SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MWENEZI- A new era has dawned for communal farmers in Mwenezi District, as the Government and its development partners has introduced a pilot livestock insurance scheme to enhance protection against potential risks.
Spearheaded by the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ), the initiative aims to provide financial protection to farmers and enhance livestock production.
The simple insurance product, designed to protect livestock from drought follows the successful launch of the Farmers Basket Agricultural Insurance initiative, which has provided a critical safety net for smallholder farmers grappling with the effects of climate change.
The programme launched at Zvamapungu Primary School in Mwenezi East Constituency is designed to cushion vulnerable farmers against climate -induced risks and recently delivered claim payouts to Mwenezi farmers validating the importance of crop and livestock insurance.
In his remarks during the programme launch, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Business Development Director Abraham Mashumba said the project was also aimed at reducing major livestock threats such as severe outbreaks of diseases (theileriosis), which may not be linked to drought.
“The introduction of this insurance product by the Insurance Council of Zimbabwe is a direct response to climate change effects.
“By protecting these assets we are stabilising the national balance sheet. We are ensuring that the growth trajectory we see in the national cattle herd grow significantly is not reversed by climate change induced shocks, ” he said.
He said by the end of 2024, the beef national herd stood at 5, 741, 397, with Masvingo province accounting for 1, 002, 632 which translate to 17 percent of the national herd.
Of this percentage, Director Mashumba said the bulk is in Mwenezi and Chiredzi.
He said global climate change is not a distant threat but a reality with Mwenezi being the most hit.
Through the project, livestock farmers are set to cover their animals and get feed whenever there is a drought.
He said a special low trigger threshold is going to be set and at the critical point at which pasture greenness is slow that animals are at high risk of starvation or illness . Once the satellite reading drops below this trigger line, an automatic payout is activated and farmers start to receive livestock feed and chemicals.
He said the model is particularly well-suited to the challenges faced by Zimbabwean stallholders, especially those reliant on rain fed agriculture and communal grazing.
In an interview with The Midweek Watch, Tanaka Zano a villager under Chief Neshuro said the project was going to cushion them in terms of drought.
“We have been often affected by climate change. I am one of the farmers who lost livestock to drought.
“I can now ensure my livestock, we want to thank government and its development partners for this programme because Mwenezi only relied on rain fed pastures but the introduction of this scheme is going to be a game changer,” he said.
