Food & Nutrition Security

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AGRICULTURE, FOOD SECURITY AND RESILIENCE BUILDING INITIATIVES

MDTC specific projects contributes supports agriculture development and food and nutrition security through improved farming technologies, infrastructure development, good crop and livestock farming practices and farmer transformational trainings. MDTC development focus supports initiatives that include Open Pollinated Varieties seed multiplication, nutrition and herbal gardens, livestock development, rehabilitation/construction of small dams, irrigation schemes, dip tanks, schools and clinics. This strengthen community resilience, food security, nutrition and income for enhanced livelihoods.

Small grain production and seed multiplication project.

MDTC started to work with farmers since 2012 with the aim of promoting production of seed at local level as well as enhancing food security. MDTC successfully trained and supported farmers in small grain production seed multiplication. Farmers are engaged into production, linked with private seed companies on contractual agreements. The public -private partnership in community- based seed production opened a comparative advantage to participating farmers, since they receive income in bulk enabling them to make bigger investments at household level.

small grain production

Sorghum

Harvesting cow pea leaves for relish

Dried cow pea leaves

Butternut And Sorghum

Orphan & Vulnerable Children

Beneficiaries for Livestock project

Asset creation and rehabilitation

MDTC in partnership with funding partners (USAID/WFP, LED, TDH, Italian Agency since 2012 to date) and private sector rehabilitated and created assets aimed at improving both community and households’ livelihoods these include small dams, nutrition gardens, irrigation schemes, fodder gardens, dip tanks, boreholes and gully reclamation. Projects were identified from the Community Action Plans (CAPs) and Seasonal Livelihoods Programming (SLP) that were developed through Community Level Participatory Planning (CLPP) in 2012/13 with support from WFP. Some of the projects were derived from RDC District Development Plans. Asset creation seeks to address the root causes of food insecurity and malnutrition by strengthening the resilience of communities and smallholder farmers against shocks and stresses, especially in a context of increasing weather-related disruptions caused by a changing climate. Appropriate agricultural practices are being promoted to sustainably reduce rural poverty, improve food security, nutrition, income and hygiene at household and community level. To ensure assets functionality, maintenance and sustainability, Asset Management committees (AMCs), Environmental Management Monitors, and local leadership are being strengthened from onset and receiving continuous trainings on asset management and constitutions are being established at each project site.

Community Nutrtion Garden & Boreholes

Matande Garden

Rumwanjiva Garden

Chebani Garden

community accessing portable drinking water

Solar powered borehole

Matande Garden

Dams

Domboshava Weir

Nhunde Dam

Rumwanjiva dam

Chomuuyu dam

FFFA Catchment Protection

MACHAKWA DAM CATCHMENT protection

CHOMUUYU Dam CATCHMENT PROTRECTION

CHOMUUYU CATCHMENT Protection protection

Machakwa Dam Catchment Protection

Chimuuyu Gully Reclamation

Nyazvivi Dam Catchment Protection

Chiponda Dam Catchment Protection

Nyazvivi Dam Catchment Protection

Dip Tanks

Murove Dip Tank

Household Level Activities

Fuel Efficient Stove

Mulching In the arable lands

Keyhole Garden

Small Grains Production

Creating Opportunities for Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Development (CROPS)

MDTC in consortium with Cesvi, Ifarm, Matopos Research, Terres Des Homes implemented the CROPS programme which aimed at improving communities’ livelihoods through rehabilitation of assets and drilling of boreholes.

