Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is targeting to place one million hectares under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-smart agriculture programme during the 2026/27 farming season, up from 718 000 hectares last year, as Zimbabwe intensifies preparations for a potentially drier agricultural season.
The increased target comes as the Second Republic seeks to strengthen household food security and reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to drought through farming methods that maximise moisture retention and improve crop performance under challenging weather conditions.
Pfumvudza/Intwasa has become a central pillar of Zimbabwe’s climate-smart agriculture strategy, particularly for smallholder farmers who largely depend on rain-fed farming. The model promotes the use of small, well-prepared plots, moisture conservation, timely planting and crop varieties suited to specific agroecological regions.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Professor Obert Jiri said the increase from last season’s 718 000 hectares underscored the growing importance of Pfumvudza in safeguarding food production.
“In 2025, we did 718 000 hectares under Pfumvudza, which was a massive improvement from the previous year. For this season, which will be drier, we are focusing, as one of the key pillars, on improving and increasing the contribution of Pfumvudza to food security,” he said.
“As such, we are targeting one million hectares to be put under Pfumvudza, because Pfumvudza is a climate-proofing agenda.”
Prof Jiri said farmers needed to begin preparations early, warning that failure to adopt climate-smart farming practices could reduce the chances of dryland crops reaching maturity.
He said Government wanted every household to establish at least three Pfumvudza/Intwasa plots during the forthcoming season.
“The holing out must be done now, when it’s dry, ahead of the start of the rain season. Some of the plots are largely permanent now, because the key success to Pfumvudza/Intwasa is the permanence of the plots,” said Prof Jiri.
“But for those that are going to be doing new plots, we also expect them to do them now, to make those plots permanent.”
The early preparation of plots is aimed at ensuring farmers are ready to plant immediately once adequate rainfall is received, while permanent plots help reduce labour requirements at the start of each agricultural season.
Prof Jiri also urged farmers to start gathering mulch, a key component of the Pfumvudza model that helps conserve soil moisture, suppress weeds and improve soil health.
“Additionally, farmers must also invest in gathering mulch at this stage, so that once the rain season approaches, they start laying the mulch and the plants and the moisture will then be contained,” he said.
Prof Jiri said farmers should also prioritise agroecological tailoring by selecting crops and seed varieties best suited to the conditions prevailing in their respective areas.
He said the combination of suitable crop varieties and effective moisture-conservation practices would enhance productivity under dryland farming conditions.
“Those two aspects will ensure that under dryland cropping, we get the best crop that we should get in these conditions of our area,” said Prof Jiri.
The emphasis on climate-proofing agriculture comes as Zimbabwe’s farming sector remains highly vulnerable to erratic rainfall patterns, with smallholder farmers particularly exposed because most of their production depends on rain-fed cropping systems.
The approach is also intended to complement broader Government efforts to improve food security by encouraging farmers to adopt production methods that maximise available moisture rather than relying solely on favourable rainfall conditions.
For rural households, Pfumvudza/Intwasa is increasingly viewed as a critical tool for protecting food supplies and sustaining livelihoods during seasons characterised by below-normal rainfall.
With preparations for the 2026/27 season now underway, farmers are being encouraged to focus on land preparation, water conservation, mulch availability and the selection of appropriate crops and varieties ahead of the onset of the rainy season.
