An inquest into the resource mobilization and utilization capacity of local leaders for community resilience to agriculture-threatening droughts and floods

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between resource mobilization and utilization capacity of local leaders and community resilience to droughts and floods in Lower Muzarabani District of the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe. Continual exposure to the hydro-climatic disasters of droughts and floods in Lower Muzarabani has accelerated the vulnerability of poor rural communities, plunging them deeper into poverty and preventing them from taking advantage of economic opportunities. With Lower Muzarabani faced with increasing magnitude, frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, the need for concerted efforts towards building disaster-resilient communities can never be overemphasized. The Conjoint Community Resilience Assessment Model (CCRAM) Household Questionnaire was used to collect data in face-to-face interviews among the sampled households. in Lower Muzarabani. The original CCRAM Model structure, consisting of 5 disaster-resilience factors (Leadership, Collective Efficacy, Preparedness, Place Attachment, and Social Trust) and 28 items, was used as the basis for the survey. The multi-stage sampling method was used in selecting the 200 households for the survey. The major finding obtained with the use of the Pearson Bivariate Correlation Analysis and Linear Regression Analysis was that the efficiency and effectiveness of resource mobilization and utilization activities (represented in the CCRAM model by the preparedness factor) significantly and positively influence community resilience to the hydro-climatic disasters of droughts and floods in Lower Muzarabani.