By Thabisani Dube
Under the un-forgiving Matabeleland sun, 48-year-old Elizabeth Ndlovu bends to water her small vegetable garden in Nkayi district in Matabeleland North Province. The ground is cracked and hard, but she refuses to give up. Her green onions and chilies shimmer under the solar pump she helped install through a women’s cooperative.
“Years ago, we used to rely on maize and rain-fed crops,” she said. “Then the rains became erratic, and everything wilted in the heat. But we decided we would not starve again. We learnt to farm differently.”
Across Zimbabwe, women like Ndlovu are rewriting their relationship with the land. They are no longer just victims of drought and heat — they are innovators, using climate-smart agriculture to secure food and dignity for their families.
According to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) of Zimbabwe, the country loses an estimated 33 tonnes of topsoil per hectare annually due to land degradation and poor rainfall patterns. This has left over 70 per cent of communal farmers, most of them women, struggling to feed their families.
“Climate change in Zimbabwe is not gender-neutral,” said Amkela Sidange, Education and Publicity Manager at the EMA.
“Women bear the heaviest burden because they are the ones responsible for food production, water collection and household care. When the climate changes, their entire routine is disrupted.”
Longer dry spells, flash floods and erratic rainfall have become the new normal. In Matabeleland South, Masvingo, and parts of Manicaland Province, water sources have dried up, forcing women to walk long distances in search of water. Some spend up to six hours a day fetching water, leaving less time for other income-generating activities.
When crops fail and livestock die, families sink deeper into poverty. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Zimbabwe reports that female-headed households are 30 per cent more likely to experience food insecurity during droughts than male-headed ones.
“The impacts of climate change disproportionately affect women, particularly those in rural areas who rely heavily on agriculture for their livelihoods,” said Dr Mavis Sibanda, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
“They face increased workloads as they are tasked with finding food and water for their families during times of drought.” Despite these challenges, Zimbabwean women are demonstrating remarkable resilience.
Nations Development Programme in Zimbabwe, Caritas Zimbabwe, and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, rural women are adopting new methods such as Conservation Agriculture, drip irrigation, and solar-powered boreholes.
In Beitbridge district in Matabeleland South Province, the Shashe Irrigation Scheme, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the European Union, has become a model of transformation. Women there produce tomatoes, onions, and leafy vegetables for both local markets, including schools.
“We used to wait for food handouts,” said Lilian Ncube, a 50-year widowed farmer and project leader. Now, we grow and sell our own produce. The climate may have changed, but we have changed too.”
The United Nations Development Programme’s Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods project has reached over 250,000 households, training women to harvest rainwater and grow drought-tolerant crops like sorghum, cowpeas, and millet. It strengthens climate resilience by improving water access and promoting climate-smart agriculture, especially among vulnerable rural communities.
In Binga district, Matabeleland North, climate change has disrupted traditional fishing, prompting women to lead income diversification through beekeeping and crafts using reeds and baobab products. Supported by cooperatives and NGOs, these initiatives strengthen household resilience against climate shocks and include wetland rehabilitation and nature-based solutions led by women, as reported by UNDP Zimbabwe.
Local women’s groups are also harvesting non-timber forest products, such as baobab fruit and developing value-chain products such as powder and seeds, creating income opportunities, especially during the dry season. Nyaradzo Mashayamombe of Tag a Life International observes, “In many ways, women are still the burden bearers of society,” highlighting the gendered impact of climate change in Zimbabwe.
However, experts warn that local resilience will not be enough without global support. Zimbabwe’s economy loses an estimated one billion United States dollars annually to climate-related shocks, according to the World Bank.
At the ongoing COP30 Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, African negotiators are calling for global climate financing to reach grassroots women directly—those already adapting with limited resources.
“Climate justice is gender justice,” said Jackline Wanjiku, a regional African climate advocate. “If funding does not reach rural women, it means half the population is being left behind in adaptation efforts.”
Government programmes, implemented through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, aim to provide women with access to loans, training, and climate-smart technologies for sustainable agriculture. Yet many initiatives falter once donor funding ends, especially in remote areas where access to finance is limited. Community officers in
Lupane warn that without long-term investment and national budget integration, these projects often collapse.
Back in Nkayi district, as the sun dips behind the hills, Ndlovu wipes her brow and surveys her thriving patch of onions. Her calloused hands tell a story of labour and resilience.
“It’s not easy,” she says. “Sometimes we lose crops to pests and diseases, or to the heat.
But I’m proud that my children no longer go to bed hungry. We are not waiting for pity — we are working for our future.”
Her words echo a powerful truth: while policymakers debate in air-conditioned conference halls, the real battle against climate change is being fought in Zimbabwe’s villages — by women who refuse to surrender.
“Women like Elizabeth are the backbone of climate resilience,” said Amkela Sidange of the Environmental Management Agency of Zimbabwe. “They are keeping households and communities alive. The least the world can do is to stand with them.”
With COP30 now underway in Belém, Brazil, global leaders must not overlook the voices rising from Gwanda to Binga, from Lupane to Chivi. Zimbabwean women are proving that climate adaptation is not just about surviving — it’s about redefining the future.
In the hands of women like Ndlovu, the future is not only possible — it is being cultivated.
