Mechanization drives climate-smart agriculture and gender equality in Zimbabwe’s Drylands

In Zimbabwe smallholder farmers and community forest users in Zaka – a rural district endowed with vast Miombo and Mopane woodlands in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo Province – are embracing sustainable agriculture and forest management practices.

This transformation is driven by the Dryland Sustainable Landscapes Impact Program (DSL-IP), a regional initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe, local communities, NGOs, and the private sector.

The DSL-IP seeks to reverse environmental degradation, boost agricultural productivity, and strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and livelihoods in seven participating countries across Southern Africa. In Zimbabwe, the program targets the root causes of land degradation—including soil erosion, drought, deforestation, and unsustainable agricultural practices—through integrated, gender-responsive, and cross-sectoral solutions.

At the core of the program’s success is a combination of knowledge-sharing on soil conservation farming techniques, mechanized tools that reduce the labor burden, thereby addressing a key barrier to the adoption of water-saving and soil conservation techniques like contour plowing, and access to quality seeds and tree seedlings that enhance the cultivation of drought-tolerant and pest-resistant traditional small grains such as sorghum and millet. 

“These grains are better suited to Zimbabwe’s semi-arid climate, offering a resilient alternative to maize amid increasing rainfall variability,” says Andrew Mushita, Director of the Community Technology Development Organisation (CTDO), one of the project’s implementing partners. “Traditional grains are more than just food, they are climate-resilient crops that help safeguard food security,” he added. 

Empowering farmers through knowledge and practice

At the heart of this transformation is the Farmer Field School (FFS) approach—a hands-on community-based education model that equips farmers with practical skills and knowledge on sustainable agriculture. The implementation of the FFS approach is guided by Agricultural Extension Officers from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD).  In line with the DSL-IP’s focus on restoring dryland ecosystems, the FFS promotes the cultivation of neglected and underutilized crops (NUS) that are well adapted to the arid environments, alongside nutrient enhancing legumes such as bambara nuts.  These crops provide both food and income but also contribute to soil fertility regeneration and landscape restoration.

Through hands-on learning, farmers implement key conservation techniques such as mulching, contour ploughing, and soil traps that combat land degradation and restore productivity. By replacing harmful practices like deforestation and unsustainable tillage with regenerative methods, FFS is driving a transition towards farming systems that strike a balance between ecological integrity and social wellbeing, laying the foundation for resilient landscapes. 

The FFS is implemented in close synergy with community seed banks, which safeguard crop biodiversity and ensure access to quality seed, and with the development of green value chains, which create income opportunities and incentivize the adoption of sustainable land management practices. Together, these three pillars of the DSLIP’s Sustainable Landscape Production Framework (SLPF) reinforce each other—linking knowledge, biodiversity, and markets to build a more sustainable and inclusive dryland farming future.

“We used to lose so much topsoil during the rainy season,” says Felistas Kubvoruno, a participant in the FFS. “But now, with the systems we have learned, there is a noticeable difference. Our fields are retaining more water, and the soil is in better condition.”

The SLPF also supports the project’s shift toward mechanized conservation agriculture, reinforcing efforts to preserve ecosystems while improving productivity.

Mechanization improves livelihoods, food and nutrition security and ecosystem resilience 

The DSL-IP is delivering earth augers, two-wheel tractors, row seeders, double-furrow ploughs, and multi-crop threshers, enabling farmers to overcome labor-intensive challenges and adopt sustainable farming techniques such as contour farming and agroforestry more efficiently. 

These techniques, introduced through FFS training, significantly conserve soil and water by reducing runoff, enhancing water infiltration and preventing erosion on sloped land. By minimizing erosion, such techniques further help retain soil organic matter and nutrients for resilient farms (with reduced crop failure and losses during climate shocks) and higher crop yield which directly improves farmers’ income and livelihoods over time. 

With higher and more reliable production, the smallholder farmers can aggregate and sell surplus, especially when linked to cooperatives or sustainable value chains for stable income flow. Furthermore, the adoption of sustainable practices and improved income flow can make farmers eligible for access to credit and loans from local banks and microfinance institutions as well as climate-smart agriculture funding, training, or market access initiatives.  This offers long-term transformative actions that prevent land degradation by allowing farmers to use the same land productively for many years, stabilizing income and supporting food security.

“We used to farm small plots by hand. It was exhausting and unproductive. With mechanized tools, we can now grow more in less time,” says Olivia Chitono, a farmer from Zaka.

Improved post-harvest processing and value addition are also helping farmers access better markets and increase their incomes. Contributing to more sustainable rural economies and reducing reliance on unsustainable practices such as deforestation for firewood or charcoal.

“We are not just supporting food production. We are empowering communities to build resilient livelihoods,” says Patrice Talla, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe.

Promoting gender inclusive agriculture through mechanization and innovations 

In Zimbabwe, rural women often face significant labour burdens and have limited access to productive assets. They therefore often depend on unsustainable forest resource extraction for income and energy, with limited sustainable agricultural alternatives.

The DSL-IP initiative addresses gender disparities by ensuring equal access to the mechanized equipment. Women's access to these technologies eases their workload, allowing them to engage equally in agriculture production and effectively participate in related supply chains and income-generating activities that benefit both the wider community and the environment. 

This initiative, in collaboration with research partners such as Great Zimbabwe University, also supports community members—particularly women engaged in the non-timber forest products (NTFP) value chain, including baobab and marula—by providing access to appropriate technologies. Tools like dehullers, grinding mills, nut crackers, and oil extractors are helping women-led agribusinesses and forest-based enterprises reduce labour, lower production costs, and meet market quality standards. 

“Mechanization allows women to be more economically empowered and influential in their communities,” adds Patrice Talla.

Through its integrated approach—combining community education, conservation techniques, and access to modern tools—the DSL-IP is helping to build a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agricultural sector in Zimbabwe.