Farming Regions in Zimbabwe: Rainfall, Crops and Risk

Zimbabwe has five natural farming regions, numbered I to V. They are sorted mainly by rainfall, from more than 1,000 mm a year in Region I to under 450 mm in Region V (FAO, Fertilizer use by crop in Zimbabwe). The farming regions in Zimbabwe that suit intensive cropping, Regions I and II, make up about 20% of the land. Regions IV and V make up about 59%, and they are too dry for dependable rain-fed crops.

This guide gives the rainfall, soils, crops and main risks for each region, plus charts on land share and recent maize seasons. It also has a calculator that shows how crop failure years change the profit on one hectare. Regional boundaries and farm advice change, so check local rules and talk to your extension officer before you plant.

Zimbabwe’s five farming regions at a glance

The table below uses the rainfall bands and land shares from FAO’s farming-systems summary, which draws on Moyo (2000) and the original Vincent and Thomas classification of 1960. Other publications give slightly different bands. For Region II, for example, the FAO FOSA country report gives 800 to 1,000 mm, while the FAO farming-systems text gives 750 to 1,000 mm. Treat every boundary as approximate.

The shares add up to less than 100% in the source table, so the chart shows them as published.

Chart

Share of Zimbabwe’s land in each natural region

% of total land area, as published by FAO

Where each farming region is

The sources describe locations in broad terms, not by town, and boundaries are approximate, so check a district map from your extension office.

• Region I: in the east of the country (FAO).
• Region II: the middle of the north; most of it lies close to Harare (FAO; University of Zimbabwe).
• Region III: mainly the mid-altitude areas (FAO).
• Region IV: low-lying areas in the north and south (FAO).
• Region V: lowlands below 900 m in the north and south, including the Zambezi valley (FAO).

How Zimbabwe’s natural regions were drawn

The map is based on work by Vincent and Thomas in 1960. A University of Zimbabwe paper explains that the zones use rainfall, soil type, vegetation and, above all, how effective the rain is for crops (World Agroforestry Centre e-library). The same paper says that more than 85% of the country gets less than 800 mm of rain a year, and that rain falls in the five months from November to March.

So the regions are really a ranking of water risk. The same FAO text splits the five regions further into 18 agro-ecological zones, using soils and the chance that rainfall passes 500 mm (FAO). If you farm near a boundary, ask your local extension office which sub-zone your ward falls in.

Only 37% of the country receives rain that is considered adequate for agriculture, according to an FAO study of smallholder irrigation. About 80% of the rural population lives in Regions III, IV and V, where dryland farming is a risky bet. In Regions IV and V, rain-fed farming has produced a good harvest about once in four to five years, the same study reports. Soils matter too. FAO notes that virgin soils in Zimbabwe are low in nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur, and that about 70% of the country has sandy soils, mostly from coarse granite (FAO). A soil test tells you more about fertiliser needs than the region label does, so follow the label and local advice on rates.

Region I: the cool, wet eastern highlands

Region I lies in the east of the country. It has rain of more than 1,000 mm, much of it falling through the whole year, with low temperatures, high altitude and steep slopes (FAO). Timber plantations are here. Common crops are tea, coffee, apples, bananas, potatoes, peas and other vegetables, and flowers are grown for export.

It is a small region, about 1.6% of the land in the FAO table above (Frontiers in Climate, 2023, rounds this to about 2%). The University of Zimbabwe paper notes that the soils are mostly Ultisols and Alfisols of fairly low fertility, and that the slopes make erosion a serious risk. Light drizzle in the dry winter months keeps the soil moist all year, so the main jobs here are covering the ground and managing slopes.

Note that Harare is not in Region I. The University of Zimbabwe paper notes that most of Region II lies close to Harare, and FAO places Region I in the east.

Region II: the main cropping region

Region II lies in the middle of the north of the country. FAO puts its rain at about 750 to 1,000 mm, fairly reliable from November to March or April. FAO reports, without giving a year, that this region accounts for 75% to 80% of the area planted to crops in Zimbabwe. Cropping is based on flue-cured tobacco, maize, cotton, wheat, soybeans, sorghum, groundnuts, seed maize and burley tobacco, grown dryland or with supplementary irrigation (FAO).

The University of Zimbabwe paper describes a long tradition of rotating maize, wheat, tobacco and sometimes groundnuts here, and notes that the onset of the rains is less reliable than in Region I. Very hot weather in September to November, before the rains, and hard frosts in winter both matter for tree and crop choice.

Before 2000, large mechanised farms of 1,000 to 2,000 ha dominated this region. After the land reform that began in 1999 and 2000, many of those farms were divided into smaller A1 and A2 units (FAO). Farm size and tenure there now vary a great deal.

