Following the negative impact of the El-Nino-induced drought that affected Southern Africa, Zimbabwe included, the United Nations (UN) country team is supporting smallholder farmers in irrigation schemes in Masvingo Province. One such initiative is the Mushandike Irrigation Scheme located in Masvingo District which is one of the oldest irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe. The scheme…
“I dropped out of school just after starting my secondary level, there was no point – where was I going to get school fees? What about exam registration fees? Dropping out to help my mother work and to take care of my younger siblings was my option”, said Ashley Marime clenching her jaw, clearly trying…
Writes Kirubel Tadele Baku, Azerbaijan – As the second week of COP29 negotiations continues, the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) launches its latest publication, Agroecology Works: Evidence from Kenya. This booklet offers a deep dive into the transformative power of agroecology through 15 inspiring stories from across ten counties in Kenya, providing a rich…
Eastern Africa is a region of stark contrasts, where immense potential coexists with pressing challenges. On one hand, it presents a myriad of business opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors worldwide, offering a gateway to emerging markets with significant growth potential. However, this promising outlook is tempered by the persistent threat of drought and severe…
COP29 is attempting to replace the supposedly “met” political target of $100 billion with a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for climate finance amid tactics of filibustering. Is Africa ready for calls of radical approaches and decisions? By Martha Bekele, Co-founder and Head of Financing at DevTransform; And Wellington Madumira, Coordinator for Climate Action…
Wellington Madumira, the National Coordinator of Climate Action Network (CAN) Zimbabwe has said as we reach the midpoint of COP29, it is deeply disturbing to witness the climate finance negotiations come to a standstill. He said developed nations continue to display a disturbing level of apathy, viewing vital climate finance as mere investments rather than…
Parliamentary involvement is critical in the climate change dialogue and to demonstrate this, the Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe, Hon Advocate Jacob F.N. Mudenda is leading the legislative delegation from the Southern African country in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the parliamentary meeting on the occasion of COP29. The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Advocate J.F.N Mudenda,…
Writes Lloyd Rabaya Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF)’s recent exchange visit in Shashe, Masvingo, has proved to be of great importance to farmers as they taught each other various agroecology elements. During the two-day visit, farmers had the opportunity to watch and learn from other practicing farmers on best sustainable practices that include water…
Writes Ebrima Jarra, Soil Scientist and Civil Actor from The Gambia A Path Toward Equitable and Sustainable Development by “The Soil Solution” (NGO) Abstract As climate change accelerates, its impacts disproportionately burden local communities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These communities, often with minimal contributions to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, face severe challenges,…
African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Ambassador Josefa Correia Sacko reaffirmed in Baku, Azerbaijan, that climate change poses a threat to Africa’s economies and jeopardises the continent’s developmental gains. Amb Josefa Sacko, who was speaking at the United Nations event on Africa’s climate achievements and the importance of…
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for Southern Africa convened a Multidisciplinary Team meeting to discuss and agree on how FAO can better support agrifood system transformation in Southern African countries. The meeting was held today 11 November 2024 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe. …
OWN CORRESPONDENT As COP29 opens in Baku, Azerbaijan, tomorrow, ActionAid International’s Global Lead on Climate Justice, Teresa Anderson, says: “Frontline countries who have done almost nothing to cause the problem are being pushed deeper into debt by the climate crisis. Yet they are the ones getting stuck with an escalating climate bill as they bear…
Writes Lloyd Rabaya With the sharp voices of the Zvamahande Primary School pupils cutting through the air echoing the food sovereignty message with their poems, the farmers from various provinces who were gathered at Shashe Agroecology School celebrating the International Day of Rural Women, which was preceded by International Food Sovereignty Day, lauded and ululated…
Writes Charles Dhewa In addition to unearthing community resilience and coping mechanisms, baseline studies can be good at identifying relevant partners and local expertise. A lot of market infrastructure in many African countries has remained unused because construction has not been adequately informed by baseline studies. The absence of baseline data also leads to…
Dr. Christian K. Tiambo, Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) – International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Progress at COP16 The “People’s COP”, COP16 summit concluded on the 2nd of November in Cali, in the Valle del Pacífico Event Center, the second largest and most modern event space in Colombia and the…
