developing holistic/hybrid drought coping strategies from traditional and modern drought mitigating techniques. For instance, indigenous knowledge on fauna-flora drought predication indicators add value to scientific drought weather forecasting. Knowledge of transition probabilities from a drought class to another, as well as the availability of forecasts of drought indices, and of the related confidence intervals, helps to improve the decision-making process for poorly resourced farmers, governments and donors. Also, husbandry in drought resilient fauna and flora holds the key to lasting drought solutions when married to climate smart agriculture which optimizes water/rainfall usage. Expected results from the project are more dissemination activities, pamphlets and a book manuscript. Given the more frequent occurrence of acute and severe drought, the project has wider socio-economic ramifications in proffering long term drought solutions. Drought threats are huge, ongoing and worsening due to life-threatening climate changes such as increasing temperatures and low rainfall. The project informs topical livelihood food, water and income issues of profound socio-economic importance to millions of people. It opens new questions and directions for present and future research important for society in providing holistic knowledge, tangible and intangible drought mitigation measures.