Online Reporter
Nelson Gahadza
Business Reporter
GOVERNMENT has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening climate resilience among communal farmers by expanding agricultural insurance coverage among smallholder rural farmers.
This comes after smallholder farmers in Buhera district received payouts under the Farmers Basket Insurance Scheme following drought-induced crop losses sustained during the 2025/26 farming season.
The payout ceremony, held in Buhera on Wednesday, brought together officials from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ), the Insurance and Pensions Commission (IPEC), AFC Insurance and traditional leaders.
The event was hailed as a significant milestone in the Government’s efforts to integrate insurance into mainstream agricultural production and build resilience against climate-related shocks.
Speaking after the ceremony, the ministry’s director of business development, Mr Abraham Mashumba, said the initiative reflected the Government’s growing emphasis on protecting communal farmers from the increasing risks posed by climate change.
He said changing weather patterns had fundamentally transformed agricultural production, with droughts, floods and disease outbreaks becoming more frequent, making agricultural insurance an indispensable component of modern farming.
“The event is the culmination of a long campaign among our communal farmers, who continue to bear the brunt of climate change. Droughts, floods and diseases are now the new normal, and we can no longer afford to be caught unprepared.
“Our focus as Government is to improve the incomes of communal farmers and, more importantly, secure sustainable livelihoods.
“While we continue investing in irrigation development, input support programmes and other interventions, we recognise that these measures alone cannot fully protect farmers against major climatic shocks,” he said.
