From prayers and panic to preparedness and poise: disaster risk reduction drills in Chibuwe village give young and old a clear sense of what to do, well before the waters rise. “We used to watch the river rise and just pray it wouldn’t take everything,” said Kenneth Madhlazi, a farmer from Chibuwe village in Zimbabwe’s Chipinge…
As countries face increasingly steep bills from natural hazards, the true cost of disasters is actually 10 times higher than previously estimated, with far-reaching effects across healthcare, housing, education and employment. This is according to a report released Tuesday by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR). While current estimates suggest the global economic impact of…
The African Development Bank Group has approved a $10,12 million grant from its African Development Fund to boost sustainable agricultural production and strengthen rural resilience in drought-prone regions in Zimbabwe. The project is expected to directly benefit 7,000 livestock-keeping farmers and 42,000 smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Agricultural Value Chain and Livelihoods Enhancement Project…
The Minister of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife, Evelyn Ndlovu, has called for the localisation of climate action, noting that communities and actors are best placed to identify and implement the interventions needed to respond to their climate vulnerabilities. Speaking at the Utariri Day Celebration, Ndlovu also underscored the need to increase climate finance flows to…
Staff Writer Zimbabwe has distinguished itself as the sole African nation to meet the February 10, 2025 deadline for submitting its updated national climate plan, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat. Parties to the Paris Climate Agreement are required to submit updated national climate…
Staff Writer Zimbabwe’s food import bill increased significantly by 55.2% to US$976.1 million in 2024 from US$628.9 million in 2023, latest data shows. According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), the increase was underpinned by grain imports, necessitated by the El Niño-induced drought that adversely affected the 2023/24 agricultural season. “Maize imports increased from…
Staff Writer The World Bank says the cost of inaction on climate change could erode up to 12% of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product (GDP) annually. In its latest Zimbabwe Economic Update, the World Bank emphasises the urgent need for proactive climate adaptation measures, highlighting that every dollar invested in early interventions could save up to…
Staff Writer The government has unveiled an ambitious plan to boost agricultural production in the upcoming 2024/25 summer season, targeting a significant increase in cereal yields. The plan comes amid a devastating El Niño-induced drought that ravaged the 2023/24 season. El Niño, a cyclical warming of the Pacific Ocean, disrupts global weather patterns, leading to…
Staff Writer Zimbabwe is facing a period of widespread Crisis (IPC Phase 3) conditions across the country, signifying severe food insecurity and acute malnutrition, from October 2024 to January 2025, FEWS NET has predicted.The alarming situation is a direct consequence of the devastating drought that began in late 2023 and intensified in early 2024, with…
Staff Writer Zimbabwe has received a US$31.8 million payout from the African Risk Capacity (ARC) drought insurance scheme to bolster food security efforts and aid a challenging agricultural season. Zimbabwe like its counterparts in Southern Africa, is currently grappling with El Niño-induced severe drought which has impacted millions of farming households, affecting their livelihoods, food…
