Local Solutions for Transformative Development and Sustainable Futures 

Members of the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security Team in Southern Africa attended the 2025 NUST-WFP National Symposium in Zimbabwe, themed “Building Resilient Communities for Sustainable Futures.”. The symposium brought together officials from various government ministries, academia, development partners, and civil society organisations.  

The symposium was officially opened by the Honourable Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Ambassador Dr Frederick Shava, who emphasised the event’s importance: 

“This Research Symposium is more than just an academic exercise, it is a call to action, a platform where research, policy, and practice converge to find sustainable solutions for some of Zimbabwe’s most pressing challenges.[…] It speaks to His Excellency, the President’s mantra of not leaving anyone behind.”​ 

 The Minister’s remarks highlighted the alignment between the symposium’s objectives and the broader national vision outlined in Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and Vision 2030, calling on all stakeholders to work collectively in pursuit of resilient, self-reliant communities for a sustainable future. 

CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security presented insights from our work in the Southern African region over the past two years. These included how climate change is a compounding stressor that exacerbates existing vulnerabilities and heightens the risk of conflict, particularly where livelihoods and access to resources like water and land are disrupted​ and how the impacts are gendered. 

Gracsious Maviza, Southern African Regional Lead, participated in a panel discussion on Disaster Risk Reduction and Gender, where she shared insights on gender-transformative approaches to community resilience and how women be empowered to take on leadership roles in disaster risk reduction. 

She also presented a paper co-authored with Joyce Takaindisa, Eastern African Regional Lead titled Gender and Livelihoods at the Intersection of Climate, Peace, and Security, drawing from fieldwork in Tsholotsho and Mozambique.  

Key insights were: 

• Displacement and power dynamics: Women faced increased burdens (production, reproductive and community roles) while men experienced compromised masculinity and loss of livelihoods. 

• Tensions with host communities: Limited access to land and water sparked conflict, exacerbated by the perception of displaced groups as outsiders. 

• Gendered coping mechanisms: Men risked remigration, women relied on subsistence farming and informal jobs. Some families were split, creating new gender dynamics and sometimes fuelling GBV as men asserted control amid displacement​. 

Sindiso Ndlovu, Visiting Researcher, CGIAR Climate Security, presented a paper under the Strengthening Community Resilience and Food Security theme. Generally, this session addressed solutions for food security amid climate shocks. Innovations such as indigenous juice and chilli production by Lupane Veggie Guys showcased local value addition by sourcing from women farmers. Sindiso’s paper examined the socio-economic impacts of flood-induced displacement in Tsholotsho due to Cyclone Dineo – 2017, signposting one of the key thematic focuses of the Fragility, Conflict and Migration (FCM) Initiative. 

Siyaxola Gadu, Climate, Peace and Security Research Specialist from the Southern African team, presented a paper titled The Complex Task of Evaluating the Institutional Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change at the Local Government Level in South Africa under the Climate Adaptation and Sustainable Development. Key insights were: 

• Policy Framework: There are inconsistencies and inadequacy in the existing systems that are used to evaluate institutional adaptive capacity to climate change at local government level. 

• Selection of determinants and indicators: There is no agreement on the standard determinants nor indicators for the evaluation of adaptive capacity to climate change of government institutions. 

• Complexity of adaptive capacity evaluation: The link between the determinants and the institutional and capacity challenges complicates the evaluation process of assessing the institutional adaptive capacity to climate change. 

 The session explored challenges in evaluating resilience at the local level, highlighted by the lack of robust monitoring frameworks and legislation. Presenters like Prof. Philani Moyo stressed the need to increase youth engagement, funding, and governmental capacity to scale adaptation solutions. 

Opportunities for the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security team’s research 

 Generating evidence 

Our expertise in generating evidence-based insights at the climate, conflict, and fragility nexus offers a unique opportunity to support Zimbabwe in crafting integrated climate security policies. Through engagement with ministries and policy influencers at the symposium (e.g., Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Food and Nutrition Council), CGIAR Climate Security can advocate for the mainstreaming of peace-responsive and gender-sensitive approaches into climate adaptation and disaster risk management frameworks. 

Informing Climate and Conflict Sensitive Policy Design 

The ongoing development of Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS 2), the nation’s development blueprint for 2026 – 2030, presents exciting opportunities.  Given the explicit recognition of environmental protection, climate resilience, and natural resources management as a priority area within the previous NDS 1, the prospects for integrating comprehensive climate security considerations into NDS 2 are exceptionally promising. 

Expanding Regional and Academic Partnerships 

 A key strategic opportunity lies in actively engaging in cross-border climate security projects with SADC or co-developing robust resilience assessments in collaboration with NUST and WFP, thereby significantly strengthening CGIAR’s presence and impact within the Southern African region. 

Collaborating with the Southern Africa Resilient Livelihoods Universities Network (SARLUN) offers us a good entry point into regional networks focused on climate resilience and sustainable development, enhancing our reach and impact in Southern Africa. SARLUN’s emphasis on community-driven initiatives aligns with CGIAR’s goals of integrating research with practical application for food security, resilience, and improved livelihoods. This collaboration would provide CGIAR with access to valuable local knowledge and expertise, ensuring that research and interventions are contextually relevant and effective. 

In Conclusion 

The 2025 NUST-WFP National Symposium served as a vital confluence of knowledge, expertise, and commitment towards building resilient communities in Zimbabwe. The insights shared, particularly regarding the differentiated impacts of climate change and displacement on various social groups, including the crucial gendered dimensions highlighted by the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security Team, provide a compelling evidence base for more targeted and inclusive interventions.  

Authors: Siyaxola Gadu, Gracsious Maviza and Mandlenkosi Maphosa  (Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT) 

Acknowledgements  

This work was carried out with support from the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR) and the CGIAR Initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM). We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: https://www.cgiar.org/funders/