Building climate resilience to enhance attainment of welfare Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Southern Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study sought to assess the effectiveness of climate resilience approaches implemented in Mwenezi District towards enhancing attainment of welfare SDGs. The researchers targeted 4228 Enhancing Community Resilience Project Beneficiaries (ECRAS) in wards 2, 4, 7 and 10 in Mwenezi District. ECRAS Project implementing partners (Care International Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Department of AGRITEX District Head and Extension Officers, Department of Veterinary Services District Head, District Development Coordinator and Ward Councillors were purposively selected. Sample size for the 4228 ECRAS beneficiaries selected from selected wards 2, 4, 7 and 10 was calculated using Raosoft online calculator at 95 % confidence level and it translated to 352 households. Quantitative data (descriptive statistics) were subjected to SPSS version 22.0 for analysis while qualitative data were subjected to content analysis and presented to complement descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that building climate resilience helps rejuvenate life support systems and environments of the households in Mwenezi District which are the basis for activities that accelerate attainment of SDGs. The study recommends scaling up such climate resilience approaches as a strategy to support global and national efforts to attain sustainable development. This is important since climate change has posed significant impacts on community activities that are critical for ensuring sustainable development.