8 April 2024, Harare - In early 2023, global and regional climate and circulation models predicted...
FAO works closely with the Government of Zimbabwe to ensure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives. The Country Programming Framework (CPF) for Zimbabwe 2022-2026 is the key tool that maps out priority areas guiding the collaborative efforts. It is aligned to the Government of Zimbabwe’s priorities, which are aimed at providing an enabling environment for sustainable economic empowerment and social transformation. The overarching national development goal to which the CPF contributes is improved food and nutrition security at national and household levels.
The strategic priorities and accelerators provide the strategic direction for FAO’s technical support to the Zimbabwean Government during the period 2022 – 2026 in line with the FAO’s global strategic objectives. The identified FAO Zimbabwe CPF 2022 – 2026 priorities, which are also aligned to FAO’s Strategic Framework (2022 – 2031) and the UNSDCF (2022 – 2026) outcomes, are:
(i) Promotion of inclusive agriculture food systems to address food and nutrition security (better production and better nutrition).
(ii) Building resilience to climate change (better life).
(iii) Sustainable management of natural resources (better environment).
Income security for smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe
Although smallholder farmers play a critical role in food and nutrition security in Zimbabwe, with their production accounting for the bulk of the country’s food, they themselves often struggle with poverty and food insecurity. In 2012, 76 percent of rural households lived below the poverty line and 32 percent of children under five were stunted as a result of malnutrition.
Smallholders and family farmers are increasingly struggling to make a living from their land and labour because of inadequate access to markets, low soil fertility and reliance on rain-fed systems. In addition, smallholder farmers and workers along the value chain have limited or no access to rural financial services. This constrains their ability to acquire productivity-enhancing inputs such as seeds, fertilizer and labour-saving technologies.
