Academic literature on the topic 'Organization change – Zimbabwe'

Subject area Organisational behaviour, business reengineering and management of change, human resources management. Study level/applicability This case study is intended for undergraduate and post-graduate management degrees. It includes courses on organizational behaviour, human resources management, marketing, business management, travel and tourism and strategic management. Case overview Zim-Zum Welcome Hotel is a hotel in Zimbabwe in the travel and tourism sector. It was facing high turnover of employees and this was affecting the business through continuous hiring and training. The organization decided to introduce changes completely changing the way it does things, focusing on satisfying employees as well as customers. The new approach yielded favourable results, labour turnover dropped significantly and business improved greatly. In an effort to improve service, and increase profit, Zim-Zum has begun radically changing the way it hires, trains and deploys frontline workers. Management also examined how waiters and waitress do their job and concluded that there was supposed to be a division of labour between them and culinary staff. Management of Zim-Zum believe that companies that excel at managing frontline workers understand that excellent service is more than just a transaction. Expected learning outcomes Students can focus on: the importance of redesigning work so that superior service satisfies both the employee and the customer; human resources management is an important factor in improving employee performance and business performance; the importance of external and internal customers in improving company performance.

This study aims to examine the role of UNAIDS in efforts to reduce the rate of HIV / AIDS sufferers in Zimbabwe. The research method used is qualitative with secondary data techniques in the form of books, journals, documents, and various valid sources. All data were analyzed qualitatively. The results of this study indicate that UNAIDS as an international organization has become an aid and channel of foreign aid to Zimbabwe in collaboration with the Zimbabwean government to reduce the level of sufferers in the country. The existence of UNAIDS in Zimbabwe has affected the reduction of HIV / AIDS sufferers. However, this collaborative effort has constraints on Zimbabwe's unfavorable economic and human resource conditions. Apart from that, the cultural factor of society which is quite difficult to accept changes in something is also an obstacle. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran UNAIDS dalam upaya penurunan tingkat penderita HIV/AIDS di Zimbabwe. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulan data-data sekunder berupa buku, jurnal, dokumen, dan berbagai sumber valid. Seluruh data dianalisa secara kualitatif. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa UNAIDS sebagai sebuah organisasi internasional menjadi bantuan dan penyalur bantuan luar negeri kepada Zimbabwe bekerja sama dengan pemerintah Zimbabwe untuk mengurangi tingkat penderita di negara tersebut. Keberadaan UNAIDS di Zimbabwe telah mempengaruhi penurunan tingkat penderita HIV/AIDS. Namun, upaya kerjasama ini memiliki hambatan yakni kondisi perekonomian dan sumber daya manusia di Zimbabwe yang kurang baik. Selain itu faktor kebudayaan masyarakat yang cukup sulit menerima perubahan akan suatu hal juga menjadi salah satu hambatan.

The articles that appear in this part issue focus on disparate topics, from rumours of electoral fraud to the production of art, and span the African continent from Guinea and Ghana in the west to Zimbabwe in the south. Despite their evident differences, the contributors see their pieces as united by a common theme: emergence. Elaborating on Simone's influential exploration of the intertwined concepts of emergence and emergency (2004), as well as prior research in Africa on informal economic practices (the exchange of goods and services unregulated by states) (Hart 1973; Piot 2010; Roitman 2004; Weiss 2009), we consider emergence to be the process by which new social formations become thinkable, repeatable, and even – at times – habitual. Although conditions of crisis or precarity or even revolutionary upheaval might be fertile ground for emergence, insofar as these social conditions represent ‘rupture[s] in the organization of the present’ (Simone 2004: 4), the articles here also show that new social practices do not emerge out of nowhere. Rather, these articles demonstrate that attention to quotidian encounters can illuminate how citizens mobilize previously existing norms and patterns of behaviour in response to social change or economic crisis.

