Conservation agriculture is critical to sustainably increasing agricultural productivity, enhancing climate resilience and food security. Much research on adoption of conservation agriculture has focused on its agronomic benefits, but little attention has been paid to the contribution of the behaviour of farmers over its adoption. To close this gap, a study was carried out to investigate the behaviour of smallholder farmers towards the adoption of conservation agriculture in Chivi, Murehwa and Mutoko districts, Zimbabwe. Data were collected through a pre‐tested questionnaire administered to 360 farmers, selected through a multi‐stage sampling process. This method was triangulated through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and personal observations. Data were analysed using percentages, means and inferential statistics. The results show that, although fewer than 10% of the respondents had received any formal training in agriculture, more than 80% of them relied on it for their major source of income. The respondents had high levels of knowledge on the social, environmental and economic benefits of conservation agriculture. However, the majority of the non‐adopters had an indifferent perception towards conservation agriculture. The knowledge and perception of the farmers was explained by age, gender, education and experience with conservation agriculture. Results also show a weak but significant correlation between knowledge and perception (Rs = 0.306, p < 0.05), knowledge and adoption (Rs = 0.484, p < 0.05) but a strong and significant correlation between perception and adoption (Rs = 0.808, p < 0.05). Addressing perception gaps is key to enhance adoption of conservation agriculture.

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.

Approximately one-third of the global population suffering from chronic hunger are in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In addition to high prevalence of chronic hunger, millions of people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. Meanwhile, there is growing consensus across scientific disciplines concurring that fish plays a crucial role in improving food and nutrition security. Therefore, the present review aims to demonstrate the role of fish and the whole fisheries sector towards securing food and nutrition security in SSA by summarizing the existing literature. Fish is a treasure store of animal protein and essential micronutrients such as zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins, which are essential in human nutrition and have proven to help reduce the risks of both malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. Policymakers, development agencies, and society should recognize the role that the fisheries sector can play in combatting hunger and undernutrition, especially for the poor and marginalized people in SSA.

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.