Reflections on integrating environmental social work methods of intervention in Zimbabwean social work curriculum

Abstract

Undeniably, natural climatic shocks, poverty and environmental degradation have become intractable challenges Zimbabwe grapples with. Worthwhile to note is how to overcome enduring precarity for predominantly rural and peri-urban communities the enduring livelihood strategy has been to harness natural resources. For instance, Zimbabwe hosts some of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world and is home to over 5,930 species of plants and over 1,360 animals. Forests currently cover around 45% of the country’s total land area, but deforestation is an increasingly pressing issue, resulting in forests disappearing at a frightening rate. Given how developmental social work has become important thinking in social work scholarly discourses, its domains like environmental social work have become important for mainstreaming in  social work training curricula and fieldwork. Based on review of secondary literature, the objective of this article is to offer pathways by which social worker educators can embed critical perspectives of environmental social work methods of interventions. This would be embedded in the curriculum components including research and fieldwork practicum. This can aid mainstreaming of environmental social work themes, debates and strategies in delivering courses centred on community, rural and social development. The article concludes by discussing possible constraints and opportunities in galvanising environmental social work visibility in the Zimbabwean and African social work curricula.

How to reference using ASWNet style:

Nhapi, T. (2023). Reflections on integrating environmental social work methods of intervention in Zimbabwean social work curriculum. African Journal of Social Work, 13(2), 118-126. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i2.8

Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net