The impact of disaster risks on economic sustainability of cotton supply chains: Evidence from Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

This study seeks to establish the impact of disaster risks on economic performance of seed cotton supply chains in Chiredzi district of Zimbabwe. Reliable primary data were collected through structured questionnaires which were personally administered to cotton farmers by these researchers. In-depth interviews were also conducted with cotton merchants to buttress the results of the structured questionnaires. Given the ordered nature of the dependent variable, economic sustainability, the study employs ordinary least and ordered regression models which check for robustness. Findings indicate that disaster risks have a significant influence on economic unsustainability of seed cotton supply chains in Zimbabwe. Results of conducted interviews show that disaster risks have negatively affected the quality of cotton and cotton products. In addition, thousands of workers lost their jobs and resulted in some cotton supply chain players winding up their businesses.

Keywords

• economic sustainability
• cotton
• disaster risks
• supply chains
• zimbabwe