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    Zimbabwe driving rural development through climate-smart farming

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    Harare, (New Ziana) –Zimbabwe’s ambitious Rural
    Development Aid Intervention is yielding significant results, with
    climate-smart farming practices driving impressive gains in production
    and productivity across the country, a Cabinet Minister has said.

    Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr
    Anxious Masuka said this while presenting a paper on Smart Agriculture
    at the Zimbabwe Defence University.

    He said under the strategy, a suite of targeted programs is empowering
    smallholder farmers to adopt sustainable, climate-resilient farming
    methods.

    Dr Masuka said the centerpiece of the program is the Pfumvudza/Intwasa
    system, a scientific approach to precision agriculture that minimizes
    soil disturbance and optimizes inputs.

    “Since the 2020-2021 season, the number of Pfumvudza/Intwasa plots has
    skyrocketed from 170 000 to over 7.1 million this past year – a more
    than 2 000 percent increase. Yields for maize have more than doubled
    under the Pfumvudza system compared to conventional methods,” he said.

    Climate-smart agriculture aims to increase agricultural productivity and
    resilience while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting
    sustainable practices.

    “We are seeing a massive response, with agro-ecological tailoring
    ensuring that what is grown is suited to the local environment.”

    Complementing the on-farm innovations are ambitious efforts to
    climate-proof agriculture at a national level through providing every
    village in the country with detailed soil maps and equipping extension
    workers with the tools to advise farmers.

    The government is also rapidly scaling up mechanization, with 92 percent
    more tractors distributed since 2020 and plans for a tractor in each of
    the country’s 35 000 villages.

    These multi-pronged initiatives are driving broad-based rural
    development, aligning with the government’s vision of using agricultural
    transformation to catalyze progress towards the country’s 2030
    development goals.

    “Agricultural development will lead to rural industrialization, and
    rural industrialization will cause rural development,” said Dr Masuka.

    “Rural development will then facilitate the attainment of our 2030
    objectives – leaving no one and no place behind.”

    With climate change posing an ever-greater threat, Zimbabwe embracing
    climate-smart agriculture offers a model for other nations seeking to
    future-proof their food systems.

    By empowering smallholder farmers and aligning production with local
    conditions, the country is charting a path towards food security,
    economic opportunity, and sustainable rural transformation.

    New Ziana

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