Abstract
Drought severity is increasing in Southern Africa which is affecting rain-fed agriculture, the main source of livelihood in most countries in this region. The study assessed the seasonal spatio-temporal dynamics of agro-meteorological drought between 2017 and 2020 in Mberengwa and Zvishavane districts. An empirical research design supported by quantitative geographical information system techniques for data analysis was adopted in this study. Remote sensing data and precipitation records from the Meteorological Services Department were main data sources in this study. Microsoft excel 2013, SPI generator and ArcMap 10.5 software were used for data analysis in this study. Results showed that both Mberengwa and Zvishavane districts experienced an increasing trend in spatial coverage of drought from 2017 to 2019 before a slight decline in 2020. From 2017, drought severity increased in terms of spatial coverage with this spatial distribution increasing to almost over ¾ of the wards in both Mberengwa and Zvishavane districts between 2018 and 2020. Since 2017, on a ward level basis, both districts have been experiencing late onset and early cessation of the rain season as shown by increasingly dry October, November and March, months which determine the length of crop growing season in these two districts. Results indicated that the month of March was drier in Mberengwa whilst the month of December was drier in Zvishavane, an indication of more mid-season dry spells in Zvishavane and earlier rainfall cessation in Mberengwa. Drought is worsening in both Mberengwa and Zvishavane districts; hence, long-term drought resilience interventions are required to improve drought resilience of communities in these areas. The study recommends the Government of Zimbabwe and other stakeholders of drought resilience building like CARE International, World Vision among others to prioritise launching of resilience building initiatives in most vulnerable areas whilst guided by fine empirical information on spatial distribution of drought.
Highlights
Understanding climatic variability is critical for improving long-term forecasting of severe events such as droughts through informed quantification of mechanisms connected to the hydrological cycle (Massei and Fournier, 2012; Räsänen and Kummu, 2013)
From 2017, drought severity increased in terms of spatial coverage with this spatial distribution increasing to almost over 3⁄4 of the wards in both Mberengwa and Zvishavane Districts between 2018 and 2020
Since 2017, on a ward level basis, both districts have been experiencing late onset and early cessation of the rain season as shown by increasingly dry October, November and March, months which determine the length of crop growing season in these two districts
Summary
Understanding climatic variability is critical for improving long-term forecasting of severe events such as droughts through informed quantification of mechanisms connected to the hydrological cycle (Massei and Fournier, 2012; Räsänen and Kummu, 2013). Droughts present negative influence on society, the environment, and the economy. Drought is a natural occurrence which can be exacerbated by climate change. With global warming and population expansion, drought resilience is projected to decline in the future. Water supplies, and the environment if the climate system's water deficit exceeds a particular level that cannot sufficiently support anthropogenic and environmental requirements. Meteorological drought is defined by precipitation deficits whilst agricultural drought is caused by soil moisture deficits (Keyantash and Dracup, 2002). This indicates that drought occurs when precipitation or moisture supply is insufficient to support a specific requirement or use
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
