Online Reporter
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke in MUREHWA
ZIMBABWE has been hailed for its coordinated, multisectoral approach to food and nutrition security, with a team of regional planners and nutrition experts describing the country’s system as a model that other African nations can emulate.
A delegation drawn from several Anglophone African countries is in Zimbabwe for a three-day peer-to-peer learning exchange.
Yesterday, the team witnessed first-hand how Zimbabwe’s policies and community-level interventions are making sure everyone has enough to eat properly in Murehwa District.
The delegates, from Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana, Eswatini and the SUN Movement Secretariat, toured nutrition-sensitive agriculture projects, early childhood development nutrition initiatives and household-level food security interventions coordinated by the Food and Nutrition Council.
Local authorities, traditional leaders, Government ministries, development partners and communities all form part of this integrated system, which the visiting team said demonstrated the power of strong coordination rooted in community ownership.
Murehwa Rural District Council chairperson and district food and nutrition committee chair Alderman Amos Gutu said the district’s success was anchored on practical, community-driven initiatives.
“As a district food and nutrition committee, we have programmes that are running including the Zunde raMambo where chiefs have their strategic grain reserves for vulnerable households. We have nutrition gardens in nearly all the 30 wards, livestock production initiatives, and thriving goat and cattle breeding schemes in Ward 5.
“In schools, feeding programmes ensure all children have access to balanced meals, especially those from vulnerable families,” he said.
Traditional leadership has also been central to the progress recorded in the district.
Chief Mangwende said Government’s support to households was making a measurable difference.
“Government has introduced many programmes helping us fight food insecurity. Through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, each household can produce enough food for itself, while the Zunde raMambo supports food-insecure families. If we get good rains, we may not have a single food-insecure household,” he said.
Murehwa District has also incorporated junior councillors and parliamentarians to ensure the participation of young people in nutrition programmes.
Junior parliamentarian for Murehwa North Nqobile Chikungu said young people were complementing Government efforts by establishing their own nutrition-enhancing initiatives.
“On top of the Government’s school feeding programme, we have the Mahewu scheme where every child in school gets the drink daily. We also have a fruit tree planting programme in schools so that when the fruit is ready, they will be part of the school feeding programme in schools. This ensures learners have balanced diets, which improves their health and boosts school performance,” he said.
The three-day learning exchange, which started on Monday and ends today, brought together senior Government officials, Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) focal points and nutrition leaders from eight African countries to draw lessons from Zimbabwe’s model, widely recognised for its integrated and politically anchored approach to nutrition governance.
Held under the theme, “Transforming Multisectoral Coordination for Sustainable Nutrition Results in Africa”, the forum was hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe in partnership with the SUN Movement Secretariat, the SUN Finance Capacity Development Platform and with financial support from the European Commission under the EU4SUN Project.
