Summary table
Factor | Details |
|---|---|
ISO 3166-1 codes | Alpha 2: ZW, Alpha 3: ZWE, Numeric: 716 |
Administrative units | 8 provinces, 56-90 districts, >1,500 wards, communal areas |
Major crops | Wheat, maize, tobacco, cotton, coffee, and tea |
Agriculture seasons | Main season (Nov-April), winter season (May-Sep) |
Food Security | Vulnerable due to natural disasters |
Food Insecurity | Climate change impacts, uneven food distribution |
Country food security context
Statistical reporting units
Administrative (admin) units are the geographical areas into which a country is divided. FEWS NET uses the following terminology: National boundary = admin 0, First sub-national division = admin 1 (e.g., states in the United States), Second sub-national division = admin 2 (e.g., counties in the United States), and so on.
Admin 1: Province. Zimbabwe has 8 provinces, although Harare and Bulawayo are often included as well.
Admin 2: District. Zimbabwe has ~56-90 districts, depending upon the definition used.
Admin 3: Ward. Zimbabwe has >1,500 wards.
Other admin units: Communal lands/areas are key statistical reporting units with definite boundaries. They are often comprised of multiple wards, but always fall within a single district. In a few cases, an entire district is comprised of communal lands (e.g. UMP, Nkayi). Communal lands are not an admin 4 unit. They are an administrative structure that co-exists with wards and districts. They are represented in crop estimates both as a sector and as administrative/geographic units.
Crop Data
Context
Communal data from 1980-2000 was digitized from ward and district records by FEWS NET with agreement of Agritex. Other production data are government-reported estimates.
Large-scale commercial farm production, especially of wheat, maize, tobacco and cotton is not generally counted in the estimates shown here.
Note that the communal land estimates add up to a district-level total which, in most cases, will comprise >80-90% of the district's total production in any year. Exceptions include the highland areas of Mashonaland West and Central, where large commercial farms were/are still found, and a few other districts.
Small-scale commercial farms and other "schemes", introduced under various legislation in the late 1990s and early 2000s are becoming more important producers in some districts, but are still a small contributor to the country's production.
During the 2001-2007 period of extreme land ownership disruption, ag stats were generally not produced, or if they were, often not published
Main season is between November Y-1 and April Y. The winter cropping season usually begins in May, finishing in September. Wheat is an important commercial crop, and is not included in the estimates here.
"Year" is year of harvest, in April