Abstract A World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Commission for Climatology international panel was convened to examine and assess the available evidence associated with five weather-related mortality extremes: 1) lightning (indirect), 2) lightning (direct), 3) tropical cyclones, 4) tornadoes, and 5) hail. After recommending for acceptance of only events after 1873 (the formation of the predecessor of the WMO), the committee evaluated and accepted the following mortality extremes: 1) “highest mortality (indirect strike) associated with lightning” as the 469 people killed in a lightning-caused oil tank fire in Dronka, Egypt, on 2 November 1994; 2) “highest mortality directly associated with a single lightning flash” as the lightning flash that killed 21 people in a hut in Manica Tribal Trust Lands, Zimbabwe (at time of incident, eastern Rhodesia), on 23 December 1975; 3) “highest mortality associated with a tropical cyclone” as the Bangladesh (at time of incident, East Pakistan) cyclone of 12–13 November 1970 with an estimated death toll of 300 000 people; 4) “highest mortality associated with a tornado” as the 26 April 1989 tornado that destroyed the Manikganj district, Bangladesh, with an estimated death toll of 1300 individuals; and 5) “highest mortality associated with a hailstorm” as the storm occurring near Moradabad, India, on 30 April 1888 that killed 246 people. These mortality extremes serve to further atmospheric science by giving baseline mortality values for comparison to future weather-related catastrophes and also allow for adjudication of new meteorological information as it becomes available.

<p>The research study focuses on the effects of relief food aid on food production and consumption patterns of communal farmers in Chigodora Ward 15, Mutare District. The researcher adopted a descriptive research design. Data collection instruments used in this research study included questionnaires, interviews as well as published documents. Questionnaires targeted households in selected villages. The researcher used a cluster sampling strategy in selecting villages and random sampling technique was used to select households from the selected villages. Interviews targeted key informants such as the Agritex Extension Officer, Mutare Rural District Council Social Services Director, and Chitakatira Health Care leader, Ward 15 Councilor, Plan International Selection Director and The Village Heads. Key informants were selected using purposive sampling technique. The researcher found out that relief food aid beneficiaries in Chigodora Ward 15 receive maize, beans, cooking oil and porridge on a monthly basis. Plan international is the only humanitarian organization which supplies food in the community. Since the involvement of food aid agencies in Chigodora, production of indigenous crops such as finger millet, sorghum and rapoko decreased. New crops such as peas are now grown. The major factors driving the persistence of relief food are HIV and AIDS, climate change, lack of fair distribution of farming inputs, the restructuring of the agricultural system and dependency syndrome. Short term impacts of relief food aid on food production and access include impacts on local taste, promotes laziness and compromises access to local foods. Long term impacts mentioned were, overall decrease in food production, disincentives on farmers to produce and exposure to low quality and unsafe products. The suggest the government of Zimbabwe needs to adequately assist and empower communal farmers to produce enough food from their fields through modern technologies as well as providing farmers with loans for inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and equipment to improve productivity.</p><p> </p>

Zimbabwe is one of the most developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in that markets and rural industrialization are likely to function relatively well. Thus, Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector has been severely affected by climate change. The worsening agricultural conditions have led to undernourishment of many in rural areas and this has drawn so much attention. Young women have turned into prostitution, in their bid to ensure the survival of their families. Farmers in rural areas depend heavily on rain-fed water and with rainfall variability and extreme weather patterns records, their livelihoods are being threatened. To cope with the adverse impact of climate change on rural development, different coping strategies and mechanisms are being implemented. The government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector have all introduced various programmes and projects at grassroots levels. The information used in this paper was gathered using data from interviews, questionnaires, and focused group discussion. This article explores how conservation agriculture being one of the coping strategies, has helped rural farmers to deal with climate change and how it has sustained rural development in Sanyati District.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to assess how far the government of Zimbabwe’s tourism policies and strategies have affected the development of the tourism and hospitality sector. Methods: The study was based on a review of the literature on tourism development in Zimbabwe. A range of peer-reviewed papers, reports from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). reports from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), and those of the Ministry of Environment, Tourism, and Hospitality Industry were consulted. The information offered a clear picture of how far the government had contributed to influencing the development of the tourism and hospitality industry during the period. Results: The results of the study showed that for the period up to 2000 the government played only a facilitating role in the development of the sector. The results further showed that the government took a more proactive role in planning the development of the industry only when the persistent negative image of the country threatened the collapse of the sector. Implications: It is recommended that the country effectively implements the National Tourism Master Plan and the National Tourism Sector Strategy which were launched in 2016 and 2018 respectively. A constant review of the National Tourism Sector Strategy will ensure an effective response to the global and national macro-economic, social and political changes that will occur during the plan period.

