We used to enjoy learning about Zimbabwe source of economy during our primary education. Zimbabwe is an Agro-based Economic Country, and this was a song for all primary students during our time. We were made to believe that agriculture is the back bone of our economy and as such, anything that is related to agriculture/production of food must be cherished. This included land, rivers, water, implements, cattle and even our granaries. We were not supposed to work or go out in the open when it was raining. We respected the rain, we respected the hail storm though it brought joy to kids who will snick out of the kitchen to pick up some small ice. We enjoyed life. We knew that come 15^th October, that is the beginning of the planting season and all members of the community go out in the field to plant their early crops. Here I am taking about subsistence farming. The commercial farmers, this is the time when the maize will be reaching the tussling stage. For the commercial farmers, their season start in August. They will irrigate their crops until October, they will then disconnect and dismantle their irrigation pipes and take them to the agricultural sheds for safe keeping. It was certain that the rainy season has started, it has come during the right time and it will be enough and ensured bumper harvest. The rains start early to mid October and end in March to early April. The commercial farmers grow especially maize and beans twice per year. The first crops will be ready by November to December, they harvest and plant new crops that will mature in March to April. The subsistence farmers, their crops will mature in January and will be ready for harvesting in April to May. This was Zimbabwe then, before the uninvited guest Climate Change. The Peasant farmers produced enough to feed their families until the next harvest. When the maize reach a certain stage, and looking at the weather/rainfall patterns, families will start disposing last year’s products. They will start giving a lot of maize to the chickens, crush it to make stock feed or give them to needy families and relatives in towns.

Commercial farming produced mainly for export and to feed the urban dwellers. Zimbabwe was the “Bread Basket of Southern Africa”. We were producing with the nation and the region at heart. The country prospered and the families grew, and there was joy in all families. When you have food at home, the welcome for visitors is great, so it was Zimbabwe. What went wrong? Zimbabwe today is totally the opposite of the above. Because I have no experience on how the other nations are hit by climate Change, and will say Zimbabwe is the worst affected country in the region. Today we are eating rice and maize from Malawi and Mozambique, we are buying mealie meal from Botswana and South Africa. Who can afford the foreign products; I will leave you to guess. Now it is no longer the question of when is the rain coming, but it is the question of is it going to come? Now the planting season have changed. The rains comes end of November or early December and end in February. When it comes, it will be either too little or too heavy causing leaching and stunted growth. Agriculture deals with crop production and animal husbandry. Climate Change does not only affect production of crops, but animals as well. The peasant farmers use the animal power and ox drawn machines, and in the event of draught, their animals are also affected. If you want to kill peasant farmers, simply separate them from their domestic animals. This is exactly what Climate Change has done. I feel sorry for the rural poor, whose voices that are never heard or listened to? They have nothing but their thin and ailing beast that can only fetch USD 200 on the local market.                                

Commercial farming is nothing to talk about in Zimbabwe. The Land Reform Programme took all productive land from the white commercial farmers. The politician commercial farmers were also not spared by the Climate Change. Commercial farming relies on water from the dams and rivers for their irrigation. It is either the dams and rivers are empty because of little rainfall or too much rainfall leading to floods causing the dams and rivers to burst and siltation.