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Drought has become a more frequent phenomenon under changing climatic conditions, particularly in Sub Saharan Africa. This study tested the utility of a newly proposed Temperature-Vegetation Water Stress Index (T-VWSI) in detecting drought severity using Landsat data for the years 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2018. This index was created using both NDVI and LST to detect drought severity within the region. The results show that the year 2016 experienced the most severe levels of drought, with the northern areas of the uMsinga region being most severely affected. SPI was used to corroborate the findings of the T-VWSI index and also established that the year 2016 was the year of severe drought in uMsinga. The results of this study have illustrated the potential of the T-VWSI index in effectively mapping and detecting drought over large spatial areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought frequency is expected to increase in the coming decades due to climate change. Droughts are one of the most devastating natural disasters affecting food production, water resources and causing widespread human and animal mortalities. Sub-Saharan Africa is considered the most vulnerable region to climate change, due to low rainfall, long dry seasons and high levels of poverty. A systematic approach was used to search for published literature from 2008 to 2018 on the impacts of droughts on small-scale farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa from Ebscohost, Google Scholar and Web of Science internet search engines. To acquire relevant studies, the following keywords and Boolean operation combinations were used: GIS AND Remote Sensing OR drought OR small-scale farmers OR sub-Saharan Africa and only studies from 2008 to 2018 were selected. The impacts of droughts are far-reaching and affect the environment, societies and the economy of a country. There is limited reliable and comprehensive information on the impacts of droughts, which calls for research aimed at explaining the impacts of effect and how they can be predicted and mitigated. Improving drought preparedness and mitigation is an important precondition reducing the vulnerability of small-scale farmers and rural communities to the impacts of droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a major challenge threatening agricultural productivity in uMsinga. The occurrence of drought is expected to increase in coming decades, intensifying in severity, duration and the way people are affected by drought. The objective of this study is to understand small-scale farmers' and rural communities' perceptions of drought, its environmental and socio-economic impacts, adaptive and mitigation measures at household level and their satisfaction with the government's role in drought management in the community. The study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, in the form of questionnaires, focus groups and key informant interviews. The sample size for the research study was 180 respondents for the questionnaire component and a total of 30 respondents for the focus groups and key informant interviews. The results show that increased levels of poverty, food insecurity and increased migration were the main socio-economic impacts perceived by respondents. Water scarcity, crop failure, forest degradation and an increase in average temperatures were perceived by respondents as the main environmental impacts caused by drought in uMsinga. Respondents perceived drought as a serious threat to agricultural production and adopted various indigenous adaptive strategies. A majority of respondents adopted a reactive approach to drought management, and therefore did not adopt many mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small-scale fisheries play a significant role as a source of employment, livelihood strategy and contributor to food security. However, changes in climatic variables alter the productivity and distribution of marine and freshwater fish species, negatively affecting the livelihoods of fishery-dependent communities. This study seeks to identify small-scale fishers' livelihoods and examine the impacts of climate change on livelihoods and food security of small-scale fishing households. The study was conducted in Sanyathi fishing basin in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The Sustainable Livelihood Approach framework of the Department for International Development was used to define the small-scale fishers' livelihood assets and activities. The study employed a mixed-method approach for data collection. A pretested, semi-structured questionnaire, focus group discussions and observations were used to collect data from the small-scale fishers. The data collected were subjected to descriptive and bivariate analysis. The present results indicate that fishing is the community's primary livelihood activity. More than 62% of fishermen stated that fishing revenue is declining, owing to declining fish catches. Of participants, 98% recognised food purchases as the primary source of food. Therefore, 78% of the small-scale fishers perceive their households to be food insecure due to declining incomes from fisheries. These findings show the need for policymakers and development agencies to formulate strategies that specifically target fishing communities whose livelihoods rely on natural ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]