UNU-INWEH Policy Brief: Choruma, D., Dirwai, T. L., Mugiyo, H., Chitsungo.B., Jafarzadeh, S., Madani, K., Jiri, O., Masuka, A. J., Mabhaudhi T., (2026) Digital Agriculture and AI for Climate-Resilient Smallholder Farming in Zimbabwe.United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, doi: 10.53328/INR26PTM002.
In Zimbabwe, structural barriers restrict the equitable adoption of digital agriculture among smallholder farmers, creating a pronounced system gap in rural resilience. This governance failure stems largely from institutional inertia, characterised by fragmented coordination and under-resourced agricultural extension systems that cannot effectively deliver timely climate and market information. Left unmanaged, these deficiencies limit local risk management capabilities and accelerate resource degradation under increasing climate variability. Rectifying this failure is strictly necessary to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly the targets for poverty reduction, zero hunger, gender equality, and climate action.
To assess these conditions, this policy brief evaluates three key areas: connectivity gaps, affordability, and digital literacy, revealing a critical threshold for technological adoption. In sub-Saharan Africa, current estimates indicate that smartphones accounted for 64 percent of total mobile connections by 2025, yet the exclusion of women and resource-constrained farmers remains unaddressed. The brief finds that this uneven reality represents a tipping point; without targeted safeguards, digital transformation will widen disparities rather than narrow them. Evaluating these cross-sectoral impacts requires policymakers to assess the fiscal implications of subsidising rural connectivity against the long-term costs of agricultural vulnerability.
To navigate these trade-offs, this brief outlines an operational path anchored in Zimbabwe's National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme. The framework emphasises integrated planning to deploy off-grid digital infrastructure and improve operational efficiencies across financial and agricultural advisory services. Maximising synergies between the state and private service providers is essential to build sustainable, inclusive platforms. This brief issues a prescriptive call for whole-of-government coordination—via a national inter-ministerial task force—and evidence-based interventions to secure equitable, climate-resilient agrifood systems.