Irrigation Development

MUROVE IRRIGATION- TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

MUROVE IRRIGATION SUGARBEAN SEED PRODUCTION

Dinhe Irrigation Scheme - Maize Production

chizumba irrigation

Murove -Sugarbean seed processing

Sugarbean seed delivery to Seedco

Zambuko Resilience Initiative-Livestock component

The Zambuko project is implemented in Mwenezi district reaching out to a total of 1,500 households and the focuses on improving small livestock production in two wards (wards 6 and 10) of Mwenezi district. The project is strengthening and diversifying livelihoods amongst the communities to recurrent shocks. Key activities include: provision of improved goat breed, provision of Boschveld chickens, construction of improved goat and chicken housing units, fodder crop production and processing, asset maintenance of past and current FFA projects and training farmers on small livestock production. The programme aims to improve smallholder production, the governance of community resources, access to finance and markets and on-farm and off-farm livelihood opportunities of smallholder farmers. As a result, households will be less vulnerable to recurrent crisis as assets are better utilized and incomes increase. The project outcome focuses on improving livestock management in Mwenezi district. These are areas where livelihoods are more dependent on livestock production and new approaches to livelihood improvements to be implemented away from crop production due to the increasingly difficult conditions to grow crops in the medium to long term as a result of climate change impacts. Farmers are constructing low -cost small livestock housing structures for goats and chickens. New breeds of goats (Kalahari bucks and Matebele does) are introduced for the purposes of cross-breeding with existing goat stock, in an effort to enhance the stock quality, improve the herd’s resilience to disease and reduce mortalities. Indigenous poultry (Boschveld) are also introduced to improve the breed at household and community level. Zambuko leverages ongoing asset-creation activities and build livelihood capacities to complement these investments, creating a holistic package of support, resulting in durable resilience impacts for economic growth. This activity represents medium-term transition support for households, to help them graduate from humanitarian assistance and pave the way to sustainable livelihoods.

Zambuko Resilience Initiative

Goats Project

Farmers Receiving Goats

Indigenous Project

Low Cost Poultry Housing

Feeding Indigenous Chickens

Low Cost Goat Housing

BRIDGE (Building Resilience Inclusively in Drier Geographic Environs)

The project is implemented in Beitbridge in partnership with Cesvi. The overall objective of building the resilience of smallholder farmers in drought prone communal areas of the district to shocks and stress. The project is aimed at strengthening capacities of community institutions and structures as these play a central role in resilience building – this action is the required BRIDGE The project seeks to increase the participation of Civil Society Organisations in preventing and mitigating risks and vulnerabilities caused by drought and other climatic conditions. MDTC is enhancing the capacity of Irrigation Management Committees, District Community Associations, Disaster Risk Reduction Committees and Livestock Development Committees to influence key policies related to agriculture and resilience. The target groups for this Action have been identified through consultations with local authorities are 27 key community Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in 7 selected Wards in Beitbridge and their 228 Committee Members (48% women) that include: 9 Irrigation Management Committees (IMCs) with 67 members, 7 Livestock Development Committees (LDCs) with 84 members, 7 Disaster Risk Reduction Committees (DRRCs) with 49 members and 4 District Commodity Associations (DCAs) with 28 members. The Action will ultimately benefit 8,177 Small Holder Farmers households translating to 36,868 people (54% female) in 7 selected wards of Beitbridge District in Matabeleland South Province of Zimbabwe. MDTCs` key role is training farmers in management and governance of the key civil society organizations and committees.

BRIDGE Programme

stakeholders capacity building

cso capacity needs assessment

Project advisory committee meeting

Capacity Building

Rural Resilience Initiative R4 Programme in Masvingo

MDTC implements a multi-year R4 Rural Resilience Initiative programme in 4 wards of Masvingo district. The overall objective of the R4 programme is to increase resilience of the targeted households, particularly resilience to climate shocks. R4 is a risk management approach that combines FFA with weather index insurance, increased savings and access to credit, promotion of appropriate agricultural practices, and climate services. Farmers’ access to markets is also being enhanced through WFP’s Purchase for Progress programme (P4P), which supports farmers’ crop production and provides them with a market outlet. Complementary activities being implemented at project sites to increase resilience and adaptation of these communities to climate change shock include borehole drilling and installation of solar powered pumping system, wetland protection, irrigation rehabilitation, gully reclamation, reforestation, and construction of check dams. Appropriate agricultural practices have been promoted to sustainably reduce rural poverty, improve food security, nutrition, income and hygiene for rural households.