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Agriculture is the major source of livelihood and income for about 80% of the Zimbabwean population. However, in recent decades, climate change, political standoffs, hyperinflation, and an energy crisis have held the sector hostage. Policy and academic scholarship have mainly focused on reforming agricultural policies. Studies on the diagnostic potential of non-contributory social assistance in increasing resilience and recovery from shocks are limited. Focusing on south-eastern Zimbabwe, this article identifies climate change-related farming challenges. It explores how social assistance, cash transfers and material transfers, in particular, can generate the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change. The article utilised mixed methods research data collected between June and December 2022. The study shows increased use of improved inputs, increased farm output and asset ownership, risk coping and non-farm investment, household income, food security, and production capabilities. The results provide a sufficient empirical rationale for promoting social assistance and smallholder agriculture interactions. It shows how social assistance interventions generate multiplier effects in smallholder farming. The government should normalise the increasing demand for smallholder farming products to promote agriculture through social protection.

The available research on COVID-19 implications and prospects for recovery often fails to rise above the impacts of the pandemic to also consider other equally problematic factors that slow down the recovery rate. One area in which research provides a narrow view is food systems. This article explores other key global challenges that stifle Africa's food system's quick recovery from COVID-19. Drawing from critical document analysis of secondary literature, this article found that climate change, the global energy crisis, and political factors are among the key problem factors. It concludes that these factors deserve to be prioritised because they preceded COVID-19, and therefore, their problematic role should not be subordinated to a pandemic which is already subsiding and for which vaccines have already been discovered.

Received: 26 July 2024 / Accepted: 29 August 2024 / Published: 7 September 2024

Purpose: This article aims to investigate social protection knowledge and strategies and their implementation in selected countries in Southern Africa, namely Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Eswatini, Zambia, and South Africa. The article is part of ongoing policy and practical debates on development and poverty reduction in Africa.
Methodology: The article employs a conceptual research approach to identify the social protection strategies in seven Southern African countries that were chosen purposefully due to the nature and depth of the programs. Conceptual research was underpinned by a review of primary and secondary literature available in both academic and grey formats accessed from the Google Scholar database.
Findings: The article shows elderly grants, child grants, and disability grants were the most common in the selected countries. It was also found that governments believed that social protection strategies could help reduce poverty and vulnerability. However, except for South Africa, these countries did not have permanent strategies to implement and sustain social protection.
Originality/Value: The article highlights how institutions can be strengthened to reinforce social protection systems and ensure sustainability. The article, thus, showcases practical conduits through which the social protection systems in the selected countries can be strengthened.

The socio-economic characterisation of resettled small-holder farmers under the Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP) in Zimbabwe has blind spots in relation to the emergent transformative social policy features such as 'social cohesion', 'cooperation', 'protection' and 'accumulation' which are equally important among land beneficiaries. Using the Sangwe farm, this article departs from the conventional use of the political economy, sustainable livelihoods, human rights-based and neo-patrimonial approaches to experiment with the transformative social policy approach. Using both quantitative and qualitative data in an exploratory research design, the article shows that viewed from the transformative social policy approach, the FTLRP was neither a resounding success nor a complete disaster. The programme actually produced mixed results. The article thus, recommends the use of in-depth, ideologically free and neutral approaches in its analysis so as to reveal its detailed outcomes. Additional studies in which existing land reform policies can be considered in the collective efforts of improving the transformative agenda of the FTLRP across the country are needed.

This edited volume provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate dynamics of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, particularly within the context of sustainable development in Africa. The book explores the multifaceted consequences of the war, drawing attention to its socioeconomic, environmental, and political implications. It also emphasizes the significance of sustainable development on a global scale, positioning itself at the intersection of conflict studies and sustainable development literature. Chapters discuss the international response to the conflict, including sanctions on Russia and disruptions in global supply chains, which has had significant implications for countries in Africa that rely on Russia and Ukraine for essential commodities. The history and root causes of the conflict are analyzed, highlighting the contrasting narratives – the pro-Russian perspective and the pro-Western viewpoint. Underscoring the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on global peace, sustainable development, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, this volume will be of interest to researchers and students focusing on development, food systems, peace and conflict, security studies, international relations, and the SDGs.

This edited volume, the third in a three-volume set, discusses implications of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Africa. By rebuilding natural ecosystems, linking billions to digital networks, and better managing assets, the world may be able to undo the damage done by the industrial revolutions. There are, however, significant concerns that institutions will not be able to adapt, that governments will not adopt and regulate new technologies to reap their benefits, that power shifts will result in serious new security threats, that inequality will increase, and that societies will break apart. Written by an international panel of experts, analyzes the potential of smart technology across sectors and industries in Africa to bring about long-term, sustainable growth.

