Government is extending the Pfumvudza/Intwasa agricultural support programme to urban households, with farmers in Chitungwiza receiving seed and fertiliser for the 2026/27 summer cropping season as the country steps up preparations against the threat of an El Niño-induced drought.
The distribution of agricultural inputs this Tuesday is part of efforts to broaden participation in food production by ensuring that urban communities also contribute to national food security while improving household food supplies and incomes.
Harare Metropolitan Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Charles Tawengwa, said urban agriculture was an important component of the country’s agricultural production strategy, with households in towns and cities capable of producing food from relatively small pieces of land.
“Urban farmers are not spectators in agriculture. They are producers. Through Pfumvudza/Intwasa, Government, under the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has ensured that even those farming on small pieces of land in the city can produce enough food for their families,” he said.
The programme promotes conservation farming methods that enable small-scale producers to maximise productivity from limited land while making efficient use of available water resources.
Although traditionally associated with rural farming communities, Pfumvudza/Intwasa is increasingly incorporating urban households as Government seeks to mobilise communities across the country to strengthen domestic food production, as a mitigatory measure against possible effects of El Niño.
By extending agricultural support to urban communities, the programme seeks to strengthen household resilience, reduce dependence on purchased food and ensure that food security remains a shared responsibility across rural and urban areas.
The initiative also complements broader national efforts to build climate-resilient agricultural systems and strengthen food self-sufficiency in line with the country’s development aspirations.
