Seeds of Hope: Overcoming Zimbabwe's Drought Crisis with Community-led Innovation
Media Release
Zimbabwe's 2023-2024 drought, one of the most devastating in recent history, has wreaked havoc on the country’s agricultural systems, depleting water resources and pushing food insecurity to alarming levels.
Smallholder farmers were the hardest hit, with countless families losing their entire harvests. The situation was further compounded by a critical shortage of Early Generation Seeds (EGS), which threatened the production of certified seeds and jeopardized future planting seasons.
In the face of this crisis, a sense of hope was reignited through a strategic initiative by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), with financial support from the CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative. This effort delivers improved, climate-resilient, market-preferred, and nutritious crop varieties to farmers, offering a lifeline for sustainable agriculture.
Amid increased extreme climatic events, such as prolonged drought, Dr Stanford Blade, Director General-Interim at ICRISAT, underscored the urgent need for resilient agricultural systems across Africa.
“This crisis has exposed critical vulnerabilities, but is also driving innovative solutions to bridge the gaps,” remarked Dr Blade. “At the heart of sustainable agricultural transformation is the empowerment of local communities, especially women. By providing our farmers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need, we are building a solid foundation for long-term resilience.”
Recognizing the looming threat to future harvests, ICRISAT introduced a community-driven seed production model in Zimbabwe’s Chiredzi district, leveraging access to irrigation to unlock new opportunities.
Partnering with small-scale farmers, 59 individuals—48 of them women—devoted approximately 25 hectares of land to growing drought-tolerant crops, including the sorghum variety ‘Macia’ and the pearl millet variety ‘Okashana 1.’
To ensure the initiative's success, ICRISAT provided targeted training on quality seed production during critical crop stages. Practical sessions enhanced farmers’ technical expertise, while regular inspections by Zimbabwe’s Seed Services Institute under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development validated the quality of the seeds produced.
Despite the challenges posed by prolonged drought, the initiative yielded impressive results: an average of 1 ton per hectare for sorghum and 0.8 tons per hectare for pearl millet, producing 20-25 tons of high-quality seeds.
The harvested seeds were quickly integrated into the agricultural ecosystem, with three key stakeholders stepping up to amplify their impact:
- ICRISAT, Zimbabwe procured 14 metric tonnes of the foundation seed for improving seed security in the country.
- Zadzamatura (Pvt) Seed Company, under the MASAP project, used 4 tons for further seed production.
- National Tested Seeds under the MASAP project, used 1.5 tons for further seed production.
- Save the Children distributed the remaining seeds to smallholder farmers for multiplication and commercial use.
ICRISAT Breeder, Albert Tsindi, welcomed the collaborative approach noting that the availability of high-quality seeds safeguards the next planting season and provides farmers with a renewed sense of hope.
Dr Rebbie Harawa, Director of the Africa Program at ICRISAT, highlighted the initiative's far-reaching impact.
“This seed multiplication initiative addresses the current needs of smallholder farmers but also paves the way for community-wide progress through the empowerment of women. When women succeed, everyone benefits," said Dr Harawa.
As Zimbabwe grapples with the ongoing realities of climate change, the success of this seed multiplication initiative stands as a powerful example of how collaboration and innovation can pave the way for a more resilient future.
This work aligns with SDGs 2,5,13 & 17.
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Martin Muluka