Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Nearly 50,000 people in southern Zimbabwe are now benefiting from enhanced climate services, irrigation and agricultural innovation under a partnership between the Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
In a statement on Monday, UNDP Zimbabwe Resident Representative Dr Ayodele Odusola said the GCF-funded Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe Project, also known as the Climate Resilient Livelihoods Project, is translating climate finance into tangible production, income and resilience for vulnerable farming communities.
He said key results as of August 2026 show that an integrated approach that combines productive infrastructure with climate-smart practices, access to finance, and institutional strengthening is working.
“Climate resilience is not built through infrastructure alone. It is built when farmers can access reliable water, use climate information to make informed decisions, and invest in productive livelihoods,” said Dr Odusola.
“Through our partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and the Green Climate Fund, we are demonstrating how climate finance can strengthen agricultural productivity, expand economic opportunities and help vulnerable communities prepare for future climate shocks.”
He said the project has established 230 Farmer Field Schools, with women accounting for 67 percent of members, while 49,613 people have been reached through the expansion of Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture across 15 districts.
Dr Odusola said 463 Village Savings and Lending groups have been established, helping households access savings and credit, while 156 hectares of climate-resilient irrigation at Pikinini-Jawanda in Mwenezi is supporting 300 beneficiaries from 12 villages.
He said at Vimbanayi Irrigation Scheme in Chipinge, the irrigated area expanded from 23 to 35 hectares with a 62kW hybrid solar and grid system, enabling farmers to harvest 50 tonnes of chilli for The Chilli Pepper Company, alongside 22 hectares of maize and 10 hectares of sugar beans.
“Innovation is being driven at Makoholi Innovation Platform, which supports 4,037 farmers, 64 percent women, and has trained 188 extension officers, while a Feed Nutrition Laboratory has tested 327 samples since October 2025,” said Dr Odusola.
He said improved climate records at 14 priority weather stations, including extending Rusape rainfall records from 1962 back to 1910, now give farmers reliable information for agricultural planning.
Bongani Ndlovu