By Staff Reporter
Over 2.2 million cattle across Zimbabwe are facing acute water and pasture shortages as an impending severe El Niño event threatens to devastate the national livestock population, prompting urgent government interventions.
The crisis was detailed during the 36th Post-Cabinet Press Briefing on Tuesday, following an updated 2026–2027 summer plan presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Masuka. His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa chaired the meeting, which outlined state emergency measures to cushion farmers and preserve rural livelihoods.
Official statistics reveal that 2,248,498 cattle—representing 38.9 percent of the national herd of 5,750,439—are directly at risk as grazing conditions deteriorate across vulnerable districts.
To mitigate livestock losses and diversify household income sources, government is accelerating distributions under targeted presidential support programs. As of 4 November 2026, the Presidential Poultry and Goat Schemes had delivered 3,543,705 chicks and 6,897 goats to rural households nationwide.
The livestock crisis forms part of a broader government response to forecasted climate shocks. To manage localized relief efforts, authorities have established 914 Ward Drought Mitigation Centres out of a targeted 1,527 rural wards.
Concurrently, the state is bolstering national crop production and grain reserves to ensure overall food security. Government is working toward establishing a 600,000-metric-tonne strategic grain reserve by October 2027 using modern, artificial intelligence-powered storage silos. As of 9 November 2026, the Grain Marketing Board held 365,688 metric tonnes of grain, with the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority contributing over 90 percent of the total.
Community participation is also augmenting supply lines, with the Presidential Gratitude Grain Collection collecting 8,678 metric tonnes from household contributions—a 19 percent increase compared to the previous year.
On the cropping front, 14,971,621 conservation agriculture plots (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) have been prepared, reaching 93.3 percent of the national target. Irrigation infrastructure has reached 308,969 hectares, with 119,068 hectares designated for maize this summer. A new national soil fertility map has also been deployed to optimize yields.
The summer push follows a strong winter harvest, where 129,860 hectares of wheat produced 676,473 metric tonnes at an average yield of 5.2 tonnes per hectare.
To reinforce long-term agricultural resilience, Cabinet endorsed the outcomes of the Africa Seed Summit held in Ezulwini, Eswatini. Zimbabwe will formulate a national plan aligned with the Africa Seed and Biotechnology Programme (2026–2035) to expand access to climate-resilient seed varieties.
