By A Correspondent – In Masvingo Province, climate change is a pressing reality characterized by recurring droughts, erratic rainfall patterns, and declining agricultural productivity.

As communities struggle to adapt to these challenges, it has become increasingly evident that the erosion of indigenous farming practices has weakened local resilience, even as women remain the primary custodians of this crucial knowledge.

Research conducted in drought-affected districts such as Chivi indicates that the shift away from indigenous agricultural practices has led to food insecurity and greater reliance on external food aid.

These findings highlight that while communities still possess valuable indigenous knowledge regarding drought-resistant crops, soil conservation, seed selection, and water-saving techniques, these practices are being overlooked in favor of poorly adapted modern farming models and limited institutional support.

In response to this issue, the Climate Action Coalition of Zimbabwe (CACZ), in partnership with the Masvingo Women Rights Advocacy Group (MWRAG), has launched an awareness campaign aimed at promoting indigenous knowledge as a vital component of climate change mitigation and adaptation.

This initiative adopts a climate justice approach that centers women’s rights and indigenous knowledge in sustainable climate solutions. The organizations are collaborating with rural women farmers and community groups to document, revitalize, and promote climate-resilient practices that have supported families for generations.

Through community dialogues, awareness meetings, and learning exchanges, CACZ and MWRAG are amplifying women’s voices as key holders of essential ecological and agricultural knowledge. These engagements focus on traditional drought-tolerant crops, seed preservation methods, soil and water conservation techniques, and seasonal forecasting rooted in local knowledge systems. By reclaiming and strengthening these practices, women are improving household food security and reducing vulnerability to climate-induced challenges.

At the same time, the partnership advocates for the formal recognition of indigenous knowledge within local and national climate adaptation policies. CACZ and MWRAG are engaging with duty bearers and stakeholders to ensure that climate responses do not marginalize women’s expertise. Instead, they are calling for increased investment in community-led, gender-responsive solutions.

This includes advocating for agricultural extension services that respect and integrate indigenous practices rather than replacing them, as well as fostering climate finance mechanisms that reach grassroots women farmers.

For MWRAG, protecting indigenous knowledge is fundamentally a women’s rights issue. As climate pressures intensify, women’s unpaid labor increases, and their exclusion from decision-making spaces exacerbates existing inequalities. Reclaiming women-led knowledge systems challenges this imbalance by recognizing women not as passive victims of climate change, but as active agents of resilience, innovation, and sustainable development.

By uniting climate justice and women’s rights, CACZ and MWRAG demonstrate that effective climate solutions in Masvingo must be locally rooted, gender-just, and informed by the lived experiences of women. In the face of climate change, safeguarding indigenous knowledge is not simply about preserving the past; it is about securing a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for communities across Masvingo Province.