A high-level political forum on global action against hunger is underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with stakeholders seeking to achieve this goal, importantly in Africa where a large proportion of the population is food insecure annually and increasingly goes hungry. These were the sentiments for His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,…
The winners of the Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) Stories Challenge were sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to attend the commemoration of the 15th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS), the 20th edition of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform (PP) and the associated Malabo…
The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) aligns with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) aimed at achieving economic growth and stability, food and nutrition security, structural transformation, and value chains among many common priorities. These were the sentiments of Mr. Spencer Dube, the Acting Chief Director of Political Affairs in the Ministry of…
On November 2, 2024, at the Pan African Youth Forum in Oran, Algeria, the event titled “Empowering Youth through Education for Climate Resilience” brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including youth leaders, educators, and policymakers, to address the urgent need for climate education. This gathering underscored the pivotal role that young people can play…
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Progamme (CAADP) Biennial Review Reports have shown that countries have missed targets on enhancing investment finance in agriculture, ending hunger, halving poverty, boosting intra-African trade, enhancing resilience to climate variability, and promoting mutual accountability by 2025 as espoused in the commitments that support the Malabo Declaration. This was revealed by…
The Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) shared knowledge of the approaches and opportunities for effective agricultural risk management (ARM) in Africa. Speaking during a side event titled “Accelerating Investments for Inclusive and Holistic Agricultural Risk Management in Africa” on the sidelines of the commemoration of the…
African governments have been urged to prioritise investment in biotechnology research and development to address pressing challenges in the sector, including climate change, pests and diseases, and declining soil fertility. The call was made to African Ministers from six countries, including Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Eswatini, during a ministerial roundtable held on the…
The Platform for Agricultural Risk Management (PARM) and the African Union Development Agency of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) are co-organising the side-event “Accelerating Investments for Inclusive and Holistic Agricultural Risk Management in Africa” on the sidelines of the commemoration of the 15th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS), the 20th…
Since the birth of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) through the Maputo Declaration of 2003 followed by the Malabo Declaration of 2014, tremendous progress has been made by the member states in transforming agriculture despite facing various challenges including the effects of climate change, pandemics, geo-political conflicts, and global recession, a senior government…
Zimbabwe hosts the 20th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP-PP) and Commemoration of the 15th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) under the theme “Cultivating the Nexus of Nutrition, Agrifood Systems, and Education for Africa’s Growth.” The meetings will run from the 29th of October to the 1st of November…
The Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems – Southern Africa (SHEFS-SA) consortium seeks to catalyse the transformation of Southern African food systems and communities towards systems and communities that are healthy and resilient to climate risks. This emerged at a side event ahead of the Climate and Health Africa Conference (CHAC) 2024 running under the…
Climate change, global financial shocks, and growing food insecurity are threatening Africa, the world’s fastest-growing continent, and hampering the achievement of global development goals. To tackle these challenges and speed up the continent’s efforts to achieve these goals, the president of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on Thursday called for bold reforms…
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) 26/10/24 – African Union Commissioner Josefa Correia Sacko reiterated in Addis Ababa the need to maintain the strengths of the continent’s comprehensive agricultural development programme to respond to economic shocks, emerging climate change issues, conflicts and plant and animal diseases. Josefa Sacko, who was speaking at the Ministerial follow-up to the…
A High-Level Segment of the 10th Meeting of Parties (MoP10) to the Water Convention in Ljubljana, Slovenia has demonstrated the importance of transboundary water cooperation. Key dignitaries who attended the meeting include Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Hon. Vangelis Peter Haritatos; H.E. Mr. Robert Golob, Prime Minister of…
Hon Vangelis P. Haritatos, the Deputy Minister for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, while addressing the 52nd Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on the sub-theme: ‘Strengthening Coordinated Policy Responses to the Food Crisis’, said the world’s agriculture…
