Climate-Smart Farming Brings New Hope and Food Security to Mushandike Farmers
At the Mushandike Irrigation Scheme in Masvingo, dusk settles gently as farmers rest after long hours in the fields. Two years ago, such evenings were marked by uncertainty. Today, the land tells a different story, one of resilience, renewal and food security driven by climate-smart agriculture.
For Yeukai, a farmer in Village 16 since 1994, the transformation has been life-changing. For years she struggled with low yields, unable to afford hybrid seeds or fertiliser. Farming sustained her family, but only just. After losing her husband, the burden of providing for her four sons fell squarely on her shoulders.
Hope arrived when local leaders encouraged farmers to form a cooperative to collectively access inputs. Fourteen farmers registered their cooperative in Harare, unlocking partnerships with agricultural institutions and finance providers. Through these links, Yeukai diversified her crops from maize into wheat and sunflowers, strengthening both income and nutrition.
“Farming has changed for the better,” she says. Her children have completed secondary education, one is a teacher, another works in construction, and she has built her own home. In 2024, she invested in a grinding mill now run by her son, bringing essential services closer to her community.
Her progress has been reinforced by the Zimbabwe Emergency Food Production Facility (ZEFPF), launched in 2022 by the African Development Bank in partnership with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Government of Zimbabwe.
The programme provided improved seed, fertiliser, training in nutrition and ecological farming, and access to a revolving seed fund, supported in part by the Africa Fertilizer Financing Mechanism.
In neighbouring Village 13, Taurai Mutoti’s story echoes the same transformation. Blind since the age of eight, Taurai manages a half-hectare maize plot with the help of an assistant. Before joining ZEFPF, his harvest barely reached one tonne. Today, with better inputs and irrigation, yields have tripled, and he plants up to three times a year.
The father of four used proceeds from his farm to build a homestead in 2024. “I want more markets,” he says, noting that most farmers sell to the Grain Management Board. His ambitions now include horticulture, pig farming and poultry.
Supporting these farmers is a network of extension officers like Julieth Ngwenyama, who trains growers in organic inputs, soil moisture monitoring and ecological practices.
According to FAO Zimbabwe Projects Coordinator Zwelo Ndebele, wheat yields under ZEFPF rose from two to five metric tonnes per hectare, while maize increased from 0.76 to 3.1 tonnes, gains that helped create nearly 170,000 jobs across cropping seasons.
As dawn approaches, Mushandike’s fields will soon come alive again. For Yeukai, Taurai and hundreds of others, the harvest is no longer measured only in tonnes, but in dignity, security and renewed hope for the future.
