Great Zimbabwe University

Abstract Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be traced to five economic sectors: energy, industry, buildings, transport and AFOLU (agriculture, forestry and other land uses). In this topical review, we synthesise the literature to explain recent trends in global and regional emissions in each of these sectors. To contextualise our review, we present estimates of GHG emissions trends by sector from 1990 to 2018, describing the major sources of emissions growth, stability and decline across ten global regions. Overall, the literature and data emphasise that progress towards reducing GHG emissions has been limited. The prominent global pattern is a continuation of underlying drivers with few signs of emerging limits to demand, nor of a deep shift towards the delivery of low and zero carbon services across sectors. We observe a moderate decarbonisation of energy systems in Europe and North America, driven by fuel switching and the increasing penetration of renewables. By contrast, in rapidly industrialising regions, fossil-based energy systems have continuously expanded, only very recently slowing down in their growth. Strong demand for materials, floor area, energy services and travel have driven emissions growth in the industry, buildings and transport sectors, particularly in Eastern Asia, Southern Asia and South-East Asia. An expansion of agriculture into carbon-dense tropical forest areas has driven recent increases in AFOLU emissions in Latin America, South-East Asia and Africa. Identifying, understanding, and tackling the most persistent and climate-damaging trends across sectors is a fundamental concern for research and policy as humanity treads deeper into the Anthropocene.

Verb raising and subject inversion have long been topics of theoretical linguistic interest in Romance and Germanic languages, amongst others. Bantu languages also exhibit verb raising and subject inversion, though there has been no comprehensive investigation of these phenomena, nor an explanation of crosslinguistic differences. This paper provides a unified account of verb raising and subject inversion in Bantu languages. It shows that subject inversion in Bantu matrix clauses resembles that found in Romance languages. In contrast, however, verb raising to C (similar to V2 in German matrix clauses) occurs only in embedded relative clauses, and only in some Bantu languages. A natural explanation for these phenomena comes from the fact that verb raising interacts with the prosodic status of the relative complementizer, and that Bantu matrix clauses are IPs not CPs. The paper points to the importance of competing interactions between different aspects of the grammar (e.g. prosodic words, syntax) and provides support for the notion of extended projections (Grimshaw

Improvements in wireless technologies and increased uptake of advanced mobile handsets have led to a growing trend in mobile banking activities on a global scale. This empirical study sought to investigate the applicability of the extension of the renowned framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in determining factors that influence unbanked rural communities Zimbabwe's intention to adopt mobile banking services. A self-administered questionnaire was developed and distributed in Zaka, Chiredzi, Gutu and Chivi rural districts Out of the 400 questionnaires, only 275 useable questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 69%. Results were subsequently analyzed by the SPSS package. The findings indicate that the extended TAM can predict consumer intention to use mobile banking. Specifically, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, relative advantages, personal innovativeness and social norms have significant effect on user’s attitude thus influence the intention toward mobile banking, whilst perceived risks and costs deterred the adoption of the service. The results may provide further insights into mobile banking strategies for mobile network operators, banks and software engineers to design and implement mobile banking services to yield higher consumer acceptance amongst the unbanked rural communities in Zimbabwe.

Ratings of the importance of and satisfaction with 20 areas of the self were obtained from 3604 first or second year social science undergraduates from 14 countries (15 cultures). Factor analysis at the culture by gender level supported four factors for both sets of ratings. The resulting factor scores were analyzed for mean differences according to the cultural dimension of Individualism‐Collectivism by Gender and by correlations with other cultural dimenions and economic indicators. It was found that participants from the 10 collectivist cultures placed greater salience for their self‐concepts on “family values” than did those from the individualist cultures. However, this cultural difference was not found for “social relationships”. The expected gender differences, with females valuing “family values” and “social relationships” more highly, were found only for the individualist countries. The findings indicate that there may be a strong cultural level interaction effect between gender and Individualism‐Collectivism on the nature of self‐conceptions, and that the “family” and “social” aspects of self‐concept in collectivist countries need to be considered separately.

