Examining Adaptive Capacities of Tobacco Farmers in Zimbabwe: The Role of Climate Information and Livelihood Diversification in Climate Change Adaptation—A <scp>PLS</scp> ‐ <scp>SEM</scp> , <scp>ANN</scp> and <scp>fsQCA</scp> Approach
ABSTRACT Climate change has significantly impacted agriculture and farmers' livelihoods worldwide. Despite these challenges, their effects on small‐scale tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe remain unexplored. Therefore, this study investigated how economic, social, and environmental impacts influence adaptive capacity, mediated by access to climate information and farmers' livelihood conditions. Survey data from 1125 farmers in two tobacco‐producing provinces were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM), artificial neural network (ANN), and fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The PLS‐SEM results revealed that the environmental, social, and economic impacts of climate change influence farmers' livelihoods and access to climate information, which together shape their adaptive capacities. The ANN results validated these relationships and ranked the predictors of adaptive capacity. The fsQCA results indicate that environmental impacts rarely operate as isolated drivers; instead, they are embedded in specific combinations with livelihood conditions, social and economic factors, and access to climate information that produce high or low adaptive capacity and resilience. This research helps legislators and extension services target information delivery and livelihood support to strengthen farmers' climate resilience and achieve inclusive, long‐term sustainability in the region.
Authors
- Isaac Ahakwa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7597-4227)
- Andrew Kwamina Bram (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5150-0186)
- Emmanuel Bosompem Boadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4290-4177)
- Jinjin Tong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4195-273X)
- Xu Zhao
- Tinashe Mangudhla
Institutions
- University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
- China Three Gorges University (CN)
- Zhejiang Gongshang University (CN)
- University of Memphis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Sustainable Development
- Published
- 2026-02-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70853
- Primary Topic
- Climate change impacts on agriculture
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00