<\/p>\n
More than 188 000 farming households across Zimbabwe have benefited from the Zimbabwe Emergency Food Production Project, a four-year initiative funded by the AfDB that has supported record wheat harvests, expanded climate-smart agriculture and improved access to agricultural finance.<\/p>\n
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The programme, funded through a $25 million grant from AfDB’s Transitional Support Facility, was implemented in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).<\/p>\n
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Launched in 2022 in response to food security threats linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and global supply chain disruptions, the project concluded on June 30, 2026.<\/p>\n
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The initiative provided quality agricultural inputs, extension services and improved farming technologies while promoting climate-smart agricultural practices across 153 000 hectares of farmland.<\/p>\n
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The programme also boosted production of drought-tolerant maize and sunflower seeds and contributed to average wheat yields of five tonnes per hectare.<\/p>\n
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One of the project’s flagship components was a Seed Revolving Fund implemented through AFC Land and Development Bank. The facility supported more than 90 957 farmers, including 33 108 women, and achieved a loan repayment rate of more than 90%.<\/p>\n
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Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Obert Jiri said the programme demonstrated the importance of farmer-driven development. \u201cThe Seed Revolving Fund is the blueprint for breaking the cycle of dependency and fostering genuine farmer ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Jiri added: \u201cThis is not merely the conclusion of a $25 million project, it is a celebration of resilience, a testament to the power of strategic partnerships, and a foundational milestone on our transformative journey towards Vision 2030.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Unlike many emergency agricultural interventions, the project adopted a broader approach that included access to finance, digital services, post-harvest management and institutional strengthening.<\/p>\n
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AfDB Country Manager for Zimbabwe Eyerusalem Fasika said the project exceeded its original targets. \u201cAgainst a target of 180 000 farmers, this project reached over 188 000, with women making up 60% of beneficiaries, well above our 40% target.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Fasika added: \u201cThese are not just numbers on a page; they represent farming families who adopted new practices, accessed financing, and are now reaping the rewards in their harvests.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The project also modernised agricultural services through the Identification, Delivery and Empowerment Application farmer registry platform, creating a digital database to support extension services and agricultural planning.<\/p>\n
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To reduce post-harvest losses, the programme supplied grain silos, threshers, moisture meters and oil-processing equipment. Support to the Seed Services Institute and Crop Breeding Institute also helped strengthen domestic seed production and reduce dependence on imports.<\/p>\n
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A separate credit guarantee facility managed by the Africa Fertiliser Financing Mechanism and Fertiliser and Seeds Group exceeded its original $15 million target by generating more than $44 million in fertiliser sales and distributing over 80 000 tonnes of fertiliser through private-sector partners.<\/p>\n
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FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and Representative to Zimbabwe Patrice Talla said the programme had evolved beyond emergency support. \u201cFor FAO, this project evolved from a rapid response into a transformative initiative with impacts extending well beyond emergency support.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Talla added: \u201cThe project made a significant contribution to building more resilient, inclusive and market-oriented agrifood systems while laying a strong foundation for sustainable agricultural transformation and food security in Zimbabwe.\u201d<\/p>\n
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–AfDB\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40196,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-40195","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"A $25 million African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded programme has helped more than 188 000 farming households in Zimbabwe improve food production, strengthen resilience and access agricultural financing.","published_date":"","news_description":"A $25 million African Development Bank (AfDB)-funded programme has helped more than 188 000 farming households in Zimbabwe improve food production, strengthen resilience and access agricultural financing.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/40195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/40195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40197,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/40195\/revisions\/40197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=40195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}