Abstract Prior to independence in 1980 the urbanisation of Zimbabwe's African population occurred under a restrictive regime which prevented many urban workers from obtaining rights to remain permanently in urban areas. As a result many families had no choice but to maintain their links with the overcrowded rural areas, to which they would eventually have to return. Once restrictions were lifted it was to be expected that migration patterns would alter. Surveys conducted amongst post‐independence migrants in Harare's high‐density areas found that many changes had occurred, and in particular there had been a shift towards longer‐term migration. Many families now accompany the household head for at least part of the year. Nevertheless, only a minority of migrants planned to remain permanently in town. There was a strong perception that the maintenance of rural links was essential as economic security for the eventualities of old age and unemployment when urban expenses could not be covered. There is, however, pressure to divorce urban migrants from their rural land rights, in order to alleviate land shortages in the African communal lands. It is argued that since welfare and pension provision is still minimal, such pressure should be resisted since it could lead to widespread urban destitution.

Journal Article THE DEATH OF CHAMINUKA: SPIRIT MEDIUMS, NATIONALISM AND THE GUERILLA WAR IN ZIMBABWE Get access TERENCE RANGER TERENCE RANGER Terence Ranger is professor of modern history at Manchester University and last year he revisited Zimbabwe. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar African Affairs, Volume 81, Issue 324, July 1982, Pages 349–369, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a097431 Published: 01 July 1982

Abstract The growth of smallholder tobacco production since 2000 has been one of the big stories of Zimbabwe's post–land reform experience. Yet the implications for agrarian change, and the consequences for new relations between farmers, the state, and agribusiness capital have rarely been discussed. The paper reports on work carried out in the Mvurwi area of Mazowe district in Zimbabwe with a sample of 220 A1 (smallholder) farmers and 100 former farmworkers resident in compounds on the same farms. By going beyond a focus on operational and business dimensions of contract farming, the paper concludes with reflections on the implications for understanding agrarian relations and social differentiation in those areas of Zimbabwe where tobacco growing is now significant, with lessons more broadly on the political economy of contract farming, and the integration of agribusiness capital following land reform.

Financial institutions play a pivotal role in the efficient allocation of capital resources. However, some households and firms may be excluded from formal financial markets due to asymmetric information and market imperfections, thereby adversely affecting equitable income distribution. On the other hand, among other things, access to finance is viewed as one of the key tools to fight poverty. This study develops a novel double FFI Model and applies the structural equation modelling to simultaneously analyze the interaction between financial technology, financial inclusion, and income inequality in a panel of 25 African countries over the periods 2011, 2014, and 2017. The results show that financial inclusion mediates the financial technology-income inequality relationship thus playing a fundamental role in reducing income inequality in Africa. On the policy front, the study urges African policymakers and regulators to craft policies that enhance Fintech developments and financial inclusion.

Bantu languages exhibit two different surface word orders in object relative clauses (Demuth & Harford 1999). Some languages (e.g. Sesotho) preserve basic SV word order, while others (e.g. Chishona) exhibit VS word order. Closer analysis reveals that the object relative complementizer in Sesotho is a disyllabic prosodic word, whereas the object relative complementizer in Chishona is a monosyllabic prosodic clitic that triggers verb-raising to C 0. This paper analyzes these data within the framework of Optimality Theory, showing how morpho-phonological constraints on the prosodic shape of words dominate syntactic constraints on verb movement. These findings appear problematic for recent proposals that syntactic constraints dominate all prosodic constraints, and that prosodic constraints operate only on pairs of equally well-formed syntactic constructions (Golston 1995). Implications for the nature of the prosody-syntax interface are discussed.

