Zimbabwe's crisis

Climate action is urgently needed: Successive droughts and unseasonal climate events in Zimbabwe have already taken a toll on the country’s economy. Climate projections indicate more dry conditions

Rainfed farming will be the worst hit: Poverty amongst the population who depend on rainfed farming and are already living in harsh conditions will worsen

Growing awareness on importance of climate research: Policymakers are aware that researchbased climate change adaptation should be central to agricultural systems transformation

Proactive public-private response: The government, development agencies and the private sector have started to diligently incorporate climate change adaptation, but there are gaps in linking local-specific climate change adaptation requirements to nationallevel policy decisions.

Need to address gaps through science-policy collaborations: Continued dialogue and collaborations are crucial for effective and dynamic climate-smart solutions.

Linking science to decision-making: Research-based solutions for addressing gaps

Data and evidence for context-specific effective responses, climate change impacts and suitable adaptation options can inform agricultural program design and align resources with activities

Forward-looking research that helps understand climate projections, farming systems specific vulnerabilities and adaption impacts can enhance policy coordination and mainstream climate change adaptation in agriculture

Evidence-based assessments can then more effectively support the rationale for climate finance and action

Capacity building is critical for agricultural policy review and for the uptake of research processes and products.
It is important to build human and institutional capacity in research, extension, climate services and especially for decision-makers to plan and guide research and use research outputs to inform decisions.

_{Source & credit: ICRISAT}