Rural women and coping with extreme heat in South Western Zimbabwe: livelihoods, water and energy

Abstract

This article focuses on rural women’s agency and innovation in the context of the global acceleration of climate change-induced extreme heat. Specifically, it considers the intersecting challenges encountered in relation to livelihoods, water, and energy, as well as the coping strategies adopted by diverse rural women. While currently there is an upsurge of studies focusing on extreme heat, they are mostly generic in terms of gender and largely framed within the broader context of climate change not specifically on extreme heat. We use the intersectional ecofeminist perspective to analyze how different women are disproportionately affected by extreme heat. We also examine how ‘better-off’ rural women, in their relative capacities, capitalize on the heat crisis in the absence of institutional assistance. We argue that the most vulnerable rural women bear the brunt of climate change-induced crises, yet their subjective experiences remain under-represented in climate change discourse and policies. This qualitative research is based on data drawn from key informant interviews, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions conducted in Beitbridge district, southern Zimbabwe. The paper recommends policy makers and other stakeholders to complement extreme heat responces and innovations by vulnerable populations while noting the spatial and gendered dimensions of the climate crisis.Impact Statement This empirical qualitative study contributes to the growing body of literature on climate change, gender, rural development and environmental justice with a specific focus on extreme heat and rural women in Zimbabwe. It demonstrates that rural women’s extreme heat experiences are not uniform but are largely shaped by intersecting forms of marginality including class, age, geographical location, and marital status with serious implications on livelihoods, water, and energy. The study applies an intersectional ecofeminist perspective to move beyond conflating women as a homogenous group by specifying conditions confining and/or enabling different rural women to adapt to extreme heat in Zimbabwe’s rural Beitbridge district. Findings offer a case for gender sensitive and equitable climate adaptation policies including investments in climate resilient and gender sensitive livelihoods, water infrastructure and sustainable renewable energy. The study is particularly relevant to policymakers, the government of Zimbabwe, local authorities, and practitioners involved in rural development particularly those targeting vulnerable populations in last mile communities, as well as stakeholders involved in inclusive heat adaptation in the Global South and beyond.