Southern Africa: Southern African Farmers Prepare for Powerful El Nino With Agroecology

What the report says

Farmers in Zimbabwe and Zambia are turning to agroecology as forecasters warn that a strengthening El Nino could bring drought, extreme heat and other weather shocks across southern Africa. In the RFI report distributed by AllAfrica, Zimbabwean farmer Dudzai Matsapa is preparing his land in Nyanga, east of Harare, by digging shallow pits that will hold manure and help store water when the rains arrive.

The article says these methods are part of agroecology, a set of farming practices that aims to protect the environment while improving yields. Matsapa and other farmers described using zero tillage, compost, drought-resistant crops and intercropping to reduce moisture loss, limit erosion and improve soil health. The report also notes that a recent ActionAid study found agroecology can match or exceed industrial agriculture in some settings, including higher cereal yields when legumes are rotated with cereals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Other farmers in Zambia’s Western Province, including Netsai Dodzo, Nswau Kufanga and Namuchana Mubita, said similar techniques have helped them maintain harvests during dry spells. A local Agriculture Ministry official in Sesheke said village harvests support the pattern seen in the field. The story argues that early adaptation matters because climate stress can quickly threaten rural incomes and food supplies.

ActionAid Zambia’s executive director, quoted in the report, said Zambia should move beyond policy support and fund agroecology as a national priority. The broader context is that El Nino typically raises the risk of failed crops and water stress, making low-cost, climate-resilient farming methods more important for smallholders.