Zimbabwe has endured economic, socio-political and biophysical environmental changes that have resulted in ecotourism facing significant challenges. The Mahenye community ecotourism project has however, managed to withstand these challenges over time. This research sought to analyse the factors influencing the resilience of community ecotourism at Mahenye, Chipinge District, southeast Zimbabwe from 1982 to 2020. Research methods included desktop research, key informant interviews, critical content analysis, observations and researchers’ prior knowledge about Mahenye. The factors influencing ecotourism resilience at Mahenye included resource richness and attractiveness, tourism-product diversification, intra-communal cohesiveness, social energy, a supportive private sector and non-governmental organizations and management of risk factors. These factors ensured that the venture remained operational despite socio-economic, political and biophysical change. It is hoped the resilience lessons and experiences from Mahenye can be shared and adapted to enhance the success of other similar ecotourism ventures under changing operating environments.

Nohria, Joyce and Roberson, a trio of academics in the United States, wrote an article in the July issue of the Harvard Business Review in 2003 entitled "What Really Works". For several years they had studied the management practices of 160 companies in the United States with a view to determining what made certain companies consistently successful. They found that the most profitable companies in their study were not successful because they utilised the latest management tools and techniques, but rather that they had a strong grasp of business basics. Companies outperformed their industrial peers, because they excelled at what they called the four primary management practices - Strategy, Execution, Culture and Structure. These practices were supplemented by a proficiency in any two out of four secondary practices - Talent, Innovation, Leadership and Mergers and Partnerships. They called this winning combination the 4 + 2 Formula for business success. The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether competence in these management practices applies in the Third World. The study will concentrate on four companies representing the printing industry in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwean companies are faced with a number of unusual obstacles that do not exist in First World free market economies. This study will attempt to examine the nature of the obstacles faced and how each company deals with them. It will determine whether the management practices outlined by Nohria et ai, are valued to the same degree in the Zimbabwean context, and how far they contribute to profitability.Because of the pace of change in Zimbabwe, the research will focus on the period 2003 - 2004 and evaluate another management practice - change management. The forces of change can often be so radically negative, that if companies are not adequately prepared, they may face imminent collapse. Change management, the process of anticipating, reacting to and driving forces of change, has become a vital competency. Without it, the prospects of profitability and success in the Zimbabwean environment are slim. For this reason, this management practice will be given the same focus as those eight discussed by Nohria et al.

In the Zimbabwean past, farming societies utilized mineral resources for their own use and for exchange to local and regional populations, as well as to markets beyond African borders. Successful agriculture was constrained by environmental hazards, principally unpredictable and often inadequate rainfall. Farming communities managed this predicament in various ways. It is likely that some groups used mineral resources found in the vicinity of their settlements to produce materials or items to exchange. The social contexts that defined the nature of mineral production and exchange altered between the mid-first and mid-second millennium AD, as social ranks emerged and political and economic systems became increasingly complex. The thesis is a commentary on how the motivation of society to broaden its resource base, to improve the benefits to households and to society in general, contributed to the emergence of leaders and, ultimately, of an elite class. The focus of the research is on iron and copper production because the author has examined gold production thoroughly in a previous study. Four published papers outline the history of iron and copper production in Zimbabwe. The papers provide case studies of the scale and social context of iron and copper production and exchange.

