Southern Zimbabwe has experienced increasing temperatures since the 1950s with a decline in total annual precipitation and an increase in mid-season dry spells coupled with extreme weather events in the form of droughts and floods. These changes in climate have reduced water availability and increased soil aridity, resulting in declining agricultural yields and impacting the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in this region. In Southern Zimbabwe, rainfall is predicted to decrease by 15 per cent and runoff by 20 per cent in provinces of Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland South, leading to higher food deficits and higher food prices, as well as higher number of drought-related livestock deaths.

The project proposes to address these observed and projected climate impacts and build the resilience of smallholder farmers in three semi-arid agroecological regions of southern Zimbabwe.