Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
THE African Development Bank has approved a US$25 million grant to Zimbabwe for rural communities severely affected by climate change, with more than 92 000 vulnerable farmers set to benefit directly.
The fund is expected to revitalise smallholder agriculture, develop grazing areas and water resources and catalyse private sector investment.
Funded through the Bank’s Transition Support Facility (TSF) Pillar 1, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Climate Resilient and Vulnerability Reduction Project (ACRES) will run from 2026 to 2030, delivering life-changing impact in areas where it is most needed.
ACRES will be deployed in two of Zimbabwe’s most climate-exposed provinces, which are Masvingo province (Gutu District) and Matabeleland South.
In Masvingo, the beneficiary district is Gutu, while in Matabeleland South, four districts, Gwanda, Matobo, Mangwe and Bulilima, will benefit.
The regions are defined by high livestock populations and extreme vulnerability to erratic, low, and declining rainfall.
The project will directly benefit 92 500 vulnerable rural smallholder farmers, at least 50 percent of them women and 20 percent youth, who face the burden of food insecurity, recurrent droughts and limited economic opportunities, leading to widespread poverty and irregular migration.
Beyond the direct beneficiaries, an estimated 200 000 people in surrounding areas will benefit from improved infrastructure and enhanced food security, nutrition, and economic stability.
The project will also create 320 full-time and 2 100 seasonal jobs across crop and livestock value chains.
AfDB country manager for Zimbabwe, Ms Eyerusalem Fasika, said the investment “represents a critical intervention to build climate resilience, reduce vulnerability and improve food and nutrition security in Zimbabwe’s most vulnerable rural communities.”
AfDB director of agriculture and agro-industry, Mr Martin Fregene, underscored the initiative’s alignment with the Bank’s four cardinal points.
“The project will enhance the adaptive capacity, promote sustainable economic opportunities, and strengthen rural communities’ resilience to climate change, within the target areas,” said Mr Fregene.
The AfDB has long been a critical partner in Zimbabwe’s rural development journey, making sustained investments that have progressively reduced food insecurity and poverty.
ACRES deepens that commitment and signals the Government’s resolve to put climate-smart agriculture and agricultural infrastructure investment at the centre of its development agenda.
