The Land question in Zimbabwe and most countries of the Global South has always been marred by the injustices perpetrated by the colonial governments in the equitable distribution of land. Women have been severely disadvantaged yet they are the ones who contribute so much in agricultural production and food security. Thus, land tenure, ownership, food security and access are interlinked, directly and indirectly. This paper seeks to explore while revisiting policies that have addressed land-use, tenure security and ownership in relation with women in Zimbabwe. Women have always been a domineering force in agriculture in which they contribute immensely though their contributions has not been fairly chronicled and publicised. Thus land is a key resource to empowering women in the socioeconomic growth trajectory and poverty alleviation. Successful realisation entails a functioning transparent land administration system. Hence, access to arable and productive land is vital to most women who live in the communal areas and depend wholly on farming for their livelihoods. It is in this realm that, land plays a significant part and as a socioeconomic catalyst, policies inclined should clearly state the position of women as far as ownership is concerned. Various statutory and legal statutes should address rights of women so that they will be able to continue contributing to food security. In light of these objections, this paper further examines and explores current and also already researched literature on empowering women in the lenses of land-use, right, access and their contributions to food security.

This paper draws on review of current literature to explore the relationship between rural institutions and rural development while reflecting on the linkages of smallholder farmers and donor contribution. The results presented are of qualitative data analysis from previous and current literature. The paper provides a detailed overview of nomenclaturizing rural development as a critical result of improvements in education, health, agriculture, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as part of rural industrialization in rural Zimbabwe. Improving health by investing in increased awareness and access to information sharing among communities, policy development, program planning and service delivery fosters rural development. As the world belatedly turns its attention to the pressing issues of environmental degradation and climate change, the concept of sustainability takes its rightful place at centre stage in discussions about agriculture and rural development. Improving education through promoting information and technology dissemination for learning and access to information, coordination of major sources of funding for education, policy on education for rural areas, conducting research and development as well as the total number of rural farmers assisted.

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.

Climate induced famine has had adverse effects and has been the worst disaster from which most resettled farmers experience and suffer from. It remains a topical agenda and a bone of contention in most countries of the global south. Despite remaining a challenge in most farming areas, the small holder farmers have struggled to come up with alternative livelihoods emanating from effective understanding of climate change. Hence using data from interviews, questionnaires and focused group discussions, this paper aimed at unravelling rural livelihoods which enhance local people's understanding and grasping of the effects of climate change induced disasters in Mhondoro-Ngezi district. The study noted that smallholder farmers are applying conservation farming (CF), small livestock production, irrigation schemes like gardening, agro-forestry, gold panning and fishing. The research also pointed out that 62% of the local farmers were not satisfied with the level knowledge base they have concerning climate change. The snail pace development of a knowledge base on climate change is being held back by challenges which include poor service delivery by government departments, lack of resources, unclear selection of beneficiaries, extreme reliance on Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and policy inconsistency. The study recommended that agricultural extension officers need to be capacitated so that they train farmers on the importance of seasonal climate change forecast information. There is need for increased participation in the realm of development agencies (NGOs and government) and be more sincere with the participation of communities through the development of a knowledge base on climate change adaptation programmes.

This paper examines the dynamics of gender-differentiated effects of economic resilience on rural livelihoods and infrastructure improvements of the Tonga people who predominantly resides in North Western Zimbabwe. The paper interrogates men and women’s empowerment as well as their roles of transforming their lives through engaging in various economic activities and infrastructural development in Mola, Nyaminyami District, Zimbabwe. This study uses a qualitative research approach which is backed by both primary and secondary data collection methods which are underpinned by mixed methods approach involving observation, focus group discussions with community members and in-depth interviews with community leaders and key stakeholders. The study proffers that while economic resilience affects both men and women, it disproportionately affects the amount of work women have to do which has a profound bearing on their ability to innovate and transform their obsolete infrastructure at their disposal. Hence, the study recommends ways to foreground gender mainstreaming in order to address emerging gender related challenges emanating from stereotyping and prejudice, stakeholder engagement and partnerships in revamping existing infrastructure.