Zimbabwe’s El Niño-Induced Drought: Strategies and Measures for Mitigation and Resilience Building.

The Zimbabwe’s El Niño-Induced Drought: Strategies and Measures for Mitigation and Resilience Building (2024) delineates Zimbabwe's strategic response to the El Niño-induced drought, emphasizing mitigation and resilience measures within the agricultural sector. The Policy framework is guided by Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy (NDS1), with specific reference to the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS). The document outlines a dual approach to climate-proofing, incorporating the Pfumvudza/Intwasa model at the small-holder level and the Accelerated Irrigation Rehabilitation and Development Plan at the national level. The strategic grain reserve is to be expanded necessitating infrastructure enhancements.The agricultural sector's financial requirement is detailed, encompassing search and rescue, mitigation, and resilience building efforts. The document further elaborates on interventions across various agricultural sub-sectors, including cereals, horticulture, livestock, fisheries, and water and irrigation development. The livestock sector faces significant challenges, with a substantial portion of the national herd at risk due to water and feed shortages. Mitigation strategies include private sector feed imports, hay supply, and the establishment of water troughs. The fisheries sector aims to enhance fingerling production and dam stocking, while the water and irrigation development sector focuses on dam construction and borehole drilling to support irrigation expansion. The document concludes with a financial breakdown of the inputs required to achieve the targeted agricultural outputs, emphasizing the need for substantial investment in irrigation infrastructure and mechanization to ensure food security and resilience against future climatic shocks.