Role of Informal Savings Clubs in Enhancing Women’s Adaptive Capacity to the Impact of Climate Change on Urban Agriculture: The Case of Female Head of Households in Dangamvura High Density Suburb, Mutare, Zimbabwe

Informal savings clubs have emerged as a valuable community-based strategy for enhancing resilience and enabling adaptation to climate change impacts. However, limited research exists on how these clubs specifically support the adaptive capacity of urban farmers. This study aimed to explore the role of savings clubs in helping female heads of households cope with and adapt to climate change, particularly drought, using a case study of Ward 15 in Dangamvura, a high-density suburb in the city of Mutare, Zimbabwe. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study integrated quantitative data from a household survey with qualitative insights from key informant interviews. Findings indicate that savings clubs significantly enhance the resilience of female-headed households by facilitating climate adaptation, improving food security, enabling income diversification, and strengthening social cohesion. To maximize their impact, the study recommends that government agencies, the city council, microfinance institutions, and NGOs support and strengthen savings clubs through tailored training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and governance; provision of seed funding or matching grants to broaden access for low-income women; integration into climate adaptation programs with subsidized inputs and information and support towards water storage and irrigation investment; promotion of climate-resilient livelihoods; inclusion of savings clubs in local development plans; and the facilitation of peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.

Climate change, drought, female headed households, savings clubs, urban agriculture, Zimbabwe.

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