HARARE, Sept. 30 — Zimbabwe will intensify drought preparedness with cloud-seeding amid forecasts of super El Nino conditions in the forthcoming 2026/27 agricultural season, a cabinet minister said Tuesday.
Addressing a post-cabinet media briefing in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Zhemu Soda said cloud-seeding in parts of the country will commence on Nov. 1. Under the plan, three aircraft stationed in Harare, Bulawayo and Masvingo will cover the exercise. The Harare station will cover the Mashonaland Provinces, the Bulawayo base will cover the Matabeleland Provinces, while the Masvingo base will cover Midlands, Manicaland and Masvingo Provinces, Soda said. He added that the government will continue to mobilize resources to ensure the successful implementation of the program. “In light of the unprecedented super El Nino warnings being issued by global climate agencies, the government is intensifying mitigatory measures, including cloud-seeding efforts to increase chances of precipitation,” Soda said. According to the Meteorological Services Department, Zimbabwe is forecast to receive below-normal rainfall across the country during the 2026/2027 rainfall season, which typically runs from October to March. The government has since announced resilience measures to mitigate the impact of the drought, including an enhanced strategic grain reserve, accelerated climate-smart production, livestock drought mitigation, strengthened early-warning systems, and integrated financing architecture.
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