Assessing the resilience of rural food systems in the El-nino induced drought in Masvingo, Chivi, and Guruve districts, Zimbabwe between 2023/24: a gendered perspective. focus on agricultural production and food availability.

Abstract

This study investigates the gendered resilience of rural food systems to the 2023/24 El Niño induced drought in three drought-prone districts of Zimbabwe: Masvingo, Chivi, and Guruve. The primary objective was to explore how men and women differently experience, respond to, and recover from climate-induced shocks within rural agricultural settings. A mixed-methods approach was employed, comprising household surveys (n = 198), three focus group discussions (FGDs), and seven key informant interviews (KIIs) with agricultural and community stakeholders. The findings reveal persistent gender disparities in access to agricultural resources, decision making power, and livelihood opportunities. Women were heavily involved in farming tasks yet lacked ownership of land, access to credit, and participation in agricultural planning. During the El Niño drought, both genders experienced decreased agricultural productivity; however, logistic regression analysis confirmed that being female significantly increased vulnerability. Women were more likely to suffer food insecurity due to limited mobility, constrained income sources, and increased care giving burdens, especially as men migrated in search of work. Coping mechanisms were highly gendered: women predominantly engaged in localized, survival-based strategies such as food-for-work, rationing, and selling small livestock, while men relied on asset liquidation and labor migration. Institutional support systems were found to be inconsistent, politically biased, and often inaccessible to women. Despite the emergence of temporary shifts in household roles, these changes were crisis-driven and did not necessarily translate into long-term empowerment. The study concludes that building gender-equitable resilience in rural food systems requires not only technical interventions but also structural reforms that dismantle systemic inequalities. Key recommendations include gender-responsive agricultural policies, improved access to climate adaptation training, and inclusive safety nets that target female-headed households. The study contributes to the growing body of evidence advocating for gender-transformative approaches in climate resilience and rural development strategies.