Abstract:
Domestic and international crops and livestock
trade remain fragile among Zimbabwean smallholder
farmers. Commercial crop-livestock integration in climate
change vulnerable areas is low and sparsely documented.
Practice, knowledge, and attitude indicators influencing
participation of smallholder farmers in crop-livestock
integrated platforms as a hedge against climate changeinduced risks and uncertainties were assessed. A survey
with 240 farmers in Insiza district, Matabeleland province, Zimbabwe was conducted. A modified knowledge,
attitude, and perception framework was used to analyze
data from six wards supported by World Vision through
supplementary livelihood programs on crop-livestock integration. Conventional crop-livestock (63%), mixed cropslivestock (25%), and traditional grains-livestock (12%)
options were dominant. There was a thin presence of stakeholders with a limited number of local buyers, contracting
companies, and agro-dealers who participate on these
platforms. Farmers have the knowledge, positive attitude,
and motivated perceptions about the potential of traditional grains-livestock mechanisms to reduce climate
change welfare compromising factors. Unbalanced policies,
limited financing, and uncompetitive marketing channels
limit the uptake of this option. Traditional grains-livestock
alternatives should be supported in semi-arid environments
to reduce food, income, and nutrition insecurity. Publicprivate partnerships should establish value addition
systems to increase the market size of traditional grainslivestock products and enhance commercialization.
