Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-The Zimbabwe government is actively transforming food systems, enhancing agro-ecological practices, and promoting the production of traditional grains to ensure national food and nutrition security, a Cabinet Minister said on Thursday.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka said this while addressing stakeholders at a workshop aimed at reviewing the ended Enhancing the Resilience of Vulnerable Households (ERVHIZ) project, which was being implemented in Matabeleland South province.
The workshop served as a platform to gather insights and experiences, and was facilitated by a collaborative effort between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UNICEF, with funding from the European Union Delegation in Zimbabwe (EU).
The ERVHIZ project was designed to support the Zimbabwean government in increasing the resilience of rural households against shocks and challenges stemming from a poor 2020 agricultural season, compounded by socio-economic hardships, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Government has mainstreamed food systems transformation, enhanced agro-ecological tailoring of crops, and promoted the production of traditional grains to ensure food and nutrition security for the nation,” Masuka said.
To accelerate agricultural transformation, Masuka noted that President Mnangagwa launched the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFSRTS) in August 2020.
“This strategy emphasizes the need to climate-proof agriculture and build community resilience. More specifically, the AFSRTS will ensure food security and sovereignty, nutrition security, improved livelihoods, economic development, and the safeguarding of Zimbabwe’s territorial integrity, aiming for a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030,” he explained.
Masuka noted that agricultural development will drive rural industrialization, which in turn will spur rural development and facilitate the attainment of the national vision to become an upper middle income economic by 2030.
New Ziana
