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Andrew Muvishi Herald Reporter

Government has urged stakeholders in the agricultural sector to prioritise the reduction of poverty and food insecurity through adaptation to climate change.

This was said by the director of the climate change management department Mr Washington Zhakata during a Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods (CARL) workshop organised by the Oxfam in Zimbabwe on Thursday in Harare.

“This project fits very well into the aspiration of our ministry (of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement) as the priorities of the government in the climate change include adaptation capacity to enhance food security, improve community livelihoods and source of income for vulnerable people in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Mr Zhakata said farmers should scale up climate change adaptation in Zimbabwe, with a focus to increase food production, through intensive use of irrigation and water harvesting.

“There is need for strengthening of early warning systems to reduce incidents of climate related disasters, loss and damage to human life, bio-diversity, infrastructure and economic losses,” he said.

“The government will integrate the necessary mitigation measures into national policies, strategies and planning, to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate hazard and natural disasters.”

Speaking at the same occasion, Oxfam in Zimbabwe country director Mr Machinda Marongwe said increment in climate change was causing numerous problems that could not be ignored.

“The principal to be addressed in the country includes increasing climate change and variability that is worsening the problem of poverty and hunger among rural households in semi-arid regions of Zimbabwe,” said Mr Marongwe.