Rural youth in Zimbabwe's Masvingo and Chivi districts have some involvement in climate change adaptation decision making and strategies, according to a study using surveys of 214 households. Around 35% of households reported youth providing labor for conservation agriculture activities like weeding and harvesting. Similarly, 27% of households involved youth in collecting and conserving crop residues for dry season livestock feeding. However, trainings on conservation agriculture strategies excluded youth and only focused on household heads. The study concludes that training rural youth is necessary, especially in key agricultural activities, to further their involvement in climate risk management.

1. Youth and Climate change adaptation in
Zimbabwe: Case of Chivi and Masvingo districts
Conrad Murendo, Lars Otto Naess and Kizito Mazvimavi

2. Motivation
• Climate change is one of the factors that will affect the shape of agriculture
in the future
• Youths are bearer climate change effects
• Youth have a crucial role for the future shape of the agricultural sector
• Youth involvement in climate change adaptation adaptation strategies less
researched
# Focus on rural youth (14-24 years)

3. Research Questions
1. Are rural youths involved in climate change adaptation decision making?
2. Are rural youths participating in climate change adaptation strategies?

4. Methodology
Primary Data Collection
• October 2011
• Household questionnaire
•2 villages per war
•Stratified random sampling
District Ward Name Total
Masvingo Charumbira 36
Mugabe 36
Mhara 34
Chivi Dewe 36
Utsinda 36
Maringire 36
Total 214
Dry region (NRIV)
Respondents scoring (1= high, 0 = low or no involvement)
# Household members involvement in decision making and implementation of
climate adaptation strategies
# Over the last 12 months

5. Decision making in climate change adaptation (%)
Soil & water Conservation Drought Fodder
conservation agriculture tolerant conservation
(n=44) (n=151) crops (n=60)
(n=142)
Male head 81 61 61 68
Spouse 2 10 11 3
Joint male head & spouse 9 23 24 20
Male youth 8 4 1 7
Female youth 0 2 3 2
Total (%) 100 100 100 100
Youth:
Few households MOSTLY where parents are mobile or ill (# Diaspora and
HIV/AIDs)

6. Youth labour supply in Conservation Agriculture
Household Gender of Proportion (%) Pearson Chi-Square χ2 p - value
member household head Households
category
Male youth Female (n=77) 39
0.28 0.77
Male (n=74) 37
Female youth Female (n=77) 36
5.7 0.03**
Male (n=74) 31
• Around 35 % of households had youths providing labour for conservation
agriculture activities: weeding, fertilizer application and harvesting.
• Average time worked per day: 3 hours

7. • Precision fertilizer application (MICRODOSING) under Conservation
Agriculture
• Youths not trained in conservation agriculture ONLY household heads

8. Youth labour supply in Conservation of crop
residues for dry season livestock feeding
Household Gender of Proportion (%) Pearson Chi- p- value
member category household head households Square χ2
Male youth Female (n=31) 32
0.10 0.87
Male (n=29) 26
Female youth Female (n=31) 28
Male (n=29) 0.40 0.61
26
About 27 % of households had youths providing labour
No differences by gender of youth and head

9. Crop residues for dry season livestock feeding

10. Summary
• Third of households > Youth labour supply in climate risk management
strategies.
• Trainings exclude youths ONLY focus on household heads
• Training youths necessary especially in key activities like fertilization
etc.

11. Emerging Research Questions
Theme: Youth and climate change implications
Research questions which embrace heterogeneity
1. Differentiation within youth groups, for example between male
and female?
2. Youth in different wealth groups?
3. Youth and child headed households?

12. THANK YOU