Mediating Climate Voices for a Sustainable Agenda

IWMPost Article

Zimbabwe presents a striking contrast in how climate change is discussed. Political narratives dominate the online discourse. Offline, particularly at the local community level, the focus is on ecological impacts on agriculture and land. There is a need to bridge this gap while addressing practical approaches toward sustainable futures in Zimbabwe’s disaster-prone rural communities.

The contestations over land in Zimbabwe reveal deep-seated tensions between economic development, political power, and environmental sustainability. Online communities, shaped by political reflections and broader economic considerations, largely focus on criticizing the government’s political and economic decisions. Offline communities, informed by direct experiences with climate disasters, prioritize sustainable land-management approaches. These differing perspectives highlight the need for more inclusive and participatory approaches to climate governance that consider the diverse needs and realities of different stakeholders. Mediating between online and offline voices can yield potential for both sides.

Zimbabweans actively participate in global conversations around the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and around local disasters. The Zimbabwean X(formerly Twitter)-sphere shows distrust of the highly selective political response to climate issues. Online satire of the country’s delegations to COP events exemplifies this. Critics argue that these costly trips divert funds from more urgent domestic needs such as healthcare. The conversations often extend to broader global debates; for instance, around COP-endorsed carbon-credit deals. These arrangements, termed “mega deals” by Zimbabweans, are often met with scorn and deep mistrust. The United Arab Emirates’ land agreement with four African countries, including Zimbabwe, which was publicized ahead of COP 28, epitomizes these contestations. Online critics view such deals as a reflection of the government’s desperation for global re-engagement after years of economic and political isolation due to sanctions. The discussion is fuelled by concerns over governmental incompetence and corruption, with many fearing that the proceeds will be misused, leaving affected communities neglected. It also covers how land set aside for carbon-credit projects could have been utilized for developmental purposes including infrastructure for industry, which is crucial for the country. The feeling is one of squandering the opportunity in order to create further development opportunities for already rich investors in the carbon credits market. The charges of incompetence, corruption, and opportunism are then compounded by issues like the carbon tax that Zimbabwe introduced in 2001. This generates substantial revenue but there are widespread concerns about its allocation. The challenge lies in the government’s consolidated-fund system where climate-specific revenues are absorbed into a general pool, from which other expenses such as public salaries are often prioritized. There have been calls for instruments, like a Climate Change Act, that would ring-fence climate-related revenues.

In 2019, the community in Chimanimani was devastated by Cyclone Idai, which caused unprecedented damage. Offline, it demonstrates a strong preference for reforestation, informed by its lived experiences. Locals refer to an earlier fast-track land reform program initiated by the government in 2000 as “land for justice,” in line with debates that recognize the ethical implications of the initiative in addressing colonial legacies and neo-colonial dynamics. However, the program’s implementation faced challenges, leading to economic failures and environmental degradation, particularly the transformation of prime timber production areas into cropland. This aligns with evidence that such land-cover changes contribute to global environmental shifts, negatively impacting climate, water resources, terrestrial carbon reserves, and biodiversity. There was a significant decline in forest land cover in Chimanimani, from 406.08 hectares in 2000 to 208.89 hectares in 2013, paralleled by an increase in cropland. After Cyclone Idai, there was an increase in tree-planting initiatives, reflecting community support for reforestation. The community’s belief in the protective role of forests is strong as it associates the decline in tree cover with the severity of climate impacts. Locals note that, while excessive rains are not uncommon, a greater tree presence could have mitigated soil erosion and reduced mudslides during Cyclone Idai. All this resonates with broader environmental challenges. Overall, the community’s enhanced sense of responsibility for preserving natural forests is shaped by its experiences with Cyclone Idai, fostering a commitment to reforestation as a means of addressing environmental and climatic concerns.

At the same time, the Chimanimani community’s offline conversations reflect the ongoing need for crop farming. Subsistence farming is one of the most common sources of economic activity for this small town and its surrounding rural community. In response to this reality, some locals suggest using the most suitable land for agriculture and allowing mountain vegetation to regenerate. We can draw from such insights in the debates around a mix of green growth and degrowth approaches to sustainable climate solutions. In this argument, the focus is on technology. Technological advancements offer a significant opportunity to accelerate green growth in agriculture; for instance, by integrating digital tools, renewable energy, and precision-farming technologies with traditional practices. In respect of degrowth, the debate is on reducing household farming areas. While the argument has Eurocentric foundations constructed around challenges of capitalism, over-consumption, and over-production, these do not accurately apply to the context discussed here. The reduction of cultivated spaces intersects with the gains green farming technologies can also bring. Among benefits of this merged approach, there is an opportunity for natural land restoration through traditional crop rotation and fallowing strategies. This provides an opportunity for focused investment in farming models tailored to community-specific contexts, promoting productivity and sustainability at impactful micro levels. Another key benefit would be a decrease in the energy and time community members spend working in the fields, thereby allowing more time for other economic activities and rest.

There can be a context-specific, technologically infused agricultural approach to address political and economic concerns on one hand and ecological and agricultural needs on the other. By reducing farming spaces and integrating technology, the solution balances the developmental needs expressed online with the ecological wellbeing prioritized offline, offering a pathway that responds to both perspectives and harmonizes political and ecological demands.

As with any other system, initial support is essential for this model to succeed. Its impact on the economy could be significant as the effective application of each approach has the potential to improve efficiency and production. In view of local communities’ agricultural needs, ecological concerns, and natural-disaster experiences and management strategies, the application of a mixed approach with a focus on technological interventions and reduced farming spaces will yield many practical solutions on the ground and bridges communicative contests between online and offline voices about climate change.


Nyelele, C., Murwira, A., and Dube, T. (2018). Understanding the impacts of human resettlement and projected land use dynamics in Chimanimani district of Zimbabwe. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 106, 83–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pce.2018.05.013

Tendai Ganduri is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. She was a Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellow at the IWM in 2024.