The development of molecular dosimetry methods will simplify the identification of people at high risk for cancer. A combined monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography/high performance liquid chromatography method has been devised to isolate and quantify aflatoxin-DNA adducts and other metabolites in rat urine samples. We report the production of 11 different monoclonal antibodies recognizing aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin Q1, aflatoxin G1, aflatoxicol, and aflatoxin M1 and the application of these antibodies to a multiple monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography technique. Using the multiple monoclonal antibody affinity column with rat urines obtained from dosed animals, between 90 and 95% of total aflatoxin metabolites can be bound to the column and isolated. Analytical immunoaffinity chromatography/high performance liquid chromatography analysis of these isolated aflatoxins reveals that more than 55% of the aflatoxins in rat urine are aflatoxin-dihydrodiol, aflatoxin-N7-guanine, aflatoxin Q1, aflatoxin M1, aflatoxin P1, and aflatoxin B1, accounting for 1.5, 9.6, 1.8, 34.5, 8.0, and 1.0% of the total aflatoxins, respectively. Further, a perchloric acid digestion of the aflatoxin-N7-guanine peak was used to confirm its identity by its conversion to guanine. The measurement of aflatoxin-N7-guanine excretion in rat urine was examined to assess its utility as a marker of DNA adduct formation in the liver, and a dose-dependent excretion in urine was found with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. A comparison of the dose-dependent residual levels of aflatoxin binding to liver DNA with the amount of aflatoxin-N7-guanine excreted in urine showed a correlation coefficient of 0.98. Besides the nucleic acid adduct excretion data, aflatoxin M1 and aflatoxin P1 were evaluated as molecular dosimeters in the urine. Aflatoxin M1 was found to be an excellent marker, whereas no linear relationship between dose and aflatoxin P1 excretion in urine was found.

A healthy and a dignified life experience requires adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) coverage. However, inadequate WaSH resources remain a significant public health challenge in many communities in Southern Africa. A systematic search of peer-reviewed journal articles from 2010 -May 2022 was undertaken on Medline, PubMed, EbscoHost and Google Scholar from 2010 to May 2022 was searched using combinations of predefined search terms with Boolean operators. Eighteen peer-reviewed articles from Southern Africa satisfied the inclusion criteria for this review. The general themes that emerged for both barriers and facilitators included geographical inequalities, climate change, investment in WaSH resources, low levels of knowledge on water borne-diseases and ineffective local community engagement. Key facilitators to improved WaSH practices included improved WaSH infrastructure, effective local community engagement, increased latrine ownership by individual households and the development of social capital. Water and sanitation are critical to ensuring a healthy lifestyle. However, many people and communities in Southern Africa still lack access to safe water and improved sanitation facilities. Rural areas are the most affected by barriers to improved WaSH facilities due to lack of WaSH infrastructure compared to urban settings. Our review has shown that, the current WaSH conditions in Southern Africa do not equate to the improved WaSH standards described in SDG 6 on ensuring access to water and sanitation for all. Key barriers to improved WaSH practices identified include rurality, climate change, low investments in WaSH infrastructure, inadequate knowledge on water-borne illnesses and lack of community engagement.

This article explores the impact of climate change and variability on agricultural productivity in the communal area of Bikita. The article further examines the adaptation and mitigation strategies devised by farmers to deal with the vagaries of climate change and variability. The sustainability of these is also interrogated in this article. This study juxtaposed qualitative and quantitative methodologies albeit with more bias on the former. A total of 40 farmers were sampled for unstructured interviews and focus group discussions. This article argues that the adverse impacts of climate change and variability are felt heavily by the poor communal farmers who are directly dependent on agriculture for livelihood. From the study, some of the widely reported signs of climate variability in Bikita included late and unpredictable rains, high temperatures (heat waves), successive drought, shortening rainfall seasons and seasonal changes in the timing of rainfall. The paper argues that climate change has compounded the vulnerability of peasant farmers in the drought -prone district of Bikita plunging them into food insecurity and abject poverty. It emerged in the study that some of effects of climate variability felt by communal farmers in Bikita included failure of crops, death of livestock and low crop yields, all of which have led to declining agricultural productivity. Findings in this study however established that communal farmers have not been passive victims of the vagaries of climate change and variability. They have rationally responded to it through various adaptation and mitigation strategies both individually and collectively.

