Coping with Zimbabwe’s economic crisis

In the past decade a political and economic crisis has unfolded in Zimbabwe. The media have reported about the economic and political crisis, highlighting the sometimes physical confrontation between the opposition and the ruling party as well as the skyrocketing inflation in the country. Yet, such general stories only allow us to guess what is happening on the ground and do not tell us much about the challenges, difficulties and opportunities ordinary Zimbabweans are facing in the face of disintegrating food, input, labor and output markets. At present, there is virtually no primary fieldwork based research going on that can answer many of the pressing questions about household and individual wellbeing in rural areas. This project aims at filling this gap by conducting a study into the impact of the crisis in rural farming areas, specifically on processes of impoverishment and accumulation. The study will be based on case-study fieldwork that links up to previous survey data collection for the Zimbabwe Rural Household Dynamics Study (ZRHDS).