CLIMATE CHANGE: ICZ intensify awareness campaign for agricultural insurance

The Insurance Council of Zimbabwe (ICZ) says it is intensifying its awareness campaigns on agricultural insurance.

This is to ensure farmers are insured and recover from losses emanating from climate change.

Zimbabwe’s climate has been changing affecting its agrobased economy.

From 1970 to 2016, mean annual temperature has increased by about 0.03°C per year, while mean annual precipitation exhibits a decreasing trend.

The impact of this warming trend on the intensification of drought has been more prominent during the January–March period.

Zimbabwe’s temperature is expected to change further.

Additionally, according to some studies an increase in the frequency and intensity of drought is expected.

In turn, average rainfall is projected to decrease further by approximately 10% with significant regional differences, although there is more uncertainty over these estimates.

This will induce shorter rainy seasons and shifts in the timing of their onset and cessation. Southern and Eastern regions are projected to experience the most significant decreases in rainfall between 2020 and 2080.

An increase in the intensity of rainfall events is also projected, which may increase flooding in the country.

The following sectors in Zimbabwe are considered as highly vulnerable to climate change: agriculture; water; health; forestry and biodiversity; infrastructure; human settlements; and tourism.

Agriculture accounts for 67% of the total employment in the country, and in 2016, total agricultural land area reached 42% of Zimbabwe’s total land area.

Most of the agriculture in Zimbabwe is rain-fed (approximately 80%), which makes the sector highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially precipitation variability and more frequent and intense climate-induced natural hazards such as droughts and floods.

Zwnews