According to the Bank’s website, this operation is an emergency humanitarian and food security response in Zimbabwe aimed at mitigating the impact of African Armyworm (AAW) and related pest outbreaks on agriculture and livelihoods. It responds to a severe nationwide outbreak affecting all 10 provinces and 33 districts, threatening staple crops such as maize, sorghum, millet, rice and wheat, and putting food security at risk. The intervention will support surveillance and early warning, emergency pest control measures, capacity building, and sustainable integrated pest management approaches. The total cost of the operation is USD 1,000,000, financed by the African Development Bank through the Special Relief Fund (SRF). The operation will be implemented by CIMMYT, working with the Government of Zimbabwe, notably the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, and in collaboration with partners such as TAAT, DPI, PPRI/Agritex, local governments, research institutions, NGOs, youth and farmer organisations.

The objective of the emergency assistance is to provide immediate support and effective response strategies to manage African Armyworm outbreaks in Zimbabwe, while strengthening farmers’ resilience against future infestations through rapid response measures and sustainable pest control approaches. Specifically, the project seeks to deploy monitoring and early warning systems, implement chemical, biological, cultural and mechanical control measures, build stakeholder capacity, and promote integrated pest management for future outbreak mitigation.

The primary beneficiaries are food-insecure farming households in pest-affected areas across Zimbabwe, especially smallholder farmers whose crops and livelihoods are threatened by AAW and FAW infestations. The project targets 25,000 people to receive pest management kits and training, and 200 field extension staff to be trained in surveillance and containment. More broadly, the intervention is intended to protect vulnerable rural populations by reducing crop losses, improving household food consumption, and strengthening the capacity of farmers, extension workers, youth, local farmer organisations and affected communities to prevent and manage future pest outbreaks.

The total cost of the operation is USD 1,000,000, financed by the African Development Bank through the Special Relief Fund (SRF).

Name: Lewis Mupeta BANGWE
Email: l.bangwe@afdb.org

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

You can submit an information request for project information at: https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/request-for-documents. Under the AfDBs Disclosure and Access to Information policy, if you feel the Bank has omitted to publish information or your request for information is unreasonably denied, you can file an appeal at https://www.afdb.org/en/disclosure-and-access-to-information/appeals-process.

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF AfDB

The Independent Review Mechanism (IRM), which is administered by the Compliance Review and Mediation Unit (CRMU), is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who have been or are likely to be adversely affected by an African Development Bank (AfDB)-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the IRM, it may assist you by either seeking to address your problems by facilitating a dispute resolution dialogue between you and those implementing the project and/or investigating whether the AfDB complied with its policies to prevent environmental and social harms. You can submit a complaint electronically by emailing crmuinfo@afdb.org, b.kargougou@afdb.org, b.fall@afdb.org, and/or s.toure@afdb.org. You can learn more about the IRM and how to file a complaint at: https://www.afdb.org/en/independent-review-mechanism/