By Thabisani Dube

At dawn in Jambezi, a dusty settlement in Hwange District in Matabeleland North Province, 62-year-old Getrude Ncube lifts a dented tin bucket and makes her way to the community borehole. She remembers with nostalgia a time when her late husband’s garden overflowed with tomatoes, okra and kale—enough to feed the family and sell at the local market. “Now, the soil is cracked like an old pot, and the rains are strangers,” she says, adjusting her headscarf against the rising heat. “We used to plant by the moon; today we plant by prayer.”

But hope is quietly returning to villages like Jambezi through the Smallholder Agriculture Cluster Project (SACP), a government-led programme supported by development partners to build climate resilience among rural households. Across Zimbabwe, SACP is helping communities adopt sustainable farming methods, install solar-powered boreholes, and restore nutrition gardens that feed families even in times of drought.

Ncube is one of thousands of older rural women across Zimbabwe who have become the backbone of household survival amid intensifying climate stress. While national debates focus on carbon footprints and green growth, these women face daily, urgent questions: Will there be enough water for the livestock? What will the grandchildren eat? Will the next storm wash away the crops again?

“We are not just waiting for rain—we are waiting for life,” Ncube says, her voice steady despite the weight of years. “When the clouds gather, I feel my heart rise. But when they pass without a drop, it’s like the land sighs with me. We are the ones who stay, who dig, who pray. We are the roots holding this country together.”

The numbers tell Ncube’s story. Hwange District, where she lives, receives just 450-600mm of rainfall annually—well below the national average. Here agriculture meets with stiff resistance, without irrigation. Climate data shows the area experiencing increasingly erratic patterns, with dry spells now averaging 23 days, compared to more predictable rains of previous decades.

According to the 2025/2026 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Climate Outlook Report, food producers across the region face increasing risk from the pace and severity of climate change. In Zimbabwe, the upcoming farming season is forecast to bring normal to above-normal rainfall between October and March 2026, although regional variations remain a concern.

“The impacts of climate change have become more apparent in the country through increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather and climate events,” said Tadeus Chifamba, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife. “For our farmers to be productive and ensure food security, we need to build resilience to help them mitigate against climate change.”

Chifamba warned that failed farming seasons—when rains arrive late or the growing period shortens—pose a real threat to food security. The El Niño-induced drought of 2023/2024 led to national disaster declarations across Southern Africa. In April 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared a state of disaster in Zimbabwe, citing widespread crop failure and water shortages.

Dr Ignatius Gutsa, a leading expert on climate adaptation and ageing in Sub-Saharan Africa, explains that these burdens carry the weight of history. Colonial legacies fractured kinship networks, while migration and economic pressures pulled younger caregivers away. Crises such as HIV and AIDS, COVID-19, and climate disasters have intensified the strain. Elderly rural women are often the primary caregivers for children and grandchildren—a reality often obscured by statistics.

In response, the government launched an ambitious borehole-drilling initiative under the Presidential Rural Development Programme, aiming to install 35,000 boreholes nationwide by 2025. By mid-2023, over 820 boreholes had been drilled across rural provinces, many fitted with solar-powered pumps to ensure water access even during dry spells. These boreholes are more than infrastructure—they are lifelines. They reduce the burden of water collection, allow children to attend school, and improve livestock health.

Progress has been significant but uneven. Of the 3,945 boreholes drilled nationwide under the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme as of October 2025, rural communities like Makwika are gradually seeing relief, according to recent The Sunday Mail reports.  However, government and sector reports continue to highlight that a sizeable portion of existing boreholes require rehabilitation and maintenance for long-term sustainability.

Water is just one part of Zimbabwe’s climate response. Professor Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, emphasises the importance of efficient water use and rain harvesting. “To build a climate-smart system, Zimbabwe needs to preserve water—underground, on the surface, and from the skies,” he said.

Cultural traditions persist despite changing times. Rain-calling ceremonies, communal grain sharing and ancestral respect once shaped rural resilience. “Our ancestors taught us to respect the land,” Ncube recalls softly. “When the first rains came, we waited for elders’ blessings. I believe the land still remembers.”

Climate experts and Gutsa stress the critical role of traditional ecological knowledge in climate adaptation programming. Zimbabwe’s leading rural projects now blend science with indigenous wisdom, engaging elders and local leaders to foster trust and sustainability.

Across Zimbabwe, youth climate clubs nurture tree seedlings and water-saving habits, while nutrition gardens near solar boreholes demonstrate how local solutions can feed families and protect the environment. Ncube’s granddaughter recently joined one such club. “I tell the children planting a tree is like saving a drop of rain for tomorrow,” Ncube smiles. “If they believe it, maybe the land will heal.”

As twilight descends on Zimbabwe’s red earth, Ncube waters her maize seedlings with water drawn from a nearby solar-powered borehole. She gazes toward the skies with cautious hope.

“We used to dance when the first thunder rolled,” she whispers. “And I still believe one day, the rains will sing again—if we all do our part.”

Agriculture remains one of Zimbabwe’s greatest strengths. The nation must now turn policy into practice—investing in sustainable, climate-smart innovations that empower the rural women who keep the land alive. After all, Zimbabwe must feed itself.