1. Introduction: Theorising Economic and Social Inclusion in Post-Independence Africa -- 2. Economic Inclusion: Transforming the Lives of the Poor and How to Make Economic Inclusion Work in Africa?- 3. Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Its Effects on Social and Political Inclusion in Africa -- 4. Social Inclusion Interventions for Africa Towards Sustainable Development and Shared Prosperity -- 5. The Impact of Digital Financial Service Taxes and Mobile Money Taxes on Financial Inclusion and Inclusive Development in Africa -- 6. The Political Economy of Financial Inclusion for Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa -- 7. Digital Financial Inclusion and Digital Financial Literacy in Africa: The Challenges Connected with Digital Financial Inclusion in Africa -- 8. Post-Independence Development and Financial Inclusion in Africa: Case Studies and the Way Forward to Support Further Financial Inclusion -- 9. The Future of Financial Inclusion -- 10. On the Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment to West African Countries: Does Political Risk Matter?- 11. Comparative analysis of socioeconomic change and inclusion in Ghana: A gendered empirical analysis using Ghana Living Standards 1988 and Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey 2019 -- 12. Rethinking Financial Inclusion for Post-Colonial Land Reform Beneficiaries in South Africa -- 13. Peasant Financial Inclusion for Inclusive Development in Zimbabwe -- 14. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Solutions for Financial Inclusion of the Excluded: What are the Challenges?. 15. Women Empowerment in The South African Agri-Business: Opportunities and Constraints in The Gauteng Province -- 16. Gender Inclusive Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) Fields in Post-Independence Zimbabwe -- 17. Policy Alternatives for Strengthening Women's Representation in African Local Authorities: Insights from Zimbabwe -- 18. The Digital Economy, Digital Financial Inclusion and Digital Taxation in the Industry 4.0: A South African Perspective -- 19. Digital Transformation in the Healthcare Sector: The Role of Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Long -Term Care Around the World, Lessons for Africa -- 20. Economic and Social Inclusion in Post-Independence Africa A Conclusion.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Theorising Development in Post-Independence Africa -- PART ONE Chapter 2: Unearthing the Nexus Between Development Theories and Underdevelopment in the Post-Independence Africa -- Chapter 3: Post-Independence Sustainable Development in Africa and Policy Proposals to Meet the Sustainable Development Goals -- Chapter 4: Decolonisation of Development in Early Post-Independence Africa -- Chapter 5: Navigating A Tight Rope Between African Philosophy and Economics: Will the African Union Sustain the Spirit of Ujamaa in The Advent of Covid-19?-PART TWO Chapter 6: Impact of Regional Trade Agreements on Economic Growth: An Econometric Analysis -- Chapter 7: Livelihoods Activities in Post-independent Africa: A Closer look at the Impact of 'chikorokoza' illegal Mining on the Education System in Zimbabwe -- Chapter 8: Institutional Capacity Challenges for Policy Research Analysis (PRA) In Zimbabwe: A Comparative Study of State and Non-State Policy Institutions -- PART THREE Chapter 9: Development-Induced Displacement: A Call for Ethical Considerations in Africa -- Chapter 10: Health and healthcare delivery in Zimbabwe: Past and Present -- Chapter 11: Contested Landscapes: Politics of Space and Belonging in Land-Use Planning in Bvumba Forest Along Zimbabwe-Mozambican Border -- Chapter 12: Post-Independence Reforms and Policies in Zimbabwe -- Chapter 13: Tourism Receipts, Education, and Income Inequality in Selected South Africa Provinces -- Chapter 14: Dam Projects, Modernity and Forced Displacement: An analysis of the role of Local Institutions in Surviving Marginalization Among the Tokwe Mukosi Displacees in Zimbabwe -- PART FOUR Chapter 15: Public Spending and Private Sector Investment in Nigeria: An investigation of the Crowding-in (or-out) Effect amidst Deteriorating Fiscal Balance -- Chapter 16: The Impact of Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals on Women Leaders Within South African Schools -- Chapter 17: Implications of Sino-Africa Partnerships for Peasant Natural Resource Access, Ownership, and Utilisation in Africa -- Chapter 18: A South African Perspective on Solidification of Auditor's Competence in the Areas of Testing for the Presence of Fraud and Corruption -- Chapter 19: Post-Covid19 in South Africa-The Pandemic and Public Finances Towards Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals -- Chapter 20: The politicisation of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Zimbabwe and Implications on the Attainment of the SDGs -- PART FIVE Chapter 21: Conclusion: Towards Development in Post-Independence Africa.

