Citation: Mwadzingeni, L.; Mugandani, R.; Mafongoya, P. Risks of Climate Change on Future Water Supply in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes in Zimbabwe. Water 2022, 14, 1682. https://doi.org/10.3390/ w14111682 Academic Editor: Antonio Lo Porto Received: 26 April 2022 Accepted: 23 May 2022 Published: 24 May 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). water Review Risks of Climate Change on Future Water Supply in Smallholder Irrigation Schemes in Zimbabwe Liboster Mwadzingeni 1, * , Raymond Mugandani 2 and Paramu Mafongoya 1 1 School of Agriculture, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Carbis Road, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg 3201, South Africa; mafongoya@ukzn.ac.za 2 Faculty of Natural Resources Management and Agriculture, Midlands State University, Gweru 9055, Zimbabwe; mugandanir@gmail.com * Correspondence: libomwadzi@gmail.com Abstract: Smallholder irrigation schemes (SISs) have been portrayed as a panacea to climate change adaptation. However, there is an emerging discourse that established schemes are becoming vulnera- ble to increased climate variability and change, particularly increased water stress. This paper reviews the existing knowledge on risks of climate change and variability in water supply in smallholder irrigation farming in Zimbabwe. In addition, this paper highlights adaptation options to climate change in SISs. Data for this review were collected systematically from peer-reviewed and published literature. The literature used for this study showed that SISs in Zimbabwe are beset with water stress, competing water needs and the outbreak of pests and diseases, which have been related with climate change and variability. Climate change is making Zimbabwe more arid through decreasing precipita- tion and warming. Droughts and floods are increasing in frequency and severity. Damage by floods is increasing exponentially, impacting environments, ecological systems and national economies. Climate change affects SISs’ productivity and decimates the livelihoods of scheme farmers. The review suggests that there is a need for increased adsorptive, adoptive and transformational capacity for SISs to obtain a new state of resilience from adverse effects of increased climate variability and change. This review recommends understanding and prioritizing solutions to vulnerability to climate change in SISs. Keywords: rainfall; drought; temperature; water stress; pests and diseases 1. Introduction Globally, the major abrupt influence of a changing climate in the agricultural sector will be through a more variable precipitation pattern, increased temperatures and increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as cyclonic activities, droughts and floods [1,2]. The impacts of climate change on water resources, including quantity and quality of water, are a growing concern in smallholder farming systems, particularly in those areas already experiencing water stress [1,3,4]. Some authors have documented the possible impacts of climate change on new and emerging pests and diseases [5–7]. However, addressing the impacts of climate change must be considered in for all socio-economic conditions, including policies, institutions, investments, economies and technical factors which affect the vulnerability of systems to climate change. The change in climate experienced world-wide already has negative implications for 21st-century agriculture in Zimbabwe [8]. There is mounting evidence that large investments have been made in Zimbabwe’s SISs in an attempt to depart from rain-fed agriculture through judicious harnessing of available water resources. However, there is rising concern about the need to build the resilience of these schemes to protect investments in light of a more variable climate. In this article, climate variables and socio-economic factors are reviewed to inform decision-makers on possible actions for resilience-building, Water 2022, 14, 1682. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14111682 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/water