Surviving a drought thanks to sustainable agricultural practices
Zimbabwean farmers have faced hardships this year due to a severely dry rainy season, leading to failed harvests, especially for staple crops. With harvests providing both income and food, many were left in a difficult situation. In addition to emergency aid, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supports long-term projects like the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI), promoting sustainable, drought-tolerant farming practices.
This year, communities in Zimbabwe have faced one of the most severe droughts, linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon, in recent history. Across Southern Africa, rains stopped in the middle of the rainy season and heatwaves set in. Yields of staple crops that underpin the livelihoods of large parts of the population were wiped out. Zimbabwe and the entire Southern African region are regularly confronted with the dangers of climate change. In Zimbabwe, the SDC has been active through the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI) since 2013. The project empowers smallholder farmers to thrive, even in extreme climate conditions. Farmers such as Ever Makwinimise in the Chimanimani district in eastern Zimbabwe, whose sustainable and drought-tolerant agricultural practices serve as beacons of hope in the community, are leading the way for the country to be better prepared for climatic emergencies in the future.
Sustainable agriculture
Maize is a staple food in Zimbabwe, providing sustenance and income to millions of farmers. Due to the drought, 70% of the maize harvest had to be written off. Other crops have suffered a similar fate leading to nation-wide food insecurity (6 million Zimbabweans by the end of 2024 according to the WFP). However, communities have developed bottom-up approaches to disseminate sustainable agricultural practices as local solutions to the climate crisis. One such initiative is the Shashe Agroecology School in the Masvingo Province in southern Zimbabwe. Building on local knowledge and resources, the farmers involved in the school raise awareness of good practices of water harvesting, manure making as well as crop and livestock diversification. The production of diverse foods is emphasized, both to improve nutrition and diversify risks, as dry spells and heatwaves affects crops differently. These diverse foods include traditional grains, such as millet and sorghum; traditional pulses, such as Bambara ground nuts, beans, and cowpeas; and traditional oils, such as groundnut, sesame or sunflower oil. The goal of the members of the Shashe Agroecology school is a reorientation of Zimbabwe’s food system in favour of sustainability and food sovereignty.
SKI aims to empower farmers practicing agroecology. A secondary objective of the project is to mobilize civil society, farmers’ organisations and policy makers in support of the approach. Results are highly encouraging in both regards: the number of smallholder farmers under SKI applying agroecology has grown from 3’900 to 24’600. The majority of these farmers are women. In addition, around 11’000 smallholders are now involved in farmer-led seed exchanges, doubling the 5’500 farmers who had previously taken part in these exchanges. Crucially, these efforts have had a significant impact on the farmers’ diets, which are now more diverse and healthier. On a more systemic level, decision-makers are increasingly supportive of agroecological approaches that emphasize the rights of farmers. The Zimbabwean government has endorsed a National Agroecology Policy that supports agroecological farming practices in the country, and the national farmer support programme has moved from supporting farmers with just maize seed and fertilizer to encouraging them to grow traditional crops and use more sustainable agricultural practices, tailored to the climate of the region – as it has been promoted by SKI for a long time.
The SDC considers agroecology to be the most promising approach for addressing the growing and interconnected challenges facing today’s food systems, and ensuring healthy food for all. It is a holistic approach that applies ecological principles to the management of food systems. Agroecology is both a set of agricultural practices, a social movement and a multidisciplinary scientific discipline.
Initially, agroecology emerged as a discipline focused on applying a set of principles, such as recycling, soil health, and the efficient use of resources, to agricultural systems. Over the decades, it has expanded to encompass the entire food system, from production to consumption, including its ecological, sociocultural, economic, and political dimensions. Thus, in addition to promoting the regenerative use of natural resources in agriculture, agroecology also seeks to create socially equitable food systems that ensure everyone has access to high-quality food. This includes strengthening the connections between producers and consumers and ensuring fair access to land and natural resources. Furthermore, agroecology places a strong emphasis on the inclusion of marginalized groups and advocates for a bottom-up approach to food production, centered on the knowledge and needs of local populations.
Agroecology – preparing communities for the effects of climate change
Agroecology is spreading organically in Zimbabwe. Back in Chimanimani, Elias Jarawani’s farm has been transformed, yielding a harvest even in drought conditions, thanks to water harvesting techniques, improved soil fertility and crop diversification. Other farmers in the community are set on replicating his practices. According to Elias, «agroecology is the path to sustainability, and together, we can build stronger communities to face the challenges of climate change.»
Chimanimani is also the home of the Participatory Organic Research and Extension Trust (PORET), which works with smallholders to enhance food security by empowering farmers that use sustainable methods. Whilst the farmers that PORET supports were tested by the drought, the trust still managed to provide a lifeline to entire communities by improving harvesting techniques and diversifying the farmers’ crops. In one village, PORET re-introduced seed varieties to communities, which reconnected them with traditional farming knowledge and practices. Whilst individual success stories demonstrate its impact, the way that PORET has strengthened community cohesion has been crucial, particularly as entire communities were harmed by the drought.
Agroecology is the path to sustainability, and together, we can build stronger communities to face the challenges of climate change.
Climate change is contributing to more extreme weather events, such as the drought that Zimbabweans suffered from this year. Whilst humanitarian aid disbursements have been essential to sustain livelihoods in the country, projects like SKI support communities vulnerable to climate change to help themselves. Agroecology unites communities behind a common effort to protect themselves from the impacts of climate change and, in doing so, reinforces food security and alleviates poverty. These efforts in turn empower farmers like Ever to live in a way that is sustainable, healthy and productive to the community and that ensure a better future for generations to come.
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Drought and hunger in Southern Africa – Switzerland provides emergency relief
Switzerland supports millions of people in Southern Africa, in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, with CHF 4.7 million in the fight against drought and hunger.
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