More than 30,000 farmers working on the front line of climate change in Southern Africa are set to learn vital new skills to help them adapt.
The climate emergency has destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of rural Zimbabweans living in the Chimanimani district.
Over recent years, the community has been hit hard by extreme weather, leaving them unable to grow enough food for their families and damage to infrastructure has left many unable to travel for business and escape climate-related disasters.
The project when completed is expected to:
- Rehabilitate vulnerable households living in areas of high erosion and waterways in the district. This will restore the landscapes and build community resilience.
- Strengthen the community’s responses to climate hazards by raising awareness of existing disaster plans and policies in partnership with the district’s local government.
- Revive and establish community nutrition gardens for smallholder farmers to improve household food security, the variety of food consumed, and their livelihoods, including fish and livestock production.
- Increase access to finance by creating savings and lending groups for vulnerable households.
Emmanuel Madhara, Practical Action’s Interim Country Director, Zimbabwe said; “The Resilience Building for Chimanimani Communities Project will improve the early recovery and resilience of rural Zimbabweans living in Chimanimani. We appreciate the financial support that we have received from USAID for this cause.”
The 15-month Resilience Building for Chimanimani Communities (RBCC) project will be managed by Practical Action with funding provided by United States Agency for International Development (USAID)