GCF, Government of Zimbabwe and UNDP Partnership Introduces Labour-Saving Technologies to Strengthen Women’s Climate Resilience

Rural women farmers across southern Zimbabwe are benefiting from labour-saving technologies introduced through the Climate Resilient Livelihoods Project, a partnership between the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Government of Zimbabwe and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The initiative is supporting 230 Farmer Field Schools across project districts with earth augers, multi-crop threshers and grinder-choppers designed to reduce the physical burden of agricultural labour, improve productivity and strengthen resilience to climate change.

For generations, women have carried the dual responsibility of farming and household care, often spending long hours manually preparing planting basins, threshing grain and processing livestock feed before attending to household duties. Increasingly erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts have further intensified these challenges.

The introduction of labour-saving technologies is helping women reclaim valuable time, reduce physical strain and participate more actively in income-generating activities, community leadership and climate-resilient farming practices.

In Kichini Village in Buhera District, women farmers are using earth augers to prepare planting basins quickly and efficiently, enabling them to plant on time and take advantage of increasingly short and unpredictable rainy seasons.

“Digging planting basins manually was one of the most exhausting jobs,” said Christine Mudzingwa, a farmer from Kichini Village. “The auger has brought real relief to women. Now we can finish preparing our plots quickly and plant on time. Women are no longer spending days doing painful work in the fields.”

The technology is also enabling women to dedicate more time to nutrition gardens, savings groups, training sessions and other livelihood activities that contribute to household wellbeing and resilience.

“Before, farming took all our time,” Mudzingwa added. “Now there is balance. I can work in my garden, spend time with my family and even rest.”

 In drought-prone Gwanda District, threshers and grinder-choppers are transforming how women process grain and prepare livestock feed.

Before the introduction of the equipment, women spent many hours manually threshing grain and chopping crop residues for livestock. Today, these tasks can be completed in a fraction of the time.

“Preparing feed for livestock used to take us the whole day,” said Precious Hobane from Nsimbi Village. “Now the grinder-chopper does the heavy work for us. We can prepare enough feed for our livestock much faster, and threshing grain no longer takes days.”

The ability to efficiently process and preserve livestock feed is particularly important in areas vulnerable to recurrent droughts, where livestock survival often depends on adequate fodder preparation and storage.

“The machines are helping us take better care of our livestock, especially during drought seasons,” Hobane said. “At the same time, women are no longer exhausted from doing everything manually.”

Beyond reducing labour demands, the technologies are creating new income opportunities for Farmer Field Schools and local communities.

Several Farmer Field Schools are hiring out the equipment to neighbouring farmers for land preparation, threshing and feed processing services. Revenue generated is being used to maintain the machinery, purchase agricultural inputs, strengthen savings groups and support vulnerable households.

The technologies are also helping women participate more consistently in training programmes, farmer groups and community decision-making processes.

“Women now have confidence because they have more time and energy to participate in other activities,” Hobane said. “Before, most of our time was spent struggling with hard labour.”

 The Climate Resilient Livelihoods Project forms part of broader efforts by the Green Climate Fund, the Government of Zimbabwe and UNDP to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities to climate change while advancing gender equality and sustainable livelihoods.

 By reducing drudgery, increasing productivity and creating opportunities for women to engage in economic and leadership activities, labour-saving technologies are helping rural households build resilience to climate shocks and improve their quality of life.

“These machines have changed how we live and work,” said Mudzingwa. “Women now have time to think about improving their lives, not just surviving each farming season.”

Across southern Zimbabwe, the steady hum of earth augers, threshers and grinder-choppers is becoming a powerful symbol of transformation—helping women reclaim their time, strengthen their livelihoods and build a more resilient future.