World Food Day 2013
Our work in Zimbabwe focuses in eastern region, in the district of Chimanimani. We are helping poor rural farming families find simple and practical ways to grow more food.
With few employment opportunities, the majority of people living in Zimbabwe depend on agriculture to feed their families. However, economic and political crises, violence and unrest, failed government agricultural initiatives and a lack of access to good quality land, seeds and tools means that many farmers struggle to grow enough food to feed their families all year round.
As a consequence, it is now estimated that half the population in Zimbabwe are dependent on food aid to survive. In the district of Chimanimani, 80% of the population depend on agriculture, yet in 2009 over half of the families in the area where identified as not having enough food or able to meet the minimum nutritional needs for their families.
As rainfall in the district becomes more erratic and unreliable, families struggle to keep their land fertile and conserve enough water so their crops can survive. Without the skills or knowledge to adapt to such challenges, families are further trapped in a cycle of hunger. Shephard Mukutai (pictured above) and his wife and their one year old son explained why being involved in our project is so important.
"From March we have had no rainfall, there was a shower in August but my vegetables have now suffered. We have to rely on our stored grains for the year. We need to come together as a group so we can try to address these problems and our hunger." Shephard Mukutai, Chimanimani.
To help families combat the hunger they face, our project is based on a successful model we have used in Malawi, it involves a peer-to-peer learning approach.
The project and the community identify exemplary farmers within their villages to become a 'Lead Farmer'. This farmer is trained in locally appropriate, low-input, environmentally sustainable farming techniques. The Lead Farmer is supported to form a community learning group providing a forum for local farmers to share agricultural knowledge, conduct demonstrations and develop farmer-led research. The group can work together to improve their harvests, conserve their land and grow a wider variety of crops.
Working through local farmers and supporting them to help each other is the best chance we have at creating long-lasting and sustainable change. With your support, families in Chimanimani can become more resilient and no longer depend on food aid. They are building a future free from hunger.
Find out more about what we do.
