Resilience building strategies for farmer managed wetland based agro ecosystems in Mberengwa District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The resilience of smallholder farming communiti es has been put under test due to the increasing magnitude and frequency of shocks and hazards. Wetlands have been providing critical life support to people, nature and climate in local communities whose livelihoods are dependent on the utilization of nat ural resources. Trends in wetland shrinkage, degradation, species extinction and loss of habitats triggered worrisome discussions across the globe. The study aimed to evaluate the resilience building strateg ies for farmer managed wetlands based agroecosys tems in semi arid and rainfall marginal areas, with a focus on the Nyororo wetland in the Mberengwa district. Determining the resilience of wetlands agro ecosystems in sustaining pressure from the changing climate and human needs was a key aspect of the stu dy. A mixed method was used in data collection and analysis as informed by the interpretivism and objectivism research philosophies underpinning the study. The mixed methods approach enabled the study to be nefit from multiple knowledge domains including professional ecological knowledge (PEK) scientific ecological knowledge (SEK), bureaucratic ecological knowledge (BEK), technological ecological knowledge (TEK), and local ecological knowledge (LEK). Information gathered through various tools including que stionnaires, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, secondary data, remote sensing, and scientific measurements informed by different knowledge domains were synthesized to bring the resilience pic ture around wetland based agroecosystems. The st udy findings on wetland degradation, species extinction, invasion by noxious weeks and alien plant species, and shrinking in wetlands call for urgent action. The lack of information about wetlands species and their diversity was a hindrance to community co nservation efforts. Due to increasing aridity, communities were identified to have increased dependence on wetlands than dryland areas for agriculture. Resilience building strategies including the adoption of seasonal livelihoods programmes, ecosystems bas ed adaptation (EbA), and anticipatory action planning (AAP) proved to be effective and sustainable ways of wetlands agroecosystems conservation. The study recommended the need for financial mechanisms to support scientific research needed to close the gap in the lack of data on species and their diversity. Stakeholders need to swiftly i mplement the promising wetland agroecosystems resilience building strategies that bring positive outcomes for people, nature, and climate .