Online Reporter
Precious Manomano
Herald Reporter
FARMERS across the country have started preparing their Pfumvudza/Intwasa plots ahead of the 2026/27 summer cropping season, with Government urging them to complete land preparation before the onset of the rains.
Farmers in several provinces have already started laying out their plots and digging planting basins, taking advantage of the current dry conditions to prepare their fields in time for planting.
The early preparations are part of the Government’s efforts to strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers against possible dry spells and erratic rainfall during the forthcoming agricultural season.
Chief Director of Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Management, Mrs Medlinah Magwenzi, said farmers should use the current dry period to complete preparations.
“Farmers should start preparing their planting stations now while the soils are dry so that they will be ready for planting once the rains come,” she said.
The Pfumvudza/Intwasa model is based on conservation agriculture, with farmers using planting basins, mulching, correct spacing, timely application of fertiliser and seed, and crop rotation to maximise production from small pieces of land.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Management, Professor Obert Jiri, has also urged farmers to start holing out now rather than waiting for the rains.
“We want to ensure that the country is food secure. This programme is critical as it will not only help us mitigate the risks posed by erratic rainfall patterns but also empower smallholder farmers, who are important to the agricultural sector,” he said.
The call for early preparations comes as the Government steps up measures to climate-proof agriculture ahead of the 2026/27 summer season.
Farmers are being encouraged to adopt climate-smart production methods, plant crops suited to their respective agro-ecological regions and make maximum use of available rainfall.
Pfumvudza/Intwasa has become a major component of Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation programme since its introduction around 2020.
The initiative has helped move farmers from conventional tillage towards minimum soil disturbance, mulching and other practices designed to conserve water and improve soil health.
More than 3,5 million smallholder farmers participated in the programme during the 2024/25 season, including about three million rural households and 500 000 peri-urban households.
The programme has also encouraged farmers to diversify production through the cultivation of crops such as maize, sunflower, sugar beans and sunhemp, depending on their agro-ecological regions.
Its productivity benefits have been demonstrated through improved yields, with the national average maize yield under Pfumvudza standing at about 1,4 tonnes per hectare, compared with 1,25 tonnes under conventional farming.
Zimbabwe Farmers union secretary-general Mr Paul Zakariya said farmers should embrace the programme as it provides a practical way of improving production and strengthening household food security.
“Farmers should take up the programme as it ensures maximum productivity and guarantees food security. This season, the Government has remodelled the distribution of agricultural inputs under the Pfumvudza programme to match the agro-ecological regions where farmers are situated,” he said.
The alignment of inputs with agro-ecological conditions is expected to improve production by ensuring farmers receive inputs appropriate to their areas.
The Government has also continued training farmers in conservation agriculture, with more than three million farmers trained in practices such as good soil management.
