Abstract

The study analysed climate change adaptation for rural communities co-dependent on agriculture and the tourism industry in marginal farming areas in Hwange District, located in the north-west of Zimbabwe. The study was based on primary data collected from a cross-sectional household survey, key informant interviews and focus group discussion with rural communities. The results indicate that most of the respondents reported that most of their adaptation efforts to address the impacts of climate change and other stressors are primarily focused on agricultural crop activities. Deploying appropriate climate sensitive technologies and marketing innovations to make rural agriculture work better with climate change; is one possibility not yet fully exploited. Better access to climate change information and screening of appropriate technologies for climate change adaptation beyond seasonal climate adaptation and provision of technical and market incentives for farmers to invest in climate change compliant technologies should become the focus of African governments for semi-arid regions most vulnerable to climate change risk.

Key words: Climate change, adaptation, agriculture, tourism, Hwange, Zimbabwe.