<b>Climate governance beyond the government: Indigenous knowledge systems in rural Zimbabwe's climate change adaptation</b>

This paper assesses climate governance beyond the government, that is, climate governance alternatives that exist outside the context of government policy frameworks in rural Zimbabwe. Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) are one of the alternatives available. Each community in developed, developing, and underdeveloped nations have their own indigenous knowledge systems because IKS are context specific. This encourages the effort to comprehend what indigenous knowledge systems are, and what they signify, on a fundamental level. Environmental disasters have always been a fact of life for African communities and smallholder farmers. Farmers are equipped with the knowledge necessary for coping with climate-related environmental shock and stress as a result of these encounters. The development of a comprehensive national response to climate change requires this information, according to several academic sources. Indigenous knowledge is a solid foundation and premise for climate change adaptation since indigenous people are well-versed in actual and potential solutions. Many scholars agree that few efforts have been made to incorporate IKS into formal climate change adaptation measures in terms of climate governance; therefore, it is necessary to incorporate IKS into the government policy framework on climate change.