This report presents an assessment ofZimbabwe’s agriculture sector disaster risk and managementcapacity. The findings indicate that Zimbabwe is highlyexposed to agricultural risks and has limited capacity tomanage risk at various levels. The report shows thatdisaster-related shocks along Zimbabwe’s agricultural supplychains directly translate to volatility in agricultural GDP.Such shocks have a substantial impact on economic growth,food security, and fiscal balance. When catastrophicdisasters occur, the economy absorbs the shocks, withoutbenefiting from any instruments that transfer the risk tomarkets and coping ability. The increasing prevalence of‘shock recovery-shock’ cycles impairs Zimbabwe’s ability toplan and pursue a sustainable development path. The findingspresented here confirm that it is highly pertinent forZimbabwe to strengthen the capacity to manage risk atvarious levels, from the smallholder farmer, to otherparticipants along the supply chain, to consumers (whorequire a reliable, safe food supply), and ultimately to thegovernment to manage natural disasters. The assessmentprovides the following evidence on sources of risks andplausible risk management solutions. It is our hope that thereport contributes to action by the Government of Zimbabweto adopt a proactive and integrated risk management strategyappropriate to the current structure of the agricultural sector.
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