Evaluating policies and statutory instruments affecting Zimbabwe’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa conservation agriculture programme implementation

This study evaluates the policies and statutory instruments influencing Zimbabwe’s Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme implementation in semi-arid communal areas of Gwanda district, examining whether policy frameworks adequately support climate resilience for smallholder farmers. Grounded in the sustainable development framework and climate resilience framework, the research employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design and surveyed 307 smallholder farmers in southwestern Zimbabwe, conducted 20 key informant interviews and held 16 focus group discussions. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS (v.30) with chi-square tests and descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were thematically coded using NVivo (v.14), with triangulation matrices integrating both datasets. Results reveal significant policy-practice disconnects. While 39% of respondents recognized the presidential input scheme, 26% reported no policy awareness. Most of the respondents (86%) perceived current policies as ineffective, with women significantly more likely than men to report inadequate policy support (χ 2 = 13.83, p = 0.008). Implementation deficits including bureaucratic delays, politicized distribution, and weak quality controls systematically undermine programme effectiveness. Some farmers (35% of responses) prioritized water security interventions over current plot-level conservation practices, suggesting policy-practice misalignment. The study concludes that current frameworks build only short-term coping capacity, failing to develop the adaptive and transformative capacities needed for enduring climate resilience. The study recommends developing explicit sustainability frameworks with subsidy phase-out timelines, integrating water security with conservation agriculture policy, depoliticising input distribution, and institutionalising participatory governance platforms.