Over 50 stakeholders met in Bulawayo to discuss ECHO-funded project.

Zimbabwe is advancing from reactive to proactive disaster risk management with help from the European Union and other organisations

Recently, over 50 stakeholders met in Bulawayo to discuss the successes and challenges of a two-year anticipatory action project funded by ECHO. This project, from 2023 to 2025, focuses on improving how communities prepare for climate-driven disasters, particularly the severe drought expected from El Niño in 2023-2024.

Judith Ncube, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Bulawayo, said,“The 2023–2024 El Niño drought brought untold hardship to our communities. Yet in the face of empty rivers, cracked fields and hunger, we saw something extraordinary; communities, government and aid agencies standing together. This workshop is not just about what went wrong, but how ordinary people’s resilience helped shape extraordinary responses.”

The project has created frameworks that enhance coordination among diverse groups and developed tools for early warnings and disaster financing. Key achievements include forming the Anticipatory Action Community of Practice, which links local decision-making to national systems. The Zimbabwe government launched a US$3 in response to the drought crisis. A 3 bn appeal for emergency and resilience support initiated a food distribution programme for vulnerable populations.

Key outputs like the national Anticipatory Action Roadmap and impact forecasting models are now guiding broader regional disaster management efforts. As the event ended, partners urged ongoing investments in anticipatory action for resilience, stressing the need to embed early action into national systems as climate risks grow. The initiative shows that with partnerships and community involvement, Zimbabwe can progress from responding to crises to building long-term resilience.

Edward Kallon, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Zimbabwe stated,“Anticipatory action is not just a technical process; it is a lifeline. It is about the mother in Chiredzi who received early warnings and planted drought-tolerant crops just in time. It is about a child in Tsholotsho who did not go hungry because food assistance came before the crisis hit. This is the future of disaster response.”

The regulation agency has requested farmers to switch to organic production methods and utilise only licensed pesticides.

The regulatory agency in the Gash Barka area has held food safety workshops for people and animals, focusing on farmers and owners of organisations that provide social services in the sub-zones of Sel'a, Kerkebet, Laelai Gash, Gogni, and Mogolo

During the seminars, Meaze Neguse, an expert in animal resources regulation, cautioned that hazardous food could risk the lives of both people and animals. He stressed the importance of safety and hygiene throughout the whole food production chain, from farm to consumer, and emphasised the close relationship between food safety and environmental protection. He exhorted everyone involved in the food processing and distribution industry to work with regulatory professionals.

Hadish Gebremeskel, a representative of the plant regulatory service, spoke at length about the immediate and indirect negative consequences of misusing pesticides. He aimed at the serious implications of employing unauthorised or harmful agricultural medicines without consulting specialists, noting that these methods are bad for the environment, people, and animals. He requested farmers to switch to organic production methods and utilise only licensed pesticides.

Sub-zone officials, for their part, said that the seminars make a big difference in achieving the objective of "Ensuring Nutritious Food for All and Everywhere." They urged farmers and food processing companies to use the skills they acquired during the training in their regular activities.

Women leading the Liberia's agriculture. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

In 2022, UN Women Liberia, in partnership with the Orange Foundation, started the ‘Digital Inclusion for Women’s Economic Empowerment (D4WEE)’ project

The goal was to help rural women farmers in Bong and Nimba Counties connect with the formal financial system and access disaster risk reduction resources. Significant progress has been made, such as integrating 15 women-led Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) into the formal financial system. This has benefitted 400 women farmers who now have mobile phones and bank accounts, with plans to connect these to Orange Money mobile wallets for better business support.

“By enabling these women to become community-based facilitators, we’re enhancing their income-generating activities through both traditional and digital innovations,” stated Aisha Kolubah, national programme officer for Women Economic Empowerment at UN Women Liberia.

The project introduced a social protection scheme allowing VSLAs members to save, borrow, and invest digitally, enhancing their financial security. In August 2024, a four-day Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop was held in Monrovia for 22 women-led farming cooperatives, focusing on digital literacy skills and market access. Participants learned about digital marketing, social media use, and financial management with digital tools, leading to exciting opportunities for their businesses.

This training empowers women to share knowledge in their communities, promoting economic growth across rural areas. Continued collaboration among UN Women, CBL, and the Orange Foundation aims to create more opportunities for women through digital technology.

“We are pleased with this new way of handling our Village Savings and Loan Association group. Going digital with our savings and loans has made things simpler and safer for us. Now, we can keep an eye on our money and loans using our phones. It’s made everything clearer and smoother for us,” says Diana Davis, community-based facilitator at Liberia Rural Women Network Empowerment Incorporated.

This initiative targets vulnerable communities affected by climate change. (Image credit: Adobe Stock)

BRAC has received a US$300,000 grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to create a programme aimed at helping three million women smallholder farmers in Bangladesh, Liberia, Tanzania, and Uganda by 2030

This initiative targets vulnerable communities affected by climate change. It will first launch in Bangladesh's coastal and drought-prone areas, providing farmers with services like agricultural technology, weather forecasts, adaptive insurance, and better market connections.

Deepali Khanna, head of Asia, The Rockefeller Foundation, stated,“Smallholder farmers are on the frontline of so many challenges, including the impact of climate change. Through our support of BRAC, we are empowering smallholder farmers not only to withstand disruptions, but also to advance solutions that can help build the foundation for lasting economic opportunity.”

The programme emphasises a community-led approach, ensuring it is culturally relevant and sustainable. The aim is to equip communities with skills to build resilience against challenges like rising salinity and erratic rainfall. BRAC plans to raise an additional US$300mn for this programme, intending to impact around 14 million people positively.

“At BRAC, we believe in equipping people and communities with the skills they need to build their own resilience,” said Asif Saleh, executive director of BRAC. The Rockefeller Foundation’s support takes an important step in showing that locally driven innovation, when scaled up, can unlock pathways for millions of people to do that.”