Climate change has hit Zimbabwe's agriculture sector hard. Droughts, floods, and temperature extremes are becoming more frequent, and yields have suffered, particularly among smallholder farmers with limited coping mechanisms. Farmers are, however, gradually adopting strategies that align with climate-smart agriculture principles to counter these challenges. Here are some of the adaptation techniques Zimbabwean farmers are putting into practice.
Growing drought-tolerant crops
Zimbabwe has experienced major droughts roughly every decade over the past 40 years (1982, 1992, 2002, 2015, 2018, 2024-2025). As a result, farmers are returning to small grain crops such as sorghum and millet, both of which are drought-tolerant. These crops were traditionally grown across the country but had been abandoned over the years in favour of exotic crops like maize.
The shift back has helped secure household food supply during drought years. Acceptance of small grains for consumption, especially among younger generations, remains a problem. Processing these crops is also labour-intensive in smallholder communities due to limited mechanisation.
Early planting to match shorter seasons
The summer growing season in Zimbabwe has traditionally run from October to March. Over the years, the season has shifted to November through February or March. Late-planted crops often fail to reach physiological maturity because the growing window has shortened.
To counter this, farmers now plant early in the season, as soon as effective rains arrive, to make maximum use of the available rainfall. This approach has proven effective. Low mechanisation levels in the Zimbabwean farming community, however, mean planting is slower than it should be, which limits how widely this strategy can be applied.
Drought-tolerant and short-season varieties
Alongside the return to small grains, farmers are also adopting climate-resilient crop varieties bred for shorter rainfall seasons. Seed companies have developed many short-season and drought-tolerant cultivars. There are now maize varieties that reach physiological maturity in 90 to 120 days, compared to older varieties that required 150 days.
These short-season varieties have delivered reasonable yields during drought years, helping to maintain household food security. Most of them are hybrids, though, and therefore expensive. Resource-constrained smallholder farmers sometimes cannot afford to buy them.
Water harvesting and irrigation development
There has been an accelerated shift towards water harvesting and irrigation development in Zimbabwe over the past few years. Dam construction and borehole drilling, coupled with the installation of irrigation facilities, have reached smallholder farming communities across the country. A range of types of irrigation systems are being deployed. This infrastructure enables continued crop production all year round, during dry seasons and droughts alike.
Water harvesting and irrigation installation are expensive and are usually funded by the government and aid agencies, especially in smallholder areas. Some irrigation schemes in these communities have not been sustainable. Poor choice of cropping programmes has rendered certain schemes uneconomic. In other cases, schemes have failed to pay for the electricity powering their pumps and have had power cut off. Improving flood irrigation and water use efficiency through training and support is essential if these investments are to last.
Conservation farming and the pfumvudza technique
Greenhouses, tied or open ridges, and conservation agriculture techniques are all being used to control the growing environment. The pfumvudza technique was developed specifically for smallholder farmers to ensure household food security and increase resilience to climate change.
Pfumvudza is a zero-till conservation farming method built around three principles: crop rotation, mulching, and minimum tillage. It can be applied to many crops, including maize, small grains, sunflowers, and sugar beans. The concept has been rolled out nationwide, with farmers working plots that measure 16 metres wide by 39 metres long (624 square metres). This size reflects the reality that smallholder farmers are resource-constrained and minimally mechanised.
Farmers dig planting holes by hand during the dry season. For maize, a spacing of 75 cm between rows and 60 cm within rows is used, with planting holes measuring 15 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm. Precision is important when marking the planting stations because planting at the same spot every year allows plants to benefit from residual fertility. After digging the holes, farmers apply lime and basal fertiliser. Where inorganic fertiliser is not available, organic manure is used. Mulching follows.
Planting is done before the onset of rains where farmers have access to water, or after the first effective rains. For maize, three seeds are planted per hole and thinned to two plants per station three weeks after emergence. Weed control and top dressing must be well timed and precise.
Yields of approximately 1 tonne have been achieved on these plots under good conditions, which translates to about 15 tonnes per hectare. Under optimal management, this is enough to sustain a family of five to six members for a full year. The following season, a different crop is planted to maintain the rotation cycle. The major constraint is the reliance on manual labour. While manageable on small plots, it is difficult to scale up.
Wetland development for crop production
Wetlands have been traditionally used for crop production in Zimbabwe, though this practice was banned by colonial-era legislation. Researchers have recently demonstrated that wetlands can be used sustainably for agriculture.
Through the Smallholder Dry Areas Resource Management Programme (SDARMP), a programme aimed at improving crop and livestock production and climate change resilience in Zimbabwe's dry regions, wetlands were developed for crop production. Ridges were constructed using bulldozers. Maize is grown on the ridges while rice is grown in the furrows, achieving double cropping. Farmers in these regions have been able to harvest enough grain to ensure household food security. The Shurugwi District wetland development in the southern part of Zimbabwe is a successful example of this approach.
The main constraint is the cost of developing the ridges, which requires mechanisation due to the difficulty of working wetland soils. There is also a need to repeal the legislative ban on wetland use for agricultural purposes.
Adoption of digital tools
Digital technology is shaping how farmers conduct their day-to-day operations. Farmers in Zimbabwe are increasingly adopting digital tools, ranging from simple internet-based weather monitoring to more complex precision farming techniques.
These tools enable farmers to plan when to plant, which crop varieties to choose, and what actions to take to protect crops and livestock from adverse weather conditions. Limited internet connectivity in smallholder communities is still holding back full adoption.