Introduction

Depuis une quinzaine d'années en Afrique, cercles de qualité, audits cliniques, cycles de résolution de problèmes et autres 'projets qualité' ont été mis en oeuvre dans les services publics de santé pour améliorer la qualité des soins. Ces projets ont souvent mis l'accent sur des approches participatives, la résolution locale de problèmes et le changement, bousculant les pratiques managériales traditionnelles. A court terme, les évaluations montrent l'amélioration des résultats de programmes ou d'activités. Mais la pérennité de la dynamique reste largement à prouver. Le véritable aboutissement d'un programme d'assurance qualité devrait être apprécié à l'aune de sa capacité à mettre la préoccupation pour la qualité au cœur du management et du fonctionnement du système, et ce de façon continue. C'est en effet la vision moderne de l'assurance qualité déclinée dans les approches du management de la qualité totale, de l'amélioration continue de la qualité ou de l'organisation apprenante.

Méthode

La définition, la mesure et le management de la qualité en santé se révèlent être beaucoup plus qu'une simple procédure technique: c'est un processus social dans un système complexe dont l'étude requiert une approche méthodologique appropriée (Chapitre 1). Notre objectif est d'explorer dans quelle mesure les projets qualité ont permis aux systèmes de santé d'adopter les principes du management de la qualité.

Nous proposons de conduire une 'évaluation réaliste' de projets qualité en Afrique (Chapitre 2). Conceptualisée par Pawson et Tilley (1997) dans le domaine des sciences sociales, l'évaluation réaliste ('realistic evaluation') est une approche méthodologique de la famille des theory based evaluations. Au-delà du constat d'un effet produit par une intervention, l'évaluation réaliste cherche à comprendre ce qui marche, pour qui, dans quelles circonstances et comment. Alors que les résultats issus de la 'grounded theory', de la recherche action et d'autres méthodes de recherche sur les systèmes de santé restent très liés à un contexte, l'évaluation réaliste génère des théories intermédiaires ('middle range theories') qui permettent d'étendre la validité des interprétations au-delà d'un contexte particulier. Construite autour d'études de cas menées dans des contextes multiples et variés, l'évaluation réaliste met en effet l'accent sur l'interaction entre le contexte et la logique d'une intervention.

Résultats

Afin de construire une théorie initiale, nous comparons les systèmes de santé Européens et Africains à l'aide des configurations organisationnelles de Mintzberg (chapitre 3). Nous mettons ainsi en évidence le rôle joué par la nature bureaucratique ou professionnelle de la configuration des organisations de santé dans les résistances à l'introduction des principes du management de la qualité.

Nous menons ensuite une série d'études de cas au Niger, en Guinée, au Maroc et au Zimbabwe pour étudier cette interaction. Dans une première série comparative de trois études de cas (Chapitre 4), nous mettons en évidence la tension qui existe entre la logique de commande et de contrôle des organisations bureaucratiques et la logique de l'assurance qualité valorisant la prise d'initiative de changement par des équipes non hiérarchisées. Nous explorons ensuite cette tension dans trois études de cas distinctes au Zimbabwe et au Maroc. Laissées à la merci des contraintes bureaucratiques, les initiatives locales pour améliorer la qualité apparaissent dépendantes de la capacité des acteurs à développer des stratégies de contournement (Chapitre 6). Faute de quoi elles doivent réduire fortement leurs ambitions à moins qu'elles ne bénéficient d'un soutien émanant d'une institution située hors de la ligne hiérarchique mais reconnue légitime (Chapitre 5). Les systèmes publics de santé de ces pays, conçus comme des organisations bureaucratiques structurées autour de relations hiérarchiques de commande et de contrôle tolèrent une démarche qualité, valorisant l'innovation, la créativité, la prise d'initiative locale et le travail en équipes non hiérarchisées, à la condition qu'elle se déroule à l'abri d'un projet. Force est de constater que ces dimensions clé de la culture qualité n'ont pas fondamentalement ni durablement imprégné des pratiques de management restées bureaucratiques. L'émergence d'une véritable 'culture qualité', un produit attendu de l'introduction de projets qualité, ne semble pas s'être produite au niveau organisationnel (Chapitre 7).

Nous procédons ensuite à la synthèse 'réaliste' de l'ensemble de nos études de cas (Chapitre 8). Nous en tirons les leçons sous la forme d'un enrichissement progressif de notre théorie initiale. Nous pouvons alors formuler une théorie améliorée, toujours intermédiaire et provisoire, dérivée de nos théories intermédiaires successives.

Discussion

Notre discussion s'organise autour de deux thèmes (chapitre 9).

Dans une première partie, nous discutons le potentiel et les limites de nos résultats et de l'approche réaliste de l'évaluation. Nous montrons que nos résultats sont des théories provisoires et incomplètes, deux caractéristiques d'une middle range theory. En dépit de ces limites, l'approche réaliste est potentiellement très riche pour interpréter les effets d'interventions dans des systèmes complexes. Elle se situe dans une perspective d'aide à la décision pour orienter l'action sur le terrain plutôt que dans une perspective de genèse de lois universelles. Elle représente une avancée méthodologique particulièrement pertinente pour la recherche sur les systèmes de santé dans un monde turbulent où de multiples initiatives se télescopent.

Dans une deuxième partie, nous discutons les conséquences de nos résultats pour le futur de l'assurance qualité dans les systèmes de santé. Les projets qualité étudiés ne parviennent pas à changer une culture organisationnelle bureaucratique qui compromet pourtant leur pérennisation. Nous envisageons alors les stratégies susceptibles de permettre à la culture qualité de s'épanouir et au contexte organisationnel d'évoluer en conséquence. Décentralisation et nouveau management public, en vogue hier et aujourd'hui, montrent leurs limites. Il faut probablement trouver un équilibre entre trois idéaux-types décrits par Freidson: l'idéal-type bureaucratique, malmené par les stratégies de débrouille locale, l'idéal-type du marché, valorisant l'initiative, et l'idéal-type professionnel, émergent mais encore embryonnaire en Afrique. Finalement, à côté des mécanismes du contrôle et de la compétition, un troisième mécanisme régulateur devrait prendre toute sa place: la confiance.

Introduction

For nearly two decades in Africa, quality circles, clinical audits, problem solving cycles and other quality projects have been implemented in public health services to improve quality of care. Challenging traditional managerial practices, these projects usually emphasized participatory approaches, local problem solving and change. At short term, evaluation shows improvement in programs and activities output. However the capacity to put quality at the heart of system's management should be considered as the genuine achievement of a quality assurance program. Did quality projects contribute to the adoption of quality management principles by health systems ?This is the question addressed in the present thesis.

Method

Our methodology belongs to the realistic evaluation paradigm conceptualized by Pawson and Tilley and focuses on the interaction between an intervention mechanism and its context in order to understand what works, for whom, in what circumstances and how ?Based on case studies in various contexts in Niger, Guinea, Morocco and Zimbabwe, we build a middle range theory, that explains organizational behavior towards quality management.

Results

Based on Mintzberg's models, we show the role of health care organizational configuration in resisting to quality management principles. We then explore the tension between the bureaucratic organization's command and control approach and the quality assurance approach promoting initiative and change through team work. Local initiative had to develop coping strategies to overcome bureaucratic constraints. Failing to do so, ambitions had to be reduced unless there was support from an external, yet legitimate institution. Public health systems of these countries, structured as command and control hierarchical organizations, allowed innovation, creativity, local initiative and non hierarchical relationships as long as they developed within the boundaries of a project. However, these key characteristics of a quality culture did not permeate routine management. The quality culture shift expected from quality projects does not seem to have happened at organizational level.

