Online Reporter
Jacqueline Tanhara
ZIMBABWE’S drive to prepare farmers, safeguard water resources and secure food and livestock supplies ahead of the 2026/27 summer cropping season has received fresh impetus, with the African Union warning that the anticipated El Niño is not merely a weather concern, but a multi-sectoral development risk requiring co-ordinated action.
In a recent advisory on El Niño preparedness, African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati, urged Member States to closely monitor information from their national meteorological and hydrological services and regional climate centres and translate forecasts into early preparedness measures.
“El Niño is not simply a weather event, it is a multi-sectoral risk affecting agriculture, water resources, food security, public health, energy production and national economies, among others,” Commissioner Vilakati said.
For Zimbabwe, the warning comes at a critical time as Government intensifies its ‘Early Warning, Early Action’ drive ahead of the 2026/27 agricultural season, encouraging farmers and communities to prepare for possible rainfall and temperature-related shocks before they translate into production losses.
Commissioner Vilakati said countries expecting dry conditions should immediately strengthen drought preparedness through the promotion of drought-tolerant crops, efficient irrigation and water conservation, protection of water stored in dams and the preparation of adequate hay and fodder reserves for livestock.
Governments should also strengthen food security planning and strategic reserves, while farmers should continuously follow seasonal and short-term weather forecasts to guide production decisions.
The continental call resonates with Zimbabwe’s own drive to build a more climate-resilient agricultural sector.
Addressing the 22nd Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform and inaugural Kampala Policy Learning Event in Harare recently, Minister of Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka, said Zimbabwe was putting climate resilience at the centre of its agricultural transformation agenda.
“Our AFSRTS 2 prioritises climate adaptation,” Minister Masuka said, referring to the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 covering the 2026-2030 period.
“We are investing in water harvesting, drought mitigation centres for livestock and promoting climate-smart agriculture technologies.”
The Minister said Zimbabwe had expanded functional irrigated land from 173 000 hectares in 2020 to 274 440 hectares in 2025, with the country targeting 496 000 hectares by 2030 as it progressively reduces agriculture’s vulnerability to increasingly unpredictable rainfall.
Government is also intensifying the Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-proofing programme, which Minister Masuka said has reached more than 3,5 million households, while expanding strategic grain storage and strengthening national food reserves as part of broader resilience-building measures.
These interventions assume greater significance under El Niño conditions, where delayed, erratic or reduced rainfall can quickly translate into crop stress, depleted grazing, livestock feed shortages and pressure on available water resources.
For livestock farmers, the message is therefore to prepare feed before shortages become an emergency.
Farmers are being encouraged to conserve crop residues, cut and bale grass for hay early and build feed reserves while material is still available. Crop residues can also be nutritionally improved for livestock feeding with appropriate technical guidance from extension officers.
Water conservation will be equally critical.
Available water must be used efficiently, while irrigation infrastructure, dams and other water sources need to be managed strategically to stretch supplies through possible prolonged dry periods.
Commissioner Vilakati stressed that such preparations cannot be left to agriculture alone.
“This impending El Niño requires serious collaboration across various ministries, such as agriculture, climate and environment, water, health, disaster management, infrastructure and finance,” he said.
“Preparing for El Niño is not the responsibility of just one ministry. It should be treated as a national development priority.”
That approach closely mirrors Zimbabwe’s whole-of-government strategy.
At the CAADP gathering in Harare, Minister Masuka said Government was pursuing a broader agrifood systems approach that integrates production, processing, trade, consumption and other
components of the food system, with resilience forming a central part of the country’s agricultural transformation.
Zimbabwe’s Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 targets the transformation of agriculture into a US$15,8 billion industry by 2030, while simultaneously strengthening the sector’s capacity to withstand climatic and economic shocks.
The strategy also seeks to build the Strategic Grain Reserve to 600 000 tonnes and expand grain storage capacity from 750 000 tonnes to 1,5 million tonnes by 2030, including through the construction of 14 new AI-powered silos.
Such investments provide an important buffer against climatic shocks because El Niño preparedness extends beyond producing enough food during a good season to conserving and protecting supplies for periods when production is disrupted.
The African Union Commission is meanwhile strengthening continental preparedness through regional coordination, information sharing and early-warning mechanisms.
Commissioner Vilakati said the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Early Action System had expanded the continent’s capacity to anticipate hazards, while Africa Drought Watch and continental monitoring products provide drought and flood risk information to support governments in taking informed decisions before conditions deteriorate.
He also emphasised that climate hazards do not respect national boundaries, making regional cooperation and timely information sharing increasingly important.
For Zimbabwe, however, early action ultimately has to translate into decisions on the ground — on farms, around water sources and within communities.
It means preparing land early, selecting crops appropriate to expected conditions, conserving soil moisture, using available water efficiently, securing livestock feed, strengthening food reserves and continuously responding to updated weather information.
The underlying message from both Harare and the African Union is that an early warning only saves livelihoods when it triggers action before a crisis develops.
Commissioner Vilakati said Africa still has an opportunity to use the advance warning to protect lives and livelihoods before potential El Niño impacts develop into humanitarian emergencies.
“Together, we can protect lives, safeguard livelihoods, strengthen food security and build a more resilient Africa,” he said.
His final message to Member States was unequivocal: “Prepare early, act together and build resilience for tomorrow.”
For Zimbabwe’s farmers, that continental call is already taking on a practical meaning: Use the warning, prepare while there is still time and act before drought bites.
