Matabeleland Ntabazinduna Food Security and Resilience Program - Zimbabwe
The province of Matabeleland is highly prone to cyclical drought the results of which has led to chronic food insecurity especially for rural farming households who are heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture and animal husbandry to meet their basic food needs. The consequences of food insecurity are far reaching with poor households using various copping means to minimize risk from drought hazards. However, copping means in turn have their own social and economic consequences. As a result of migration of household heads to neighboring countries or internal relocation to larger cities and townships, we are evidencing the disintegration of family structures. Children are either left behind, or left with grandparents to be looked after. HIV/AIDS has also left many to become orphaned adding to the mix of complex challenges that both children and caretakers face in having access to sufficient food in a region characterized by drought and chronic food insecurity. This food security program targets Orphans & Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and their caregivers having an overall objective of increasing household agricultural production for 200 households (with 1150 members) in 3 wards in Umguza District. The Program plans to introduce climate adaptive improved agricultural practices by using available resources (land, extension officers, agricultural inputs, water resources and training) for OVCs and caregivers to diversify food sources. Seed packs that are climate adaptive and to a larger extent require relatively less water and are early maturing will be provided to caregiver households. Tillage of land, in Zimbabwe is managed by the District Agricultural Mechanization Center. Caregiver families will be linked to the Center for tillage and land preparation to take place. Extension support will also be provided in partnership with the District Agricultural Office. The Diocese of Matabeleland will also avail land and water irrigation schemes for selected households that will be organized in groups to grow vegetables on a year round basis. It is expected that by increasing household agricultural production, caregivers will increase their income and cover basic needs related to education and food. The vegetable farms would also be a source of nitrous food for caregiver families enabling them to sell surplus produce at local markets. The diocese has previously been engaged in a food security and supplementary feeding schemes through provision of seed packs to vulnerable communities and also feeding of affected school children. We are currently engaged in a cross-border malaria initiative complimenting the health ministry in fighting malaria.
Training of vulnerable households in climate adaptive farming methods (conservation farming, climate smart agri practices, row planting and sowing etc.), Secondment of agricultural training and extension officer, Leadership Training for farm groups leadership committee members., Training and demonstration on organic farming (compost preparation) for organized farm groups, Farmer Peer exchange and field learning visits, Organization of farm group members, Coordination of rehabilitation of community existing watering systems, Procurement of farm inputs (agri. implements for use by organized farm group, Procurement of vegetable seeds, Vegetable cultivation & harvest, Identification and selection of beneficiaries (selection criteria) Update List, Baseline Survey, Land preparation, Procurement of inputs (pesticides/herbicides, seed), Stakeholder Review Meetings, Distribution of drought tolerant, open pollinated sorghum, sugar beans, millet seeds varieties to 220 vulnerable households., Distribution of drought tolerant, open pollinated sorghum, sugar beans, millet seeds varieties to 50 farmer replicators
- Zimbabwe>Matabeleland North