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Muchaneta Chimuka Herald Correspondent
THE United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has rolled out resilience building activities with support from the government of Japan to boost food security and improve the livelihoods of nearly 9 000 people in Chiredzi district.
Country director in Zimbabwe Ms Francesca Erdelmann said the contribution of US$900 000 is coming at a critical time and will help WFP to provide food assistance.
This would stimulate local development through the construction of small-scale infrastructure such as small dams and nutrition gardens; provision of training for farmers in agriculture and income-generation activities through poultry and beekeeping.
“We are grateful to Japan for its commitment to expanding the opportunities of vulnerable rural families. We are working with communities to transform rural areas, improving incomes for farmers and providing financial safety nets. Our goal is to ensure food security even for the future, and to do so, we would like agriculture to remain both an attractive and a viable option for the next generation,” said Ms Erdelmann.
She said, due to the effects of climate change, WFP aims to bring investments in infrastructure, insurance and financial inclusion for farmers.
This, in turn will connect smallholder production to value-added food markets.
Japanese Ambassador Satoshi Tanaka said this would contribute to sustainable rural livelihoods and enhance protection against acute climate shocks, such as droughts or cyclones.
“I hope that the targeted communities in Chiredzi will, through the construction of community assets, training in various income-generation activities and restoration of degraded land, become more resilient to future climate shocks and economic challenges. The goal is not only to support them in the current difficult situation, but also for them not to require assistance in the future,” said Ambassador Tanka.
WFP’s community resilience initiatives combine two climate risk mitigation strategies: better natural resource management through enhanced agricultural techniques and diversifying their livelihoods to withstand climate shocks.
This year alone, WFP pledged to support over 110 000 people through this integrated approach to rural resilience-building across the country.
The latest contribution brings Japan’s total contributions towards WFP’s activities in Zimbabwe to US$26 million since 2012.
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