Discussion

We first discuss the potential and limitation of realistic evaluation which appear particularly relevant for complex health systems research. We then discuss consequences of our results on the future of quality assurance in health systems. Since quality projects fail to transform a bureaucratic organizational culture, which in turn undermines their sustainability, alternative strategies must be sought to promote quality culture and relevant organizational change. Decentralization and new public management show their limitations. We suggest a balance between three ideal-types described by Freidson: The bureaucratic ideal-type, challenged by local coping strategies, the market ideal-type, which is fashionable today and promote initiative, and the professional ideal-type, emerging and promising, yet still embryonic in Africa.
Doctorat en Sciences de la santé publique
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The airline industry has grown rapidly over the past few decades, recording a ten-fold rise in passenger numbers and a fourteen-fold increase in cargo volumes. This growth has created overwhelming value to airline passengers, employees, suppliers and the broader economy. Unfortunately, this industry has been affected by terrorism attacks, wars, revolutions, pandemic fears, earthquakes, volcanoes, failing economies and skyrocketing fuel prices all of which have negatively impacted on profitability and resulted in intense competition. Consequently, airlines have spent the last decade in survival mode having to adapt to harsh changes. Air Zimbabwe, a state-run organisation which operates in this highly regulated and turbulent industry, is faced with numerous micro and macro environmental challenges and has been purposively selected for this study. According to company statistics, the airline’s annual passenger uplifts have declined from a peak of over 1 million in the 1990s to less than 200 000 in 2011, with revenue generation declining in correlation. Whilst Air Zimbabwe has experienced depressed demand for its services, competitor airlines are recording brisk business. The aim of this study was to investigate how a struggling organisation, which operates in a turbulent environment, can improve its competitiveness and profitability by better understanding the impact of industry role players and adapting organisational strategies to industry variations. This study examined, from the point of view of the industry players themselves, the extent to which customers, suppliers, competitors, regulatory authorities, substitute products and new entrants have impacted on the competitiveness and profitability of the airline. Major findings reveal that an organisation cannot operate in isolation and be competitive or profitable, but constantly needs to analyse the industry environment in which it operates in and to amicably interact with other industry role players. The research outlines the need for competition in certain areas and cooperation in others.
Business Management
M. Com. (Business Management)

This study examines the challenges of organisational transformation in emerging economies with special reference to Zimbabwe. It is an inductive study using grounded theory, rooted in case study methodology, based on Eisenhardt's (1989) eight steps of building theory from case study research. A longitudinal multiple case study design is used to capture transformation experiences of four companies (covering four business sectors) spanning from 1980 to 2000. Fourteen constructs from the within-case analysis form the basis of data collection and these are refined through cross-case analysis. Nine themes and sixteen challenges emerge from the study. The challenges and themes are used to identify points of convergence and divergence. Issues that trigger organisational transformation are spotted and best practices explored. Ultimately, the nine emerging themes are crystallized into seven. Both the emerging model - the Madzivire Transformation Model (MaTra) - and the elaborated model - the Madzivire Collaborative Transformation Model (MaCoTra) - are constructed from the seven themes. MaCoTra is a refinement of MaTra with the following differentiating features: * The metaphor of choruses signifies the centrality of collaboration from an African perspective; * MaCoTra reflects non-linear and linear linkages between choruses; * Choruses depict the significance of songs in African bonding; * A personal commitment to transformation calls for collective bonding around values, visions, missions and strategies; * MaCoTra is a remarkable departure from steps, phases and stages espoused in most Western change literature; * MaCoTra's philosophical base is Ubuntu - `I am because we are'- focusing on independence and interdependence; * Change interventions may be through individual or multiple MaCoTra choruses; * The organisational song connects all organisational members in a choir of transformation. MaCoTra addresses the sixteen challenges and exceedingly covers challenges cited in enfolding literature. MaCoTra was tested in and outside the study sample. I assert that MaCoTra is usable in Zimbabwean companies and may be generalized through replication studies in Africa and other emerging economies. Areas of further study towards the achievement of more generalisability of the theory/model are suggested. This study addresses the existing knowledge gap and prescribes the Madzivire Collaborative Transformation Model - MaCoTra - for companies in emerging economies.
Business Management
D.B.L.

