‘Drought‑tolerant germplasm, climate‑smart agronomy key to El Niño resilience,’ Zadzamatura

HARARE — Zimbabwean seed and agri‑inputs firm Tocek Investments, trading as Zadzamatura, says drought‑tolerant germplasm and climate‑smart agriculture (CSA) are now central to safeguarding food security as El Niño‑induced climate variability threatens the 2025/26 cropping season across Zimbabwe and the wider SADC region.


During a media tour of its operations, company executives said the agricultural sector must urgently shift from rain‑fed subsistence to precision farming, conservation agriculture and water‑use efficiency to stabilise national grain reserves and cushion households from food insecurity.

Field production manager Talent Ndige said smart agronomy was now indispensable. “With erratic onset, prolonged mid‑season dry spells and high evapotranspiration rates, we cannot rely on conventional tillage. Smart agriculture leverages soil moisture conservation, micro‑dosing of NPK, drought‑tolerant hybrids and data‑driven agronomy to optimise input use efficiency and ensure yield stability under water stress,” he said.

He added that conservation agriculture basins, cover cropping and mulching were being promoted to improve soil organic carbon and reduce runoff and leaching.

Regional business development manager Dennis Simbe said Zadzamatura was scaling regional trade to buffer climate shocks. “We are eying regional markets to fight El Niño‑induced shocks. Food security is a regional public good. We are also offering early‑maturing, drought‑escaping varieties — sorghum, pearl millet and short‑season maize — to ensure household food availability,” he said.

Simbe said the firm was pursuing market access into Mozambique, Zambia, Angola and Namibia to build regional buffer stocks and reduce import parity pressure.

Senior agronomist Blessing Hatidani said breeding efforts were targeting abiotic stress tolerance. “Our varietal portfolio focuses on heat and drought tolerance, low nitrogen use efficiency and short crop phenology. These help arrest food insecurity in Zimbabwe and Africa by ensuring crop establishment with late rains and by closing yield gaps in marginal environments,” he said.

Hatidani said strengthening seed systems, increasing certified seed uptake and training farmers on integrated soil fertility management were essential to shifting communities from food‑aid dependency to production‑led food security.

Zadzamatura is working with AGRITEX and the Grain Marketing Board to roll out demonstration plots in agro‑ecological regions IV and V, areas most vulnerable to climate shocks.

This update contributes to broader discussions around climate‑smart agriculture and drought‑tolerant seed innovation.