Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa-Mutare Bureau
ENVIRONMENT, Climate and Wildlife Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu has called for climate change to be integrated into Government’s development planning, saying resilience is critical to Zimbabwe’s food security, livelihoods and economic growth.
Speaking at the Climate Adaptation Water and Energy Project (CAWEP) Learning Event at Leopard Rock Hotel in Vumba on Friday last week, Dr Ndlovu said climate change was a national development challenge requiring coordinated action across Government and society.
“Climate change is not simply an environmental challenge, but a major development challenge of our time. It has implications for food and water security, energy access, poverty reduction, economic growth, employment and the achievement of our sustainable socio-economic development,” she said.
Dr Ndlovu said recurrent droughts, floods, heatwaves and other climate-related shocks were affecting agricultural production, water resources, infrastructure, public health and livelihoods, particularly in vulnerable rural communities dependent on rain-fed agriculture.
The Minister said climate adaptation should not be treated as the sole responsibility of the environment sector, but as a priority across Government departments.
“Climate adaptation, therefore, is not a stand-alone activity of the environment. It is a Whole-of-Government and whole-of-society development priority,” said Dr Ndlovu.
She said climate resilience was central to Zimbabwe’s aspiration of attaining upper-middle-income status by 2030, as outlined in the country’s national development agenda.
“Our climate response must therefore move beyond policy statements and international commitments to investments, institutions, technologies, knowledge and community-level interventions that build resilience and improve livelihoods,” she said.
Dr Ndlovu said the Government’s commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement must be translated into practical interventions that strengthen the resilience of communities, ecosystems and the economy.
She urged stakeholders to use lessons from CAWEP to improve future climate adaptation programmes, mobilise climate finance and expand successful interventions.
“As we reflect on the programme, we should consider what has worked, what lessons have been learnt, what can be replicated and upscaled, and how these lessons can inform future climate adaptation and mitigation investments”.
Dr Ndlovu said lessons from CAWEP should contribute to a coordinated national approach to climate resilience, ensuring that successful interventions were sustained, replicated and expanded to benefit more communities across Zimbabwe.
The four-year, £14.1 million CAWEP was supported by the British Embassy’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe.
The project was implemented in Binga, Chivi, Insiza and Chipinge districts, focusing on water security, renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, livelihoods and climate information systems.
UNDP Resident Representative Dr Ayodele Odusola said the programme demonstrated the importance of integrating water, energy, livelihoods, finance and institutions in addressing climate-related challenges.
“Climate adaptation works best when water, energy, livelihoods, finance and institutions are addressed together,” said Dr Odusola.
He said CAWEP had directly and indirectly supported approximately 2.86 million people through investments in water security, renewable energy, livelihoods, climate information services and institutional strengthening.
The project established three climate-smart irrigation schemes in Chivi, Insiza and Binga, and Chipinge.
The programme also installed 18 automatic weather stations across four provinces to strengthen early warning systems.
Dr Odusola said more than 8 700 people received training in business development, vocational education and entrepreneurship, while over 7 000 participated in Village Savings and Lending Schemes.
He said project assessments showed a 40 percent increase in overall resilience capacity among participating communities and a 50 percent increase in preventative capacity to reduce climate risks.
“Adaptation must be integrated. Water without energy is insufficient. Infrastructure without finance is unsustainable. Technology without community ownership cannot endure,” he said.
Dr Odusola said stronger partnerships between Government, local authorities, development partners, financial institutions and communities were necessary to expand climate adaptation interventions.
