ACCESS4ALL Group

Climate change has become one of the most significant challenges affecting agricultural communities in Zimbabwe. Over the past decades, local communities have increasingly experienced unpredictable rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts, which have disrupted traditional farming calendars and reduced agricultural productivity. Changes in the onset, distribution, and intensity of rainfall have negatively impacted crop production, livestock management, food security, and household incomes.

Specific Challenges Faced by the Community

•Unpredictable Rainfall Patterns

Traditionally, farmers relied on predictable rainfall seasons to plan land preparation, planting, and harvesting. This change in rainfall patterns has led to poor yields and frequent crop failure with late onset of rains, early cessation, and long dry spells within the growing season. As a result, crops such as cereals and small grains often fail to germinate properly or suffer moisture stress during critical growth stages.

•Increased Frequency of Droughts

Prolonged drought periods have become more common, leading to severe water shortages for both crops and livestock. Rivers, dams, and boreholes dry up earlier than expected, affecting irrigation and domestic water supply. Livestock losses increase due to lack of pasture and drinking water, while farmers are forced to sell animals at low prices, reducing household wealth.

•Reduced Food Security and Income

Low and unstable agricultural yields have resulted in chronic food insecurity within the community. Many households are unable to produce enough food for consumption or surplus for sale. This has increased dependency on food aid and casual labour, while household incomes have declined, affecting access to education, healthcare, and other basic needs.

•Soil Degradation and Land Stress

Drought conditions combined with intense rainfall events increase soil erosion and land degradation. Farmers experience declining soil fertility, making it difficult to sustain crop production without costly inputs. This further worsens vulnerability among smallholder farmers who cannot afford fertilizers or improved seed varieties.

Community adaptation and Government Interventions and Support

Community adaptations:

•Local people are now into borehole drilling collaborations with at most 5 households for both house chores and farming practices because of low water-table levels.

•People are also more into subsistence farming and market gardening so as to cover-up for food security challenges because of poor crop production from the agricultural commercial sector due to pro-longed droughts.

Government interventions:

•One major intervention is the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) programme, which promotes conservation agriculture practices such as minimum tillage, mulching, and crop diversification to improve moisture retention and resilience to drought.

•The government also supports farmers through the Presidential Input Scheme, which provides subsidised seed and fertilizer to smallholder farmers to enhance food production despite erratic rainfall. Additionally, irrigation rehabilitation and development programmes have been prioritised to reduce dependence on rainfall and improve water availability for crop production.

•Extension services under Agritex play a critical role in educating farmers on climate-resilient farming practices, early planting, use of drought-tolerant crop varieties, and improved water management. Furthermore, the government collaborates with development partners to strengthen early warning systems and weather forecasting, enabling communities to prepare for extreme weather events.