Rural–urban migration under conditions of drought and displacement: A case study of the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe
Environmental stressors, especially chronic drought conditions and land degradation, are increasingly channeling rural–urban migration flows in Zimbabwe, thereby worsening pre-existing socio-economic vulnerabilities. The present study explores the associations between environmental hazards-induced displacement and migration trajectories. The key aims are twofold: first, to dissect the influence of drought and related stressors on the calculus of migration; second, to gauge the socio-economic reverberations of such displacement. The study employed a qualitative exploratory design, and data were collected through 30 semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The study found that cumulative drought events had sharply reduced agricultural yield, eroding rural households’ margins of subsistence and compelling movement toward metropolitan cities, notably Gweru and Kwekwe, which in turn stress pre-existing urban amenities and the informal labor market. The study underscores the inadequacy of prevailing climate adaptation strategies and urban governance frameworks to pre-empt and manage the unfolding crisis. Zimbabwe should strengthen rural resilience through sustainable agricultural practices, refine and expand early warning systems, and explicitly embed migration considerations within national climate adaptation strategies.
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