The agriculture sector is sensitive to climate change and the capacity of smallholder farmers in developing countries to adapt is limited. Similar to adoption of any development-oriented strategies, perception is prerequisite to successful adaptation of agricultural strategies against climate change effects. This study was conducted in the semi-arid Lower Gweru Communal area of Central Zimbabwe to sensitize smallholder farmers on climate change and to establish their perceptions of the projected climate of Zimbabwe by 2050. Data were collected during 2011 from a total of 60 farmers drawn from six villages in Mdubiwa and Nyama Wards. Farmers were selected using systematic random sampling from a households list and grouped into three wealth groups: resource rich; resource poor and intermediate. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with each group to investigate their perceptions of the projected climate by 2050 and their proposed adaptive strategies. Farmers perceived the projected climate to have negative effects on their livelihoods and there were no outstanding differences in the nature of responses across the three categories of farmers. Farmers' responses showed that they were concerned about crop and livestock productivity as well as availability of water resources, food and nutrition security and about their general well-being. The intermediate wealth group, which had more than half of its members above 70 years of age provided the least number of ideas for adaptations. Farmers also suggested how they could possibly counteract some of the predicted negative effects or maximize on positive effects. Strategies that were suggested by the farmers were largely concerned with cropping and tended to address water shortages. It was concluded that almost all strategies suggested by farmers were self-directed, rather than directed at authorities like government or donors to do something for them thus showing that farmers had the will power to deal with climate change themselves.

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The livelihoods of the majority of people in semiarid areas of developing nations are based on rain-fed agriculture. In the wake of climate variability and change, communities in these regions are the most vulnerable because of their limited capacities to adapt to environmental changes. Smallholder farmers in the study area, Lower Gweru in central Zimbabwe, ascertain that they have observed changes in some rainfall and temperature patterns. These changes include higher temperatures, an increased number of seasons without enough rainfall, and an increased frequency of droughts and lengths of dry spells. The aim of this study was to find out whether farmers’ perceptions are supported by mean and extreme event trends in observed historical climate data. Gweru Thornhill meteorological data were analyzed for significant trends. The analysis showed that temperatures are increasing significantly, consistent with farmers’ observations that temperatures are getting hotter. This study revealed that farmer perceptions on rainfall were not consistent with historical climatic trends. Thus, farmers in the Lower Gweru area may not be a very reliable source of long-term rainfall trends.

Smallholder farmer productivity in developing countries is limited by diverse biophysical, political and socioeconomic factors. The objective of this study was to establish current agronomic practices of smallholder farmers in semi-arid Lower Gweru and Lupane areas of Zimbabwe and to identify possible research and extension interventions that may improve crop productivity of these farmers. Focus group discussions, interviews and desktop study were used to collect data. Horticultural production is the main livelihood in Lower Gweru, while field crop and livestock production are livelihoods in both areas. Conventional tillage is the predominant tillage system. Important crops include maize (Zea mays L.), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L) R.Br.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and groundnuts (Arachis hypogea L.). Farmers grow both hybrid and open-pollinated maize varieties (OPVs) with more farmers in Lupane than in Lower Gweru, growing these OPVs. The number of farmers growing improved varieties of small-grain crops has increased, since mid 1990s. The method and frequency of weeding depends on tillage system used and availability of equipment as well as draft power. Adoption rates for technologies such as water conservation and use of adequate soil ameliorants as well as effective crop rotations are low due to limited resources. The study identified some research and extension interventions that may be employed to improve crop productivity in semi-arid areas of Central and Western Zimbabwe.

The problematic issue in education is in applying learning styles research to classroom settings in schools where a range of teacher and student learning style preferences operate simultaneously. The preferred learning styles of secondary school teachers and managers were investigated using the Honey and Mumford model of learning styles. The Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ) developed by Honey and Mumford (1986) was used in this research. The LSQ identifies four learning style preferences: Activist, Reflector, Theorist, Pragmatist. Data was collected (1989Data was collected ( -1992) from a random sample of 353 Main Professional Grade (MPG) (now known as the Common Pay Spine fCPSJ) teachers and 47 senior managers working in Local Education Authority (LEA) maintained secondary schools. Findings indicated that in the sample: (i) Teachers tended to have similar learning style preferences, namely, Reflector with a back-up preference for Theorist. Their least preferred style was Pragmatist. (ii) Where learning style preferences differ between teachers, these could be accounted for by differences in subject specialism. Using a two-way analysis of variance, a highly significant interaction was found between subject taught (12 subject specialism) and teachers' learning style preference; (iii) Significant differences in learning style preferences were found between MPG teachers and senior managers in schools. The paper finishes with a brief description of the focus of the research into the role of learning style preferences in secondary school teachers' classroom management. Variables being investigated are teaching style, including teachers' beliefs and values surrounding learning and teaching (evidenced by their language patterns); observable teacher behaviour; and students' attitude to learning.

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Work Related Learning (WRL) provides a platform for students to link theory and practice. Universities in Zimbabwe have WRL as part of their curricula and whilst some universities refer this programme to as "student attachment", others have adopted the term WRL. The period of student placement at work places may differ among universities. There has however, been a general move from short term periods to longer periods of attachment. When effectively carried out, WRL can benefit students, academic staff / institutions as well as the employer. The aim of this study was to identify barriers to effective learning of students on WRL. A case study was conducted with students on WRL in Gweru urban area. A questionnaire was administered to 50 students who were at 15 different workplaces during the period May-June 2014. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with a total of eight co-ordinators of the WRL programmesat the Midlands State University in Gweru and supervisors at 12 randomly selected workplaces where students were seconded for the WRL programme. Problems encountered by students on WRL include delays in securing places for attachment, lack of financial incentives to meet basic requirements and limited access to Information Technology and Communication.  The study recommends that Universities revisit their WRL programmes to address existing conditions, particularly those of large student numbers and a dwindling industrial base.  Policies which permit effective placement and learning of students on WRL at both private and public work-places should also be put in place.

Sustainability of rain-fed agriculture in semiarid regions is being threatened by climate variability and change. Weather and climate information (WCI) can be used to reduce the effects of this threat on agricultural production. WCI may be available, but is it readily accessible and communicated/disseminated efficiently to intended end users? Are stakeholders able to interpret the information to correctly inform decision-making? To answer these questions, in view of intermediate stakeholders (service providers to farmers), a study was carried out in two districts of the Midlands Province of Zimbabwe to identify the type and sources of WCI received by these stakeholders as well as constraints and opportunities to access, interpretation, and use of WCI. The study sample was drawn from the Midlands Provincial Drought Relief Committee, a link between the sources of WCI and the smallholder farmers. A questionnaire pretested for clarity and checked for internal consistency of themes using the standardized Cronbach’s alpha was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were generated using SPSS (version 20.0). Findings were that WCI was sometimes not readily available or was received late. Approximately 36% of the intermediate stakeholders (service providers) passed on WCI to farmers in its original form, from the main source the Meteorological Services Department. It was also unfortunate to discover that 36% of the respondents had challenges interpreting WCI. Impediments to the use of WCI by farmers included scientific information not aligning with indigenous information, which is better understood by farmers, and lack of trust in WCI. It is imperative to improve access to WCI and to train stakeholders on interpretation and dissemination of WCI. Significance Statement Weather and climate information—if accurate, accessible, provided in a timely manner, and well understood—can be helpful in the farm decision-making process. Its usefulness is becoming more important with increased climatic variability and change. This paper highlights the challenges and opportunities for service providers in communicating and disseminating WCI. We believe that findings from the study will give direction to efficient utilization of the information by the various end users, for which smallholder farmers are the majority in most developing countries.