Migration as a climate change adaptation strategy in rural Zimbabwe: an analysis of the experiences of female climate migrants in Goromonzi district
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Date
2018
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Climate change has induced a number of environmental issues that have affected people's lives
beyond the scope of ecology; these effects have touched on the social, cultural and economic
dimensions of life as well. In light of this, migration has increasingly been used as a climate
adaptation strategy particularly in rural areas. This has not only changed migration patterns, it
has also reconstructed the gender dynamics within the migration discourse through the
‘feminization of migration.’ Hence it has become important to analyse, understand and unpack
the various ways in which women experience climate change and climate-induced migration,
and how this has affected their lives. Additionally, women's position as active agents in climate
migration and knowledge production has increasingly been acknowledged in climate and
migration discourse This study focused on the effects of climate change on female migration
patterns in Goromonzi District, Zimbabwe; and took place in Hiya village. The main research
question aimed to find out if using migration as an adaptation strategy to climate change had
positively changed the lives of women in rural Zimbabwe? With a focus on Hiya village in
Goromonzi, Zimbabwe the research question was answered through identifying migration push
factors for women, climate resistant livelihoods and the benefits of migration in light of climate
induced environmental disasters. A mixed methods research approach was used however the
research is largely qualitative.
Description
Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)
Keywords
Climate change, Economic dimensions, Environmental issues, Water shortages, Disease outbreaks, Climate change, Goromonzi district