Zimbabwe
Agricultural infrastructure improvements and increased community capacity to manage shocks may help address vulnerability to droughts and macroeconomic shocks in rural Zimbabwe.
Overview
Zimbabwe is vulnerable to climate variability and changing rainfall patterns, the effects of which, in recent years, have been exacerbated by the country’s continuing macroeconomic issues. The Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund, a major partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe and several international development organizations, aims to build resilience to shocks and stresses and protect development gains by:
- Increasing community capacity.
- Applying evidence to policymaking.
- Increasing the effectiveness of disaster response.
Risk Environment
Zimbabwe has experienced severe El Niño-induced droughts in recent years that have resulted in successive crop failures. The country’s significant macroeconomic issues have deepened the impact, as remittances fell as a result of the devaluation of the South African rand. A nationwide cash shortage meant that workers were not being paid, and the Grain Management Board was late in paying farmers. Formal financial institutions dramatically cut back on providing credit to farmers and livestock owners, making it more difficult to cope with the effects of the drought and mitigate against future shocks.
Resilience Approaches
The Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund aims to build resilience to shocks and stresses and protect development gains by focusing on three key areas:
- Evidence-based decision-making and programmatic approaches.
- Improving absorptive, adaptive and transformative capacities of communities.
- Timely and cost-effective responses to emergencies.
The fund also supports national surveys that inform resilience programming.
Opportunities for Strengthening Resilience
Improving agricultural infrastructure, production and market systems, especially related to droughts, and improving communities’ ability to manage disaster through empowerment and training are priorities for strengthening resilience in Zimbabwe.
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