Improved resilience food and nutrition security of drought-affected smallholder women and men farmers

The project sought to increase household food security and nutrition and enhance the productive capacity of smallholder farmers by improving access to subsidized seeds and stock feed and incorporating climate-smart and gender-sensitive agricultural approaches. These activities were coupled with strengthening early warning and information systems, to facilitate better preparedness and response actions by policy and decision-makers, by generating timely and evidence-based information. The project was implemented in four districts: Bulilima, Chivi, Gwanda, and Tsholotsho, targeting more than 2 000 households with a special focus on women, particularly widows with dependent children.

FAO supported the overall coordination and monitoring of processes concerning the production, consolidation, analysis, and dissemination of agricultural, food security, and nutrition information. A number of monitoring systems and national assessments were implemented and conducted to support the decision-making process in the agricultural, food security, and nutrition sectors, and promote policy dialogue, particularly the national crop and livestock assessments, and the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) 2019 Rural Livelihoods Assessment. In collaboration with the Government and implementing partners, FAO conducted a post-harvest monitoring survey to assess the performance of the project.

Activities contributed to the following two outcomes:

• Outcome 1: female and male smallholder farmers are more resilient and achieve enhanced crop and livestock production through increased access to inputs;
• Outcome 2: availability of agricultural and food security and nutrition information for decision-making, programming, and planning is improved