This paper reviews the importance of small scale fisheries in developing countries, highlighting the implications of climate variability on small scale fishing activities in the Kafue Flats of Zambia. Rainfall and temperature trends are analysed for five meteorological stations of the Kafue Flats, over a 30 year period (1982-2011) using Mann Kendall and Sen�s Estimator non-parametric tests. Over-all, the results reveal that the observed monthly rainfall over this period depicts increasing (< 0.05) and decreasing (<0.05 and < 0.1) trends. Trend analysis of seasonal temperatures also show increasing (< 0.05) and decreasing (< 0.01 and < 0.1) trends. Seasonal variability for both rainfall and temperature over the entire period displays statistically significant upward and downward trends at different rates. Household surveys, using snow-ball sampling technique, gauge the effects of climate variability on livelihoods. The study finds that climate variability and change clearly affects fisheries and their associated livelihood activities, and mounts pressure on food and income-generating assets in the Kafue flats. Notwithstanding, constrained by poverty and lacking alternative livelihoods, the fisher-folk remain reliant on the unstable fisheries. Devising adaptation and mitigation strategies, which reduce vulnerability, should be the primary option for sustaining the livelihoods of artisanal fishing communities in the Kafue Flats.

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