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Rethinking climate change research in Zimbabwe

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  • Sandra Bhatasara

    (Rhodes University)

Abstract

This paper offers a Foucauldian critique of climate change research in Zimbabwe. Indeed, climate change is arguably one of the most pressing challenges confronting this developing nation. As such, it has received considerable attention from a wide array of scholars. Certainly, very significant contributions have come from scholars who have deployed various models to establish trends in climate change as well as assess and predict its impacts particularly on agriculture. However, questions on how climate change is framed, how impacts are derived using various quantitative methods and models and even the language used in such studies have not been sufficiently debated. These questions emerge especially because of the numerous problematic dimensions that have been perpetuated in literature. Noticeable is that the conceptualisation of climate change is science driven and predominantly climate change is projected on a national scale and as a national and quantifiable phenomenon in mainstream academic and policy discourses. Similarly, understanding local level impacts using farmers’ perspectives is still not widely appreciated in the country. As such, there is no unified body of knowledge that considers discourses of local farmers in rural Zimbabwe to understand climate change and its impacts. This can be a fundamentally flawed trajectory that can perpetuate a seemingly universal and hegemonic discourse on climate change. This is neither desirable nor productive for the development of climate change knowledge as well as sustainable and inclusive adaptation policies and pathways in the country.

Suggested Citation

  • Sandra Bhatasara, 2017. "Rethinking climate change research in Zimbabwe," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 7(1), pages 39-52, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:7:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s13412-015-0298-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-015-0298-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mendelsohn, Robert & Nordhaus, William D & Shaw, Daigee, 1994. "The Impact of Global Warming on Agriculture: A Ricardian Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 753-771, September.
    2. Hilary Geoghegan & Catherine Leyson, 2012. "On climate change and cultural geography: farming on the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, UK," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 55-66, July.
    3. Michael Oppenheimer, 2013. "Climate change impacts: accounting for the human response," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 117(3), pages 439-449, April.
    4. Magadza, C. H. D., 1994. "Climate change: some likely multiple impacts in Southern Africa," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 165-191, April.
    5. Oecd, 2009. "Climate Change and Africa," OECD Journal: General Papers, OECD Publishing, vol. 2009(1), pages 5-35.
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    Cited by:

    1. Liboster Mwadzingeni & Raymond Mugandani & Paramu L. Mafongoya, 2021. "Assessing Vulnerability to Climate Change in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes of Zimbabwe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.

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