Literature on the characteristics or underlying qualities of the concept of poverty is extensive but fragmented and rarely discusses the influence of these characteristics on poverty analysis. This paper examines the characteristics of poverty and their implications for poverty analysis. It primarily made use of secondary data together with some primary data. Findings are that poverty characteristically has a language and is multidimensional, complex, individual- or context-specific and absolute or relative. The characteristics of poverty have significant implications for, and should therefore be taken into consideration in, poverty analysis. The language of poverty reveals the dimensions and severity of poverty faced by a given community. It also enables poverty analysts to uphold the dignity of people and minimise misconceptions about poverty in a society. Lastly, the language of poverty provides an understanding of the context-sensitive meaning of poverty. The multidimensional and complex nature of poverty guides in the selection of an appropriate poverty worldview for analysing poverty. Moreover, the individual- and context-specific characteristic of poverty reflects the variation in the nature and severity of poverty according to age, gender and context. Knowledge about the absolute or relative nature of poverty, furthermore, is essential for poverty classification. The findings of this paper could allow for a more holistic or effective analysis of poverty, which may contribute to policy building.

Microfinancing has been targeted as a tool to address Poverty through the provision of credit to the poor and marginalised economic functions. However, the main objective upon which these institutions are founded is yet to manifest primarily in developing economies. This study examined the role of microfinancing in poverty alleviation by employing a Vector Error Correction Model on quarterly time-series data. The results reveal a significant long-run relationship among the variables poverty, microfinancing, SMEs, and agricultural growth. Contrary to expectations, Microfinancing was found to increase poverty in the long run. SMEs and agricultural development were found to reduce the level of poverty in the long run. In the short run, regression results reveal that SMEs’ growth alleviates poverty, and poverty increases the growth of microfinance loans in the country. The increase in SMEs is a tool for alleviating poverty, and the growth in microfinance institutions is also being driven by poverty. This suggests that continued improper microfinancing can escalate the poverty levels to undesired heights. The findings imply that the growth of microfinance loans is not being put to its intended and efficient use. These findings bring to the fore that it is not only the provision of funds that matters.

This study uses the Ricardian approach
\n to examine the economic impact of climate change on
\n agriculture in Zimbabwe. Net farm revenue is regressed
\n against various climate, soil, hydrological and
\n socio-economic variables to help determine the factors that
\n influence variability in net farm revenues. The study is
\n based on data from a survey of 700 smallholder farming
\n households interviewed across the country. The empirical
\n results show that climatic variables (temperature and
\n precipitation) have significant effects on net farm revenues
\n in Zimbabwe. In addition to the analysis of all farms, the
\n study also analyzes the effects on dryland farms and farms
\n with irrigation. The analysis indicates that net farm
\n revenues are affected negatively by increases in temperature
\n and positively by increases in precipitation. The results
\n from sensitivity analysis suggest that agricultural
\n production in Zimbabwe's smallholder farming system is
\n significantly constrained by climatic factors (high
\n temperature and low rainfall). The elasticity results show
\n that the changes in net revenue are high for dryland farming
\n compared to farms with irrigation. The results show that
\n farms with irrigation are more resistant to changes in
\n climate, indicating that irrigation is an important
\n adaptation option to help reduce the impact of further
\n changes in climate. An overview of farmer adaptation to
\n changing climate indicates that farmers are already using
\n some adaptation strategies-such as dry and early planting,
\n growing drought resistant crops, changing planting dates,
\n and using irrigation-to cushion themselves against further
\n anticipated adverse climatic conditions. An important policy
\n message from the empirical findings is that there is a need
\n to provide adequate extension information services to ensure
\n that farmers receive up-to-date information about rainfall
\n patterns in the forthcoming season so that they make
\n well-informed decisions on their planting dates. Policies
\n that increase farmer training and access to credit and aid
\n facilities and help farmers acquire livestock and other
\n important farm assets can help improve net farm performance.
\n Ensuring the availability and accessibility of fertilizers
\n and crop seeds before the onset of the next cropping season
\n can also significantly improve net farm performance across households.

