THE United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) nutrition and resilience interventions have contributed significantly to household food sufficiency at a grassroots level in rural Zimbabwe.
By Michael Gwarisa
To date, USAIDS has assisted more than 350,000 Zimbabwean small holder farmers to increase their yields, incomes, food security and self-reliance.
Speaking at the USAID roundtable discussion which ran under the theme, “Agricultural-led Growth, Nutrition and Resilience,” United States Envoy to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Brian Nicholas said the aim of their programs was to see households running sustainable income and food generating projects.
The American people stand with the people of Zimbabwe and our commitment since 1980 has not changed. In 2019, the United States provided US$370 million in assistance to support the people of Zimbabwe. This includes US$86.9 million to feed over one million Zimbabweans through the end of this lean season.
“This assistance underscores our commitment to assisting the people of Zimbabwe during this ongoing food security crisis. Our desire is to help countries like Zimbabwe make real progress on their journey to self-reliance,” said Ambassador Nicholas.
He added that through their Feed the Future programs, the average income per beneficiary farmer has increased almost threefold.
“In fact, many households are earning thousands of dollars annually from the production of high-value crops such as bananas, vegetables and chili peppers, as well as from beef and dairy farming. Collectively, over the past five years, participating farmers were linked to formal financial institutions, ensuring sustainable access to finance”
In 2019, the USAID Feed the Future crop development program reached over 30 000 farmers who sold crops valued at US$7.47 million. Feed the Future also reached over 4,000 smallholder livestock farmers whose average annual household net income increased significantly.
The average net income for beef producing households increased by 45 percent to US$986 a year, while the average net income for dairy producing households increased by 35 percent to US$2,589 a year. Collectively, over the past five years, participating farmers sold corps and livestock valued at over US$110 million.
Zimbabwe is currently faced with a high demand for food assistance amidst indications that with nearly 8 million Zimbabweans are food insecure and approximately half of those will need food assistance this lean season.
Meanwhile, USAID Zimbabwe mission director, Stephanie Funk stated: “USAID has robust food security programs.
“We assessed the deteriorating food security situation and the increasing shocks faced by millions of Zimbabweans, and we adapted our activities to not only meet the immediate humanitarian imperative for the most vulnerable, but also take a longer term look at building resilience so that small scale farmers advance on their path to self-reliance.”