The curtain came down on the 149th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related Meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 12th to 17th October 2024. Running under the overarching theme: ‘HARNESSING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION (STI) FOR A MORE PEACEFUL AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE,” the 149th Assembly considered and deliberated on parliamentary action to maximize…
On October 12th, the Greening Kuwadzana Project hosted its signature Tree Care Therapy for Mental Health program, a groundbreaking initiative that harnesses the therapeutic power of nurturing trees to promote mental well-being. This innovative program, held at least three times a year, brings together the Greening Kuwadzana Project and Ndinewe Foundation, a Harare-based mental health…
SEforALL’s managed Universal Energy Facility launches a campaign that makes a case for building clean energy markets in Africa #FinancingEnergyProsperity Campaign will showcase the success of the UEF as an efficient mechanism to provide reliable, sustainable energy for all The UEF has so far issued USD 22 million in grants to clean energy companies, for…
Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector is set for a positive transformation following the advent of Hekhani Seeds, an innovative seed company dedicated to enhancing agricultural productivity and sustainability for underutilized crops. Hekhani Seeds represents a significant advancement in Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. By championing agricultural entrepreneurship among women and focusing on sustainable practices, this collaboration has the…
Ahead of a High Level Ministerial Dialogue on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance and the Pre-COP meeting in Baku this week, Climate Action Network (CAN) is sending a clear and unequivocal message from more than 130 civil society organisations: failure to deliver an ambitious climate finance outcome at COP29 is not acceptable. The…
African Union Commissioner of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, AmbassadorJosefa Correia Sacko, assured in Tangier (Morocco), that the health of the oceans is fundamental for global climate stability, biodiversity conservation, food security and the future of human beings. The African diplomat, who was speaking at the African consultation event in preparation…
In a groundbreaking moment for Africa, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, and the African Union Chairperson’s Special Envoy on Youth, Ms. Chido Mpemba, alongside UN partners and BBC Africa, convened a pivotal Africa Town Hall meeting, marking the official close of the United Nations High-Level Week. This event, titled “Leading Africa into…
Zimbabwe’s second Climate Change and Development Conference has urged a multi-stakeholder approach by involving women, children, and youth in addressing the phenomenon that impacts livelihoods. This emerged on the first day of the two-day conference which kicked off in Harare yesterday and will be running under the theme: “Building Resilience, Securing the Future.” Notable…
Zimbabwe has made considerable progress in advancing sustainable development despite several challenges affecting the southern African nation, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in his 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the new Parliament Building in Harare today. “Our commitment to enhance the well-being of the people of our motherland, Zimbabwe by entrenching unity,…
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Zimbabwe has said access to safe water and improved sanitation and hygiene services are key to ensuring children’s rights to health, nutrition, education, and protection. As Zimbabwe faces the El Nino-induced drought, the UN agency is calling on the Government and partners to prioritise investment in water, sanitation, and…
Dr. Anxious Masuka, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, in terms of section 21 of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, and Remedies Act [Chapter 18:12], has compelled farmers to use wheat stover as feed. In Statutory Instrument (SI) 159 of 2024 cited as the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds and Remedies (Wheat stover as…
Agriculture continues to be the mainstay of the African economies, accounting for 17.2 per cent of the continent’s gross domestic product, the Commissioner of the African Union’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Correia Sacko, said in Puglia, Italy. Ambassador Josefa Sacko, who presented these figures during the G7…
At least 10 billion dollars a year is the estimate that the continent expects to grow in the green industrial infrastructure market as a distinct asset, African Union Commissioner Josefa Correia Sacko said in New York. The diplomat, who was speaking at a summit on the investment market signalling framework for green industrialisation on…
Climate change and food loss and waste are two interconnected global challenges that threaten the very foundation of our food systems. With one-third of all food produced globally going to waste, the environmental, economic, and social implications are dire. As climate change intensifies, its impact on food production, distribution, and consumption becomes increasingly evident. This…
Dr Agens Kalibata, the President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) has underscored the importance of working with the private sector to drive investment to reduce post harvest food loss. She was speaking at the 2024 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA2024) in a session titled “Opportunities To Unlock Private Sector Investment…
