When a farmer in Matabeleland counts his cattle, he is counting more than livestock. He is counting years of patience, risk taken against drought and disease, and a life built around animals that feed families and anchor rural markets. Last week Parliament heard that Zimbabwe’s national herd has reached 5.7 million, a modest but important 2 percent rise on last year and a clear signal that recovery is possible when policy, vaccines and local communities pull in the same direction.
A realistic target, a practical roadmap
The government is not celebrating complacently. The country has set a bold target of 12 million head by 2034. That is ambitious, but it is backed by practical interventions: expanded disease control, improved access to livestock vaccines and a new digital livestock tracking system designed to modernise the sector and support its transformation into a US$2 billion industry. Those are the building blocks that turn numbers on paper into real incomes in rural households.
Why the herd is growing
Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Anxious Masuka told Parliament that vaccines are being prioritised, especially in high risk areas. The message is straightforward and human. When cattle are vaccinated and dipping schedules are maintained, farmers lose fewer animals, calves survive, and herd numbers stabilise and grow. That low tech, high impact approach is the backbone of livestock resilience.
Disease remains the central battleground. Tick borne illnesses and other transboundary diseases have long sapped herd growth. The 2020 to 2025 livestock growth plan called disease control a top intervention and the current uptick suggests the plan is starting to work where it counts in the field.
The reality of drought and losses
The gains come despite hard knocks from the climate. El Nino induced drought at the start of the 2023 24 season cost the country 9,941 cattle, and by July 2024 nearly half of rural wards reported grazing shortages. Those losses are a reminder that growth is fragile when feed and water are scarce. Farmers know this all too well. A single season of poor rains can erase a year of progress.
Structural constraints that must be fixed
There are persistent constraints that hold livestock production back. Prolonged dry seasons and inadequate dry season feed stunt growth. High feed prices and poor access to stock feed squeeze margins. Erratic dipping and inconsistent veterinary cover let disease flare. Market access is also a problem. Even when farmers produce, getting animals to buyers at fair prices can be a logistical and economic challenge.
A big part of the solution lies in joining technical fixes with market and finance reforms. Better feed distribution schemes, affordable stock feed, reliable dipping services, and strengthened veterinary networks will protect gains. Equally important are transparent markets and improved transport so farmers can sell at scale and capture better value.
Digital tracking and modern tools
One of the most tangible recent advances is the ministry’s rollout of a digital livestock tracking system. Modern tracking helps in several ways. It improves disease surveillance so outbreaks can be contained before they spread. It supports traceability that buyers increasingly demand. It helps planners target vaccines and feed support more effectively. And it gives farmers records that can help them access finance, insurance and formal markets.
The human stakes are high
About 65 percent of Zimbabwe’s population earns a living from crop farming and 40 percent from livestock production according to resilience data. That overlap means livestock policies are not only about animals. They are about livelihoods, school fees, local trade and food security. Every extra head that survives the dry season represents groceries on a table, a school uniform paid for, and a small but important step out of poverty.
What needs to happen next
To keep the momentum going, the country needs practical, timely actions. Ensure vaccines remain available and affordable in high risk regions. Strengthen early warning systems for drought and feed shortages. Scale community level feed banks and fodder programs that bridge the dry season. Expand veterinary outreach and make dipping schedules reliable. And crucially, match production gains with market development so farmers can sell more animals at better prices.
A cautious but hopeful outlook
The growth to 5.7 million head is not a miracle. It is an outcome of targeted interventions and hard work on the ground by veterinary teams, extension workers and farmers who have kept faith with their herds. The goal of 12 million by 2034 will take sustained effort, smarter investment and an honest accounting of climate risks. But if the country continues to scale vaccine coverage, use tracking data to make smarter decisions and invest in feed and market infrastructure, Zimbabwe can build a stronger livestock sector that supports millions of rural families.
Final thought
This is a moment to reward practical progress and protect fragile gains. The numbers show direction. The tools are beginning to work. Now the challenge is to stitch vaccines, digital systems, drought resilience and market access into a coherent push that grows herds and builds livelihoods. For farmers counting their cattle at dawn, that is the outcome that matters most.
The original article written By Harriet Chikandiwa from Newsday
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