AbstractClimate change threatens development and economic growth in Africa. It increases risks for individuals and governments with unprecedented negative impacts on agriculture. Specifically, climate change presents a major threat to food security in Africa for the long term due to the low adaptive capacity to deal with successive climate shocks. There is a need for greater awareness of the trends of food crisis patterns and adaptive initiatives. The objective of this chapter was to analyze the trends of the food crisis in Africa within the past 10 years and adaptive initiatives. Quantitative data analyzed for food security indicators were obtained from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Development Indicators (WDI) available at the Environment and Climate Change data portal. Policy and adaptation measures related to climate change were reviewed in 26 countries in Africa, with the view to highlight their integrative nature in enhancing food security. High prevalence of undernourishment was observed in six countries, all in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Chad, Liberia, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Countries with a high land acreage under cereal production recorded reduced undernourishment. Niger demonstrated effective adaptation for food security by registering the highest crop production index in extreme climate variability. However, Kenya appears to be the most predisposed by registering both high climate variability and below average crop production index. It is observed that diversification and technology adoption are key strategies applied across the countries for adaptation. However, the uptake of technology by smallholder farmers is still low across many countries in SSA.

AbstractClimate change threatens development and economic growth in Africa. It increases risks for individuals and governments with unprecedented negative impacts on agriculture. Specifically, climate change presents a major threat to food security in Africa for the long term due to the low adaptive capacity to deal with successive climate shocks. There is a need for greater awareness of the trends of food crisis patterns and adaptive initiatives. The objective of this chapter was to analyze the trends of the food crisis in Africa within the past 10 years and adaptive initiatives. Quantitative data analyzed for food security indicators were obtained from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Development Indicators (WDI) available at the Environment and Climate Change data portal. Policy and adaptation measures related to climate change were reviewed in 26 countries in Africa, with the view to highlight their integrative nature in enhancing food security. High prevalence of undernourishment was observed in six countries, all in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Chad, Liberia, Central African Republic, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Countries with a high land acreage under cereal production recorded reduced undernourishment. Niger demonstrated effective adaptation for food security by registering the highest crop production index in extreme climate variability. However, Kenya appears to be the most predisposed by registering both high climate variability and below average crop production index. It is observed that diversification and technology adoption are key strategies applied across the countries for adaptation. However, the uptake of technology by smallholder farmers is still low across many countries in SSA.

AbstractClimate change is a major development challenge affecting developing countries that rely on rain-fed agricultural production for food and income. Smallholder farmers in these countries are using multiple adaptation practices to manage the effects of climate change. This chapter examines household and community-level factors that influence smallholder farmers’ level of adaptation to climate change in the Hwedza District in Zimbabwe. Data for this study were collected from 400 randomly selected smallholder farmers, using a structured questionnaire, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The study used a multilevel modeling approach to examine the factors that influence smallholder farmers’ level of adaptation to climate change. Results from the study show that smallholder farmers’ level of adaptation to climate change is conditioned by access to extension services, access to remittances, family labor, household education (household level factors), and linking capital (community-level factor). This chapter therefore concludes that smallholder farmers that have higher levels of adaptation to climate change are those that are well linked to external organizations and have access to agricultural extension services. The chapter recommends that adaptation to climate change can be enhanced by improving access to agricultural extension services and promoting linkages with external organizations that provide information on agricultural adaptation practices.