By Wallace Mawire
At least nearly 50,000 people are reported to have been reached across the Southern Africa through climate services as irrigation, agricultural innovation and financial inclusion strengthen rural livelihoods.
A partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is delivering tangible results for farming communities across southern Zimbabwe, strengthening agricultural production, expanding access to irrigation and climate information, and helping vulnerable households build resilience to climate shocks.
Through the GCF-funded Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe project, also known as the Climate Resilient Livelihoods (CRL) Project, investments are enabling farmers to diversify their production, strengthen household incomes and adopt agricultural practices better suited to increasingly variable climatic conditions.
230 Farmer Field Schools established, with women accounting for 67% of members. An assessment of 227 schools found that 96.1% had progressed beyond the initial formation stage.
49,613 people reached through the expansion of Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) across 15 districts, alongside training for more than 230 agricultural extension officers.
463 Village Savings and Lending groups established, helping farming households access savings and credit to invest in productive activities and diversify their livelihoods.
156 hectares of climate-resilient irrigation supporting 300 beneficiaries from 12 villages at Pikinini-Jawanda in Mwenezi.
Improved climate records at 14 priority weather stations, including the resolution of 1,395 duplicate dates and a reduction in average missing rainfall data from 10% to 4.4%.
The results reflect an integrated approach that combines productive infrastructure with climate-smart agricultural practices, access to finance, institutional strengthening and climate information services.
“Climate resilience is not built through infrastructure alone. It is built when farmers can access reliable water, use climate information to make informed decisions, and invest in productive livelihoods,” said UNDP Zimbabwe Resident Representative Ayodele Odusola.
“Through our partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and the Green Climate Fund, we are demonstrating how climate finance can strengthen agricultural productivity, expand economic opportunities and help vulnerable communities prepare for future climate shocks.”
At Vimbanayi Irrigation Scheme in Chipinge, the project has expanded the irrigated area from 23 to 35 hectares and installed water abstraction, storage and conveyance infrastructure, supported by a 62 kW hybrid solar and grid electricity system.
Farmers have completed harvesting 50 tonnes of chilli, taken up by The Chilli Pepper Company, while production continues on 22 hectares of maize and 10 hectares of sugar beans.
“Since our system was climate-proofed, our production has significantly increased and we now have income streams from the different crops that we are cultivating,” said Charles Madzoka, Chairperson of the scheme’s Production Committee.
At Pikinini-Jawanda, the 156-hectare irrigation scheme is enabling 300 beneficiaries to diversify production and strengthen their participation in agricultural markets. Farmers are also investing collectively in the sustainability of their scheme.
Four active savings groups, comprising 178 members, have mobilised ZAR32,705 and US$754 during their third savings cycle, with part of their resources being reinvested in shared agricultural assets and inputs.
Beyond irrigation infrastructure, the partnership is strengthening farmers’ ability to adopt and sustain climate-smart agricultural practices.
At the Makoholi Innovation Platform, agricultural research is being translated into practical solutions for semi-arid farming communities. The platform supports 4,037 farmers, 64% of whom are women, through 15 Farmer Field Schools across six project implementation districts in Masvingo.
The platform promotes climate-resilient Sabi sheep, indigenous chickens, locally produced livestock feed, sweet potato production and value addition, and multipurpose trees. It has also trained 188 extension officers in fodder harvesting and feed formulation.
A Feed Nutrition Laboratory established through complementary GCF and Government investment has tested 327 samples since commencing testing in October 2025, strengthening the technical foundation for improved livestock feeding and productivity.
Women are playing a central role in these interventions, accounting for 67% of Farmer Field School members. The project is also introducing labour-saving agricultural technologies, with assessments showing that earth augers have reduced the time required to prepare a standard Pfumvudza plot from 39.4 hours to 6.3 hours, while threshers have reduced the time needed to process one tonne of grain from 58.2 hours to 5.2 hours.
These improvements are freeing up time for women to pursue income-generating activities, community participation and household responsibilities.
The project is also strengthening Zimbabwe’s capacity to provide reliable climate information to farming communities.
The Meteorological Services Department, with technical support from IDEMS International, has improved historical rainfall and temperature records for 14 priority weather stations in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland South.
At Rusape, rainfall records were extended from 1962 back to 1910, recovering more than 52 years of historical observations. Following the improvements, 11 of the 14 weather stations now have sufficiently complete recent historical records to support enhanced climate analysis for agricultural planning, compared with none before the exercise.
These improvements will help farmers make better-informed decisions about planting, resource allocation and climate-risk management.
In August 2026, representatives of the GCF Secretariat undertook their inaugural Country Engagement and Programming Mission to Zimbabwe, joining Government, UNDP and project partners on visits to irrigation schemes, Farmer Field Schools and agricultural innovation platforms across Masvingo and Manicaland.
The mission provided an opportunity to assess how climate finance is being translated into productive assets, stronger farmer institutions, improved agricultural knowledge and more resilient livelihoods.
The delegation also visited Mwerahari Irrigation Scheme in Buhera, where development of a 400-hectare irrigated command area is underway, with approximately 1,333 households expected to benefit. The project is implementing an inclusive beneficiary registration process, with young people aged 18 to 35 accounting for 26% of those registered to date. Targeted mobilisation is continuing to strengthen participation by women, persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.
The mission also included a national climate finance engagement workshop in Harare on 24 August, bringing together 53 representatives from Government, the GCF Secretariat, Accredited Entities, financial institutions, development partners, academia and civil society. Discussions focused on strengthening country-led climate finance programming, institutional capacity, project preparation and Zimbabwe’s future climate investment pipeline.
Through continued collaboration, the Government of Zimbabwe, GCF and UNDP are working to strengthen the sustainability of climate investments and equip farming communities with the productive resources, knowledge and financial tools needed to anticipate, withstand and recover from climate-related shocks.
The Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe (FP127) project is financed by the Green Climate Fund and implemented through a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe and UNDP. The project supports vulnerable agricultural communities through climate-resilient irrigation, climate-smart agriculture, climate information services, financial inclusion and institutional capacity-building.