Region III: the semi-arid middle

Region III has 500 to 800 mm of rain, but it falls as infrequent heavy showers and the heat reduces its effect. Seasonal droughts and long mid-season dry spells are common, and the start of the rains can be late (Frontiers in Climate). In their 1960 classification, Vincent and Thomas called it marginal for maize and tobacco grown alone. They advised a mix of livestock, fodder crops and cash crops of roughly equal weight.

In practice, smallholders in the communal areas here grow maize and cotton, and groundnuts and sunflower suit as cash crops (FAO). Large farms use much of the land for beef ranching. The FAO smallholder irrigation study says irrigation plays an important role in sustaining crop production in this region.

Region IV: dry spells and livestock

Region IV gets 450 to 650 mm, with severe dry spells inside the rainy season and frequent seasonal droughts. FAO calls it unsuitable for dryland cropping, yet smallholders grow drought-tolerant maize, sorghum, pearl millet (mhunga) and finger millet (rapoko). Cattle and wildlife suit it best (FAO).

It is the largest region by area, at about 33% of the land, and communal farmers occupy half of it (Frontiers in Climate). Livestock, grain and some crops together spread the risk. Our short video explains why mixing animals and crops helps in a bad year.

▶ Why mixing crops and livestock helps a farm through a bad year. · 2:55

Region V: the driest and most variable region

Region V has under 450 mm of rain, which is very erratic. The north, along the Zambezi, can get more rain, but the uneven land and poor soils make it unsuitable for crops, and the Zambezi Valley has tsetse fly (FAO). FAO says Regions IV and V are too dry for crop production, yet communal households grow maize, millet and some cotton for food security, with a high risk of crop failure, in about one year out of three according to a source it cites from 1994.

Extensive cattle ranching and game ranching suit Region V best. The University of Zimbabwe paper adds that groundwater reserves are large across Regions IV and V, and that planted trees could use that water once they are established.

Where the farmland sits: regions and farming sectors

Land quality and land tenure do not line up. An FAO table built from the 1994 Zimbabwe Agriculture Sector Memorandum shows how farmland was divided across the four farming sectors (communal, large-scale commercial, small-scale commercial and resettlement) and the natural regions. Only about 19% of Zimbabwe’s farmland was in Regions I and II, and almost 63% of that land was in the large-scale commercial sector (FAO FOSA country report).

Chart

Farmland by natural region

thousand hectares in communal, large-scale commercial, small-scale commercial and resettlement areas, 1994

The picture has changed since the Fast Track Land Reform Programme in the early 2000s. USDA reports that this produced a mix of smallholder and medium-scale farms and fewer large commercial operations. It says small-scale and communal farmers account for about 90% of corn production, which is grown under rain-fed conditions (USDA FAS, Grain and Feed Annual, 5 June 2026). The 1994 table is therefore a guide to land quality, not to who farms the land today.

Are the regional boundaries moving?

Several studies say yes. Mugandani and colleagues (2012) reclassified the regions to reflect climate variability and change. A summary in Frontiers in Climate says Region II shrank by 49% and Region III by 14%, while Region IV grew by 6% and Region V by 23% (Frontiers in Climate, 2023). If that holds, some land once suited to staple crops now behaves like drier land.

A 2023 case study in Mutare district tells the same story at ward level. A ward once mostly in Region III has areas now classed as Region IV, with 450 to 600 mm of rain, according to a 2020 reclassification (Pfumvudza case study, PubMed Central). A climate profile of Zimbabwe also notes later starts to the rainy season in every zone since the 1960s, and warns of rising crop-failure risk in the south (Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre). Those projections come with wide uncertainty, and the north and east may see small rises in rain.

The practical lesson is to read the numbers on your own farm: keep rain records, and compare each season with the nearest weather station, not only with the regional label.

Maize and tobacco in recent seasons

Maize is the national staple and it shows how rain risk plays out. USDA’s Pretoria office estimates that Zimbabwe harvested 635,000 t of corn in 2024/25, a low-yield year (0.7 t/ha), and 1.3 million t in 2025/26. It forecasts 1.8 million t for 2026/27 (USDA FAS, 5 June 2026). In all three seasons the area harvested is well below the area planted: in 2024/25 farmers planted 1.78 million ha but harvested 900,000 ha, and in 2025/26 1.84 million ha against 1.0 million ha. USDA does not explain the gap, so read it as a sign of crop loss and low yields, not of one cause.

Chart

Maize area planted and area harvested

thousand hectares, Zimbabwe marketing years; 2026/27 is a USDA estimate

Yields tell the same story. USDA estimates 0.7 t/ha in 2024/25 and 1.3 t/ha in 2025/26. The report calls productivity relatively low compared with neighbouring countries, and says Zimbabwe imported 1.3 million t of corn in the 2024/25 marketing year after the drought. The 2026/27 figures are a forecast, not a result.

