Zimbabwe anticipates producing 2.2 million tonnes of maize in the 2024/25 season, its fourth-highest harvest on record, driven by expanded planting and improved yields, Information Minister Jenfan Muswere said on Tuesday. The forecast, announced during a post-Cabinet media briefing, follows a government crop assessment showing maize output is expected to rise despite erratic weather conditions….
THE government and its development partners have called for enhanced attention towards strengthening research and improvement on traditional grains which are a critical source of food. The devastating effects of the El-Nino-induced drought to livestock and crops in the last summer cropping season have jolted government and its development partners to accelerate crop research and…
With climate change accelerating food crises across southern Africa, Zimbabwe’s Food Justice Network (FJN) is betting on women and agroecology to reverse the trend. Through its Feminist Agroecology Model Schools (FAMS), the organization has so far trained 25 women to farm sustainably, strengthening climate adaptation strategies while promoting gender equity in rural economies. Agroecology can…
The past week, temperatures have dropped, and many regions of the country are still experiencing episodes of rain, described by the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) as a seasonal transition period marked by shifting weather patterns as the season moves from summer to winter. While this has posed challenges for wardrobe choices, the effects of changing…
Government says this week’s rains have come as a relief for farmers, providing much-needed moisture for late-planted crops, recharging groundwater supplies, and boosting crop yields across the country. Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri has hailed the ongoing rainfall as “timely” for farmers who had delayed planting due to…
The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has advised that the country is undergoing a seasonal transition period, marked by shifting weather patterns as it moves from summer to winter. In an interview with Climate Newsroom, Met Department head of forecasting Mr James Ngoma said this phase, characterized by cold nights, warmer daytime temperatures, and sporadic rainfall,…
Zimbabwe is finalizing a landmark agriculture book that examines the profound shifts in its agricultural sector driven by climate change, global conflicts, and pandemic disruptions, with a draft manuscript now at final revisions. Titled: Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Revolution (Third Edition): From Redistributive Land Reforms to Agrarian Transformation, the 42-chapter manuscript underwent review at a workshop in…
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) conducted critical commissioning tests on Kariba Dam’s sluice gates last week, marking the final stages of a four-year rehabilitation project, the agency announced. Engineers released water equivalent to three seconds’ worth of power generation turbine operation through the gates over a four-minute period, directing it into the dam’s reshaped plunge…
Government has assured farmers that it has enough seeds for the 2025 /26 farming season. This statement was made by Deputy Minister Davis Marapira of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development following his tour of the Valley Seeds processing plant in Murehwa. The Deputy Minister expressed satisfaction with the current level of preparedness for…
Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has extended temporary fishing restrictions on Lake Kariba until May 31, 2025, maintaining a reduced minimum allowable fishing depth of 17 meters instead of the standard 20 meters, officials announced Thursday. The move follows assessments showing persistently low catches of kapenta, a critical freshwater fish, amid drought-driven…