The second in a three-volume series, this edited volume discusses post-independence economic inclusion in selected African countries. While human development indices rise and poverty rates fall across the African continent, facilitated by recent technological and innovation development which reaches previously inaccessible regions, indicators continue to lag in several crucial areas. Economic and social inclusion, therefore, remains at the forefront of development discussions across the continent. Using a variety of case studies underpinned by multidisciplinary research approaches, the chapters in this book explore a wide range of economic and financial inclusion issues from all aspects; from benefits and challenges to the steps that need to be taken to improve the level of economic inclusion on the continent. Governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations with a bias toward development, students, and university lecturers will all find this book interesting.

The book Post-Independence Development in Africa: Decolonisation and Transformation Prospects revisits the development debates and development realities in Africa. This is achieved by offering theoretical comments about post-independence development in Africa and by providing historical details pertaining to the development approaches adopted in Africa immediately after independence in the 1960s and mid-70s. Sitting at the intersection of two sets of scholarly literature, namely; literature on development and literature on development discourses and practices in Africa, the book comprises a mixture of detailed sector-specific accounts of the status of development on the continent. The chapters in the book also contribute to clarifying how the two strands of literature intersect using several case studies across Africa.

Intense ideological and political standoffs persist over land and agrarian reform in former settler countries where land access, ownership, and utilisation wield enormous socio-economic and political implications. Focusing on South Africa (SA) and Zimbabwe, this article contributes to the ongoing debate on land reform. Drawing on qualitative secondary literature review and abstraction, this article identifies land reform policy evolution in SA and Zimbabwe and explores the implications of land reform policy on socio-economic and political development. The article shows that since colonial times, asymmetrical land access, ownership, utilisation, and widespread land expropriation by settlers have been the major source of political instability, landlessness, rural poverty, high population densities, and poor land management in SA and Zimbabwe. The article argues for the need for theoretically and conceptually mature land reform debates located within the broad framework of trajectories of transformation, not only economic but also structural.

The newly discovered coronavirus (COVID-19) has changed the traditional methods of conducting qualitative research which, by nature, heavily relies on face-to-face interaction through interviews, field work, and focus group discussions for data collection. However, the various COVID-19 safety protocols, including physical distancing, mask wearing, quarantines, restrictions of national and international travels as well as the need to limits one's movements to reduce exposure to the virus, have all disrupted traditional methods of qualitative data collection, thereby leaving researchers stranded. This article explores a number of other methods which researchers can utilize to achieve the same results released by face-to-face interactions. These methods include the use of digital voice, video, and text-based tools, online surveys, and content analysis. Drawing from a qualitative study conducted during a lockdown in Zimbabwe between May and June 2020, the article demonstrates how these tools can be used to generate data or to sample data that is already available to satisfy research questions and meet research objectives.

AbstractThe existing discourses on the Russia–Ukraine war mainly focus on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the implications for the global economy. There is a lack of policy and scholarly attention to how the war threatens the prospects for realising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Underpinned by a critical document analysis of secondary sources available in academic and grey literature and focusing on Africa, the article explores various global challenges ensuing from the crisis. It demonstrates how such challenges impact prospects for achieving SDGs in Africa. Using the first two SDGs as an example, the study found that with the disruption of the global supply chain by the war and the international sanctions imposed on Russia, Africa now experiences food commodity and energy shortages, soaring inflation, and commodity price hikes which now threatens to worsen poverty and hunger. The article recommends that Africa prioritise structural change and regional cooperation, reconsidering the global financial system and how development finance is structured and maintaining a steady commitment to building resilience. Future research could be focused on the effectiveness of non-sanctions-based conflict resolutions.

The literature on COVID-19 impacts overlooks the pandemic' impact on informal traders who operate in undesignated public spaces. While studies on the impact of COVID-19 on informal traders exist, there remains little focus on how the socio-economic livelihood activities of informal traders in undesignated public spaces, such as parks, who rely on both domestic and international tourists as customers, have been impacted. This paper fills this gap by focusing on two case studies of urban public spaces in the city of Tshwane, South Africa. These spaces are Jubilee Square and Magnolia Dell Park. The study is predicated on the spatial triad framework which enables it to interrogate how the restriction on access and utilisation of public spaces during the COVID-19 lockdown impacted on the socio-economic activities of informal traders. It found that informal traders in these two parks were the most vulnerable category of traders during the COVID-19 lockdown and faced huge socio-economic and livelihood challenges. They lost their income sources and had their social networks disrupted. The article proposes social policy interventions in the governance of public spaces as part of an effort to save both lives and livelihoods in the face of a pandemic. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SPER-07 Full Text: PDF