Zimbabwe News Update
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2 min read
Amh is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: the zimbabwe independent, a business weekly online edition. With drought being touted as the key climate change-related risk in zimbabwe, erratic rainfall patterns have triggered a wave of food insecurity in recent years. According to the world food programme (wfp), at least 70% of the population in the country depends on rain-fed agriculture with the majority of farmers having minimal productivity.
According to the wfp zimbabwe country brief of august 2022: “the 2022 zimbabwe vulnerability assessment committee’s rural and livelihood assessment estimates that about 30% of the rural population is estimated to be food insecure at the start of the lean season (october to december 2022), while 38% (3.8 million) are projected to be food insecure during the peak (january to march 2023). The findings show a deteriorating food security situation in the country from a peak of 27% in early 2022.” the report paints a gloomy picture of the food security situation in the country. It is a call to action for relevant stakeholders to find lasting solutions to the problem that threatens daily livelihood in a country that used to be the bread basket of southern africa.
It is against this background that the insurance and pensions commission of zimbabwe (ipec) is spearheading the introduction of index insurance to cushion farmers against the effects of climate change. Ipec director of insurance and micro-insurance sibongile siwela said the insurance regulator is on a drive to create awareness on weather-based index insurance and area yield index insurance to encourage uptake by insurers and the general public. “as part of its role in developing the (insurance) industry, ipec is also responsible for developing the industry in terms of the weather-based index insurance,” siwela said.