Microplastics are discharged into the environment through human activities and are persistent in the environment. With the prevalent use of plastic-based personal protective equipment in the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the concentration of microplastics in the environment is envisaged to increase. Potential ecological and health risks emanate from their potential to adsorb and transport toxic chemicals, and ease of absorption into the cells of living organisms and interfering with physiological processes. This review (1) discusses sources and pathways through which microplastics enter the environment, (2) evaluates the fate and behavior of microplastics, (3) discusses microplastics in African aquatic systems, and (4) identifies research gaps and recommends remediation strategies. Importantly, while there is significant microplastics pollution in the aquatic environment, pollution in terrestrial systems are not widely studied. Besides, there is a dearth of information on microplastics in African aquatic systems. The paper recommends that the governments and non-governmental organizations should fund research to address knowledge gaps, which include: (1) the environmental fate of microplastics, (2) conducting toxicological studies under environmentally relevant conditions, (3) investigating toxicity mechanisms to biota, and developing mitigation measures to safeguard human health, and (4) investigating pollutants transported by microplastics. Moreover, regulatory measures, along with the circular economy strategies, may help reduce microplastic pollution.

This article examines the policy and quality assurance debates in teacher education ensuing at one school of education in Zimbabwe following the sudden closure of schools and universities due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Unfortunately, final year university pre-service teacher education students' practicum assessment could not be finalised. The practicum is a critical component in teacher education as it engenders professional transformation, reflection and growth. Unlike other academic modules which could be completed via online and distance education, the practicum, being a practical undertaking in a classroom situation, presented unique challenges. The research question that the article addresses is: How would certification of teachers be finalised when this time-tested assessment had not been done?The articleemploys content and discourse analysis to unpack the philosophical and professional arguments being advanced by faculty, in order to understand how they are likely to determine future directions of teacher education. The argument is that the emerging 'new normal' should not compromise the quality assurance mechanisms developed overtime.

Young children need nurturing care, which includes responsive caregiver-child interactions and opportunities to learn. However, there are few extant large-scale programs that build parents' abilities to provide this. We have developed an early childhood parenting training package, called Reach Up, with the aim of providing an evidence-based, adaptable program that is feasible for low-resource settings. Implementation of Reach Up was evaluated in Brazil and Zimbabwe to inform modifications needed and identify challenges that implementers and delivery agents encountered. Interview guides were developed to collect information on the program's appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility from mothers, home visitors, and supervisors. Information on adaptation was obtained from country program leads and Reach Up team logs, as well as quality of visits from observations conducted by supervisors. The program was well accepted by mothers and visitors, who perceived benefits for the children; training was viewed as appropriate, and visitors felt well-prepared to conduct visits. A need for expansion of supervisor training was identified and the program was feasible to implement, although challenges were identified, including staff turnover; implementation was less feasible for staff with other work commitments (in Brazil). However, most aspects of visit quality were high. We conclude that the Reach Up program can expand capacity for parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.

Abstract There is in Africa, as in other parts of the third world, a desire for environmental management that simultaneously incorporates and benefits all stakeholders, including private businesses and villagers. While these partnerships continue to displace the failed state‐centric management of the African landscape, research to document their local‐level impact is still formative and developing. This article is an attempt to examine the new environmental management partnerships emerging in southern Africa's countryside. It argues that these new interventions not only fail to deliver benefits to villagers: more importantly, they curtail the long‐established rights to land and other natural resources of indigenous communities. While villagers may engage in a battle to recover these rights, it is a struggle in which the odds are stacked against them, and which the private sector and its partners are set to win.

This study explored parents' strategies for home educating their children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) during the COVID-19 period in Harare Urban District in Zimbabwe. Embedded within international research findings on the subject, this qualitative study drew on a purposive sample of eight parents. Telephonic individual interviews, information sheets, and field notes were used to collect data. A constant comparative approach of data organization with continuous adjustment was used throughout the analysis in order to guarantee that codes captured the range of ideas of the parents. Parents committedly home educated children with ASD in collaboration and discourse with their family members and peer parents. Complementary and supplementary roles of parents and family members in the home education of their children with ASD facilitated the transition of these children from school to home routine activities. Parents of children with ASD fostered in these children an awareness of the new social reality of the COVID-19 period and the safety precautions. This study offers insights regarding parents' strategies for home educating their children with ASD during the COVID-19 period.