HARARE, Aug. 18 (NewsDay Live) — Zimbabwe is targeting one million hectares under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-proofing programme in the 2026/27 cropping season as government moves to strengthen food security amid forecasts of drier conditions.
Farmers have been urged to begin establishing their plots before the onset of the rains, with authorities warning that failure to conserve soil moisture could undermine dryland crop production.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development ministry secretary Obert Jiri said farmers should expedite preparations while conditions remain dry.
“Farmers must start and expedite the rolling out of Pfumvudza plots. Over the years we have increased our acreage under this initiative. Last year, in 2025, we did 170 000 hectares under Pfumvudza, which was a massive improvement,” Jiri said.
He said the target for the coming season represented a significant expansion as government seeks to cushion farmers against potentially adverse weather conditions.
“We are anticipating that this season will be drier, so we are focusing, as one of our key pillars, on improving and increasing the contribution of Pfumvudza to food security. We are targeting one million hectares under Pfumvudza, because it is a climate-proofing agenda,” Jiri said.
“If farmers do not climate-proof when the season is drier, it will be very difficult for the dry-land crop to reach maturity.”
Zimbabwe is facing renewed drought concerns after the country was severely affected by an El Niño-induced drought in the 2023/24 season, which left millions of people in need of food assistance.
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Jiri said every household was expected to establish at least three Pfumvudza plots this season, with farmers encouraged to start preparations before the rains.
He said the permanence of Pfumvudza plots was critical to the programme’s success, particularly for farmers who had participated in previous seasons.
“Some of the plots are now largely permanent — the key to Pfumvudza’s success is the permanence of the plots, and most farmers who have been doing this over the years are now rolling out. But those establishing new plots should also start now, to make them permanent,” he said.
The programme will also be supported by agro-ecological tailoring, with farmers encouraged to select crops and varieties suited to conditions in their respective regions.
“This is coupled with agro-ecological tailoring, where farmers plant the appropriate crop variety in the necessary agro-ecological region. Those two aspects will ensure we get the best possible yield under dry-land cropping in these conditions,” Jiri said.
He also urged farmers to gather mulch ahead of the rains to improve soil moisture retention and water conservation.
“We anticipate an increase in Pfumvudza establishment this season, because water conservation must be expedited for all farmers,” Jiri said.
Pfumvudza/Intwasa is designed to promote conservation agriculture by using small, intensively managed plots, mulching and other water- and soil-conservation techniques to improve yields under rain-fed conditions.
The government sees the programme as a key component of its strategy to strengthen household food security and reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to increasingly erratic rainfall.