Flue-cured tobacco is a Region II crop (FAO), and it has set volume records. Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) data show growers had sold 359.1 million kg in 2026 by 22 September 2026, at an average of US$2.49 per kg (TIMB). That compares with 354.8 million kg in 2025, and the 2025 average price was about US$3.30 per kg (Nicotine Insider, 7 August 2026, citing TIMB). A bigger crop does not always mean more income, because the price can fall faster than the volume rises.

Chart

Zimbabwe corn production

thousand tonnes, marketing years; 2026/27 is a USDA forecast

How to choose crops and practices for your region

Use these steps before you commit seed and fertiliser money. Follow the product label and local rules for any seed treatment, fertiliser or pesticide.

1. Find your natural region and sub-zone from your extension office, then compare it with your own rainfall records.
2. Match the crop to the rain. In Regions I and II maize, wheat, tobacco and horticulture suit; in III add groundnuts, sunflower and fodder; in IV and V lean on small grains and livestock.
3. Consider small grains where dry spells are common. ICRISAT and Zimbabwe’s Crop Breeding Institute released two pearl millet hybrids (PMH 1 and PMH 2) and two sorghum hybrids (SH1 and SH2) in 2024 for semi-arid conditions (ICRISAT, 3 December 2024). ICRISAT lists yield potentials of 1.5 to 6.0 t/ha for the millet hybrids and 2.7 to 8.7 t/ha for SH1, which are potentials and not field averages.
4. Plan for failure years. Work out your break-even yield with the calculator below, and keep stored grain or feed in reserve.
5. Build soil cover and water capture. The Pfumvudza method uses small plots, 16 m by 39 m, managed with mulch and watered by hand with harvested rain in a dry spell. In one Mutare ward, more households reported harvests of 400 to 800 kg per plot after adoption than before. That is a single-ward survey, not a national trial.

Calculator: is cropping worth the failure risk on your land?

This calculator uses your own numbers. It assumes a failed season brings no income but you still spend the cost. FAO reports a crop failure risk of about one year in three in Regions IV and V from a 1994 source, which is why the example uses 3 failed years in 10. The defaults are examples, not forecasts, so replace each one with your price, your cost and your own history.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

Climate-smart practices by region

The same few practices show up across the sources. The table pairs each with the regions where the sources discuss it.

Irrigation is thin on the ground. FAO estimated about 120,000 ha under irrigation, with smallholders and out-growers holding 11% of it (AGRITEX estimates, 1999), and more recent work puts the share of cultivated land under irrigation at 4.6% (FAO AQUASTAT, quoted in the Frontiers paper). Water capture is as useful as water supply: pans, mulch and basins keep what rain falls on the field.

▶ Seven green farming technologies that save water, fuel and fertiliser. · 2:24

Watching your fields from space

Satellite images show how plant cover changes from week to week, so you can compare one field with another or this season with the last. They show vegetation change, not the cause, so walk the field to find out whether dry soil, pests or nutrients are behind a pale patch. Farmonaut’s web app gives field-level satellite views for people who want that routine, and the same data can be reached through an API.

Related pages on our site: conservation agriculture, natural farming, irrigation methods, weather data API, fleet and equipment tracking, product traceability, carbon footprinting, crop loan and insurance verification and app downloads.

▶ Six plain steps to start precision agriculture without buying a robot. · 4:18

FAQ

What are the five farming regions in Zimbabwe?

They are Natural Regions I to V. Region I is the wettest, with over 1,000 mm a year, and Region V the driest, with under 450 mm (FAO). Regions I and II suit intensive crops, Region III suits mixed crops and livestock, and IV and V suit livestock and drought-tolerant crops.

Which region is best for maize in Zimbabwe?

Region II is the main cropping region. FAO says it accounts for 75% to 80% of the area planted to crops. Maize is also grown in Region I and in Region III, where yields depend more on the timing of rain and on irrigation.

What can I grow in Region IV or V?

Smallholders there grow drought-tolerant maize, sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet, but crop failure is a high risk. Cattle, goats and game are the safer base. Check your own rain record before you commit money to a crop.

How much of Zimbabwe is good farmland?

Regions I and II, the highest-potential regions, cover about 20% of the land. Regions IV and V cover about 59%. The University of Zimbabwe paper says more than 85% of the country gets under 800 mm of rain a year.

Have Zimbabwe’s natural regions changed?

One modelling study (Mugandani and colleagues, 2012, as summarised in Frontiers in Climate) suggests Regions II and III have shrunk and Regions IV and V have grown. These are modelled changes, so confirm what applies to your district with your extension officer.

Is Harare in Region I?

Harare is not in Region I. A University of Zimbabwe paper notes that most of Region II lies close to the capital, and FAO places Region I in the east of the country.