Online Reporter
Gibson Mhak, Features Writer
FOR years, Ms Tshanaka Ndlovu (57), a seasoned smallholder farmer from Muke Village in Bulilima District, Matabeleland South Province, struggled to eke out a living growing maize and sorghum on her farm, where severe dry spells often significantly reduced crop yields.
These increasingly frequent failed harvests are taking a huge toll on farmers like Ms Ndlovu and many other small-scale farmers in the district.
The weather patterns have changed, and rains have become increasingly unreliable.
“In the last 10 years, I have noticed a lot of changes in the weather,” said Ms Ndlovu.
“There is more heat, less rain. It makes it difficult to farm. Total crop failure is devastating and it is becoming all too common. The last time we had a bumper harvest was a couple of years ago,” she said.
“It’s not easy, especially if you’ve got one stream of income like farming.”
This precarious livelihood is common among the hundreds of small-scale farmers in drought-prone areas like Bulilima, where climate adaptation projects range from growing different crops to planting drought-tolerant varieties.
However, climate experts say such initiatives in isolation are not enough to solve the problems facing farmers, especially in regions such as Bulilima where erratic weather is leaving villagers facing severe hunger every year.
Recognising the growing threat of extreme weather, pest infestations, and crop disease outbreaks due to rising global temperatures, Ms Ndlovu joined a crop insurance project — Farmers Basket Insurance.
This initiative aims to safeguard farmers from poverty by protecting their future harvests.
Furthermore, the Farmers Basket Insurance enables farmers to purchase coverage that provides a payout if rainfall during a specific period falls outside acceptable ranges (either too high or too low) or if average crop yields in their region decline below a set threshold.
“I am hopeful,” said Ms Ndlovu. “If you look at the changing weather patterns, I don’t see how agriculture can survive without a product like this.
“In case of a bad season, I will use insurance payouts to purchase agricultural inputs for the next season or, alternatively, cover the food gap for some months,” she said.
This product, an initiative of the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) supported by the Insurance and Pensions Commission (Ipec), was developed using a bundled weather index and area yield index insurance approach.
It aims to mitigate crop loss from extreme weather and to help farmers understand how climate change impacts their farming practices and how to adapt to erratic weather.
“At first, it was a difficult decision for me because I didn’t believe in anything called insurance.
“After learning from our local Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) officer and officials from the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe, I now appreciate the benefits of insuring my crops, especially after the El Niño-induced drought during the 2023/2024 farming season, which led to the loss of all our crops.
“It was also after I learned that about 1 800 Goromonzi smallholder farmers who participated in the agricultural index insurance pilot project received their insurance payouts following that same drought,” she said.
As part of this pilot project, each smallholder farmer had paid a premium of US$15 per hectare and subsequently received a payout of US$65 per hectare under the Farmer’s Basket Insurance.
Like Ms Ndlovu, Mrs Sibongile Khupe was also hesitant to sign up at first after other farmers had told her there was no guarantee she would get anything in return for her premium.
“So, it was difficult to imagine parting with some of my hard-earned income. Insurance is about a promise but when you buy seeds, you can touch them. When you buy fertiliser, you can touch it. But when you buy insurance, you can’t touch it. You’re buying a promise.”
“Eventually, thanks to awareness and outreach efforts involving Agritex officers, I decided to sign up, paying an average of US$24 per hectare, and I’m so glad I will be compensated in the event of a bad season,” she said.
The policy, which demonstrates why inclusive insurance is key for Zimbabwe’s smallholder farmers, particularly women in arid and semi-arid regions, had been designed specifically to protect their rain-fed crops against drought, floods, pests, and diseases.
Women, who make up 60 percent of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, are disproportionately more affected by climate shocks compared to their male counterparts hence finding solutions to increase their participation and inclusion in the design and implementation of these programmes is critical.
Increased evidence shows that due to a lack of capital and adequate mechanisms to mitigate or transfer agricultural risks, coupled with other pressing bills, women often under-invest in their farms after facing a catastrophe.
The premium is charged per season at US$24 per hectare, with a maximum sum insured of US$300 per hectare.
In a good year, if the yields are above the historical average yields for a given area, farmers will not receive compensation.
However, the premiums paid in a good year are put into a reserve account. This ensures that in the event of a devastating drought the following year, this reserve pool can be utilised to pay claims.
In Bulilima District, the project is implemented in five wards — 1, 7, 8, 19 and 21 — to assist farmers in insuring their crops against damage or loss due to natural disasters.
Bulilima District Development Coordinator, Mr Onesimo Zogara, encouraged farmers in the district to take up the scheme, saying insurance plays a vital role in the agriculture sector by providing financial protection to farmers against various risks and uncertainties, such as natural disasters like drought and floods.
“Bulilima District falls under region four, which is characterised by low rainfall, and the district is one of the areas prone to severe droughts.
“I would like to advise all farmers to pay their premiums so that all crops are insured.
“This helps them to maintain financial stability by getting compensation for crop losses. Overall, insurance plays a critical role in supporting agricultural productivity, stability, and growth,” he said.
According to the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), with climate change threatening to slow or roll back development advances in some countries, donors and aid agencies see insurance as one way to help farmers recover quickly, especially if it is offered alongside access to credit and training.
According to Mr Nicholas Sayi, ICZ Head of Operations, with an increasingly unpredictable climate, weather index insurance is an important climate-smart agriculture approach that plays a critical role in cushioning smallholder farmers against key climate risks and building their climate resilience.
“Previously, insurance was primarily offered to commercial farmers. However, it was recognised that there was a need to broaden the scope and widen the coverage of insurance to include smallholder and communal farmers.
“Following this realisation, we developed a product called Farmers Basket Insurance.
“This product was a result of research conducted by the industry, led by the regulator, the Insurance and Pensions Commission.
“This product is unique and differs from traditional multi-peril insurance in that it targets specific weather elements that significantly impact agricultural production such as the amount of rainfall, drought, as well as diseases and pests,” said Mr Sayi.
He said the first pilot, implemented in Goromonzi for the 2023/2024 season, was a success, adding that while they learned several valuable lessons from the Goromonzi experience, the overall consensus was that the programme should be extended and spread across the entire country.
“In terms of the programme’s rollout, we began with a National Stakeholder Sensitisation event held in Harare.
“This was a national initiative where key Government departments and ministries, including ministers and key directors from all major Government departments, were invited to participate.
“Following the national programme, we decentralised to the eight agricultural provinces, where provincial sensitisation programmes educated key stakeholders in each agricultural value chain,” Mr Sayi said.
He added, “Subsequently, the programme moved to district level, with one selected district per agricultural province hosting a sensitisation programme.”
“Specifically, these districts were Bulilima (Matabeleland South), Umguza (Matabeleland North), Chiredzi (Masvingo), Buhera (Manicaland), Goromonzi (Mashonaland East), Bindura (Mashonaland Central), Hurungwe (Mashonaland West), and Gokwe South (Midlands).”
“After the district level, sensitisation extended to the wards within those districts. Concurrently, we began onboarding farmers interested in the Farmers Basket Insurance for the 2024/2025 season.”
