Quinoa is one of the ancestral grains now considered as the “superfoods of the future” due to their characteristics as functional foods with great environmental adaptability. The Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund has introduced quinoa in Zimbabwe to increase resilience of farming systems in light of environmental shocks. In order to improve adoption of the crop, it is important to understand the combined effects of socio‐demographic variables on consumer perceptions of the crop. However, there is limited literature on the combined effects of socio‐demographic variables on quinoa health and nutritional benefits in Zimbabwe. In this study, we used principle component analysis to identify consumers' perception about health and nutritional benefits of quinoa in Gweru Urban District, Gweru, Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was designed and applied to 200 participants. However, only 167 forms were valid for analysis. Age, education, and income level are main factors that determine consumer perceptions on health and nutritional claims. The results indicate that quinoa need to be promoted a as a crop that goes beyond food and income security by placing additional emphasis on health and nutritional aspects. This is very insightful in light of the need to improve the uptake of the crop by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. However, the use of self‐reporting survey method has received criticism for failing to get detailed information on perceptions of individuals. These findings could be handy to promote quinoa as a climate smart crop with additional health and nutritional benefits. This is one of the novel research studies exploring the motives of Zimbabwean consumers towards quinoa as a functional food crop. The work also contributes to knowledge on consumer food preferences.

Poor performance bedeviling SISs in South Africa is attributed to poor institutional integration, consequently impacting service delivery. Despite this, local institutional actors (LIAs)’ role has not been documented as a potential entry point to address poor performance and hence increase SISs’ sustainability. This study sought to assess the role of LIAs on the performance of the Tshiombo irrigation scheme (TIS). Structured questionnaires, key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FDGs) were used for data collection. Yield data for sweet potato, the main crop grown in the scheme, was measured as a proxy indicator for performance. Ordinary least square regression model was used to assess the relationship between LIAs and scheme performance after reducing the data using principal component analysis. The study revealed that institutional factors such as community credit support, academic extension support, academic institution market and input support, community maintenance support, and community input support positively and significantly (at 5% level) improved the yield by a margin of 0.49, 0.12, 0.1, 0.36, and 0.10. Assessing institutional actors’ interaction within each scheme will help develop linkages that will enable sustainability of irrigation schemes. Out scaling of research on LIAs on irrigation scheme performance enhances scheme performance.

Soil securitization is increasingly becoming a quintessential currency for attaining sustainable development given the mounting global concerns of land degradation, loss of biological diversity and associated ecosystem services, climate change, food insecurity, and water stress. A well-functioning soil is a panacea to address these global concerns. This paper describes the contribution of conservation agriculture (CA) to biological diversity protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation, ecosystem service delivery, food security, and water security as a potential entry point for soil securitization. Using a review of literature, we share some insights into the contribution of CA to the soil security discourse. In our review, we also make key recommendations for good practices under each soil security pillar. Thus, we conclude that empirical research is required to deepen our understanding of the benefits of CA in soil security, especially in developing countries.

Smallholder irrigation schemes (SISs) have been portrayed as a panacea to climate change adaptation. However, there is an emerging discourse that established schemes are becoming vulnerable to increased climate variability and change, particularly increased water stress. This paper reviews the existing knowledge on risks of climate change and variability in water supply in smallholder irrigation farming in Zimbabwe. In addition, this paper highlights adaptation options to climate change in SISs. Data for this review were collected systematically from peer-reviewed and published literature. The literature used for this study showed that SISs in Zimbabwe are beset with water stress, competing water needs and the outbreak of pests and diseases, which have been related with climate change and variability. Climate change is making Zimbabwe more arid through decreasing precipitation and warming. Droughts and floods are increasing in frequency and severity. Damage by floods is increasing exponentially, impacting environments, ecological systems and national economies. Climate change affects SISs’ productivity and decimates the livelihoods of scheme farmers. The review suggests that there is a need for increased adsorptive, adoptive and transformational capacity for SISs to obtain a new state of resilience from adverse effects of increased climate variability and change. This review recommends understanding and prioritizing solutions to vulnerability to climate change in SISs.

Globally, climate change poses enormous threats to the livelihoods of rural communities in arid and semi-arid regions. Assessing the extent of vulnerability is critical to identify climate hot spots and develop appropriate adaptation policies and strategies. This paper uses the Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) and the Livelihood Vulnerability Index—Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (LVI-IPCC) to compare vulnerability to climate change in the Exchange, Insukamini, and Ruchanyu smallholder irrigation schemes (SISs) in the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 317 randomly selected households. Results show higher exposure and sensitivity to climate change in the Insukamini irrigation scheme despite the higher adaptive capacity. Both LVI and LVI-IPCC show that households in Insukamini irrigation scheme are more vulnerable to climate change than in Exchange and Ruchanyu irrigation schemes, attributed to water insecurity, poor social networks, and natural disasters and climate variability. The study recommends that development and investment in Insukamini and Ruchanyu should prioritize improving social networks while Exchange should primarily focus on improving livelihood strategies. Using the LVI-IPCC framework is a key methodology for understanding the vulnerability of communities in SISs and identifying areas that need prime development and investment. These results have implications on implementing investments and livelihood policies in SISs of Zimbabwe.