https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/ifc-zimbabwe-regulator-to-develop-agricultural-insurance-to-protect-smallholder-farmers-2022-02-15/rep_id:4136

Feb. 15, 2022

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Zimbabwean insurance regulator the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC) formed a partnership to create a market for agricultural insurance products in Zimbabwe to protect smallholder farmers from weather-related crop damage and other shocks.

The Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy has Been Launched

President Mnangagwa has unveiled the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, which aims to grow the agriculture economy to $8.2 billion dollars by 2025. The strategy combines the Agriculture Recovery and Livestock Growth Plans into a single action plan. A coordinated and multi-sectoral strategy, he argued, will be critical to the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy's success.

Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan

Government has released the Zimbabwe Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan which analyzes and prioritizes CSA investment and policy packages that will promote progress in three key CSA pillars: a more productive, resilient, and low-emissions agriculture sector. It discusses elements such as investment costs and supporting institutional frameworks as well as implementation procedures for various CSA solutions. It aims to harmonize goals and objectives across Zimbabwe's existing agriculture policies and climate change plans, as well as the country's vision 2030 and national determined contributions (NDCs), among other things. This CSAIP is also meant to be used as a starting point for constructing a new, climate-resilient Zimbabwe AIP in the future.

2021 -22 Agriculture Season Preparations

Inputs distribution under the Scheme is ongoing. A total of 347 583 households have been trained under the Presidential ClimateProofed Pfumvudza/Intwasa Cotton Programme and inputs distribution is underway.

Approval of the Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contribution

Cabinet received and approved the proposed Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contributions which was presented by the Minister of Local Government and Public Works. The proposed revised Nationally Determined Contribution identified seventeen mitigation strategies contributing 40% per capita emission reduction by 2030 and four adaptation strategies to be implemented across all the sectors of the economy. The four adaptation strategies are as follows: develop, implement and scale-up climate smart agriculture solutions including strengthening agricultural value chains and markets; enhance early warning and climate-related disaster risk reduction systems; ensure climate resilient infrastructure designs and development; and develop and promote climate resilient water resources management.

$17.5 Billion paid to farmers for grain deliveries

The government of Zimbabwe is working to train nearly 2 million farmers in conservation agriculture (CA) and 1 million farmers have already been trained in the country.

Wetland Management Framework

The development of the Wetland Management Framework is on course, with the Wetlands Management Guidelines having been validated and adopted by the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. The draft National Wetlands Map has been produced and validated, while the One Wetlands Policy now awaits approval by Cabinet. Four of the planned 14 waste drop-off sites were under construction at Mbalabala Business Centre in Umzingwane District, Mvurwi Town, and two in Harare Metropolitan Province.

Launch of Climate Strategy Documents

I. National Climate Change Learning Strategy ii. GCF Country Programme iii. NAP Communication Strategy iv. Climate Change Mainstreaming Module

Creation of a climate change resilient programme

Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Hospitality Industry Munesu Munodawafa said government created a climate change resilient programme to effectively deal with the effects of climate change.

Improvement of climate change control systems

Government is improving planning, early warning and climate change management systems to cushion small holder farmers from extreme weather events and boost production to necessitate national food security, a senior Government official has said.

Already, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement is promoting production of drought tolerant crops and rehabilitating dams and irrigation schemes.

Partnering with private sector players in the roll out of the Pfumvudza Conservation Agriculture Program

Government  has collaborated with the Foundations for Farming and other stakeholders in capacitating extension workers on the Pfumvudza concept ahead of the 2020-2021 summer cropping season.

The extension officers will be capacitated to enable them to educate, track and monitor the Pfumvudza concept, which is aimed at climate-proofing agriculture by adopting conservation farming techniques.

It also involves the utilisation of small pieces of land and applying the correct agronomic practices for higher returns.

Roll out of the Pfumvudza Conservation Agriculture Program

Government is intensifying efforts to boost agricultural production through conservation agriculture methods (also known as Pfumvudza) to guarantee food self-sufficiency and commercialise smallholder agriculture.

Under the Pfumvudza concept, communal farmers will now be required to practise conservation agriculture, a concept also known as Pfumvudza for them to benefit under the Presidential Inputs Scheme as Government moves in to boost agriculture productivity and ensure food self-sufficiency and surplus.

Launching of the National Adaptation Plan Road Map for Zimbabwe

The objective of the NAP Roadmap is to identify key activities that will realize the country’s NAP, their timelines, possible key milestones to note during project implementation as well as key actors responsible for their delivery. 

$118m to transport Pfumvudza inputs

At least $118 million is being mobilised to transport inputs under the Climate-Proofed Presidential Inputs Programme, commonly known as Pfumvudza, from the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots.