Climate risk profile: Zimbabwe

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This profile provides an overview of climate risks in Zimbabwe, including how climate variability and change is likely to impact five key sectors in the country: agriculture, livestock, human health, water resources, and forestry. The brief also includes an overview of historical and future climate trends in Zimbabwe, the policy context outlining existing climate risk strategies and plans, and a list of ongoing programs in Zimbabwe that focus on building resilience to climate variability and change.

Zimbabwe, a landlocked country with a set of climate zones that align with its distinctive topography, faces risks from years of political and economic instability and rapid population growth. Climate variability and change may exacerbate these risks by continuing to disrupt livelihoods, increasing already high poverty rates, and adversely impacting food security, health, water security, and freshwater ecosystems. Pressure on Zimbabwe’s agriculture and water resources due to projected increasingly erratic rainfall and recurrent droughts may reduce crop yields, threaten livestock, and reduce the availability of timber and nontimber products. Coupled with population growth, rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events are also expected to increase the burden of vector and waterborne diseases and reduce water quality and availability.