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Contract Farming and Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Zimbabwe
Emmanuel Ndhlovu and Kaitano Dube
Published: 2024/03/01
Abstract
The literature on contract farming in Zimbabwe has blind spots in relation to the study of how this agribusiness model can be used as a climate change response. While there are abundant literatures on contract farming and climate change, there is not much that makes a connection between contract farming and climate change adaptation. This article fills this gap. The article draws on in-depth interviews with ten contracted and ten non-contract farmers in the Chipinge South Constituency. The study found that contract farming boosts productivity and enables farmers to respond positively to the challenges of climate change, such as new pests and diseases, floods, droughts, and shifting seasons. The results support the possibility that contract farming can play a role in climate adaptation. Future research should explore more viable and sustainable ways through which the state, instead of private sector actors, could be at the center of contract farming. Keywords: Climate change, Contract farming, Coping, Adaptation strategies, Zimbabwe
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