In Harare, Zimbabwe, the Government commissioned a new tranche of small-scale agricultural equipment to support climate-smart agriculture, sustainable land management, and rural livelihoods in dryland areas under the Drylands Sustainable Landscapes Impact Programme (DSL-IP). Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF-7) and supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the commissioning ceremony was officiated by the Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Hon. Evelyn Ndhlovu, alongside senior officials from relevant ministries, FAO, implementing partners, and development sector representatives. The minister highlighted that mechanised equipment represents a strategic shift toward productive, climate-smart, and land-positive livelihoods, reducing labour for women and youth while enhancing productivity and ecosystem protection.
The DSL-IP project, implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife through the Environmental Management Agency with FAO as the GEF-accredited entity, is part of a global programme operating in eleven countries across Southern Africa, West Africa, and Asia. The initiative supports countries in achieving their Land Degradation Neutrality targets under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). FAO noted that previous equipment distributions in 2025 had already reduced labour requirements, improved the timeliness of farm operations, and encouraged wider adoption of sustainable practices beyond project-supported Farmer Field Schools.
A total of 1,050 additional pieces of small-scale agricultural equipment were commissioned, bringing the cumulative total to 1,960 units. The equipment includes two-wheel tractors, double-furrow ploughs, planters, trailers, multi-crop threshers, earth augers, and post-harvest processing machinery, supporting 600 Farmer Field Schools across the Save and Runde catchments. These technologies are benefiting approximately 15,000 direct beneficiaries, over half of whom are women, by improving land preparation, planting precision, and post-harvest handling, while reducing pressure on forests, rangelands, and riverbanks.
The Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Obert Jiri, emphasized that smallholder mechanisation drives agricultural modernization and rural transformation. Mechanisation enhances productivity through timely and precise operations, increases output on existing arable land, and limits agricultural expansion into forests and fragile ecosystems, directly supporting Zimbabwe’s land degradation neutrality commitments.
The DSL-IP project contributes to National Development Strategy 2 priorities on food security, climate resilience, and rural development, while aligning with the government’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa climate-smart agriculture programme and national mechanisation initiatives. Across the Save and Runde landscapes, the project is expected to restore 2,150 hectares of degraded land, bring 172,540 hectares under improved sustainable land and forest management, mitigate 1.26 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions, and strengthen resilience across 44 wards in eight districts. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of strong governance, maintenance systems, and equitable access to ensure that the equipment continues delivering benefits beyond the project’s lifespan.
Andrew Mushita, Director of the Community Technology Development Organisation, stressed that each piece of equipment must translate into improved productivity, restored landscapes, and dignified livelihoods for rural communities, reinforcing the broader vision of sustainable land management and climate-smart agriculture in Zimbabwe.
