28 June 2018, Harare – Today the Government and the United Nations together with development partners convened high level review meeting to validate and take stock of development results delivered, mid-way of the programme cycle, under 2016-2020 Zimbabwe UN Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) contributing to national development priorities. The high-level meeting co-chaired by the…
There should be a deliberate move to avoid Green House Gas emission-intensive investments through economically viable low-emission development options, a senior Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) official has said. Gabriele Ranieri, the Officer in Charge of the FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa made the remarks at the Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Smart Agro-ecology in…
By Byron Mutingwende “We are appalled by the construction of a filling station on a wetland in Kambuzuma. The construction further compromises water delivery and is a clear violation of our environmental rights,” fumed Joseph Kahari, the Secretary for Governance of the Blue Agenda Trust. The Parliament of Zimbabwe has produced a report…
By Charles Dhewa While it is true that community knowledge is broader and deeper, most African farming communities hesitate to make decisions without consulting an extension officer. The need to cross-check and verify facts through an extension officer can be counter-productive if it causes farmers to stop experimenting and learning from their innovations. Surveys by eMKambo over…
By Byron Mutingwende The private sector has been urged to foster corporate social responsibility (CSR) so as to spearhead sustainable development. In his address to private sector players on 22 June 2018 at a meeting on promoting sustainable development, Bishow Parajuli, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator for Zimbabwe urged the business community to play…
The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, called for the tourism sector to take more action to combat climate change and biodiversity loss during the 30th joint meeting of its Commissions for South Asia and Asia-Pacific in Fiji (18-20 June 2018). Adding his voice to that of the host country, Mr. Pololikashvili…
By Byron Mutingwende Improving water resources infrastructure and availability has the potential to unlock the vast opportunities for Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said. He made the remarks on the occasion of the water infrastructure investment conference and the launch of the national climate policy at the Harare International Conference Centre…
By Byron Mutingwende Depinah Nkomo (widowed) is the owner of a successful farming enterprise in the Selous area of Chegutu, Mashonaland West Province but her road to success is not a stroll in the park. “When my husband died, he left me only a house in Waterfalls but I was born with a…
By Nevson Mpofu Mbare, Zimbabwe’s largest horticultural market receives 80% of farm produce a day. These sundry foodstuffs are in form of field crops, cereals, legumes, pulses, fruits and all types of horticultural produce from around the country’s 56 districts. Tomatoes pour on a daily basis in hundreds of tonnes every day and so do…
By Tatenda Macheka (WFP) Support and training for smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe helps one man see new opportunities in his field Yamurayi Choruwa, 43, was born partially blind. A name given by his parents when they realised his condition,“Yamurayi,” loosely translated from the local dialect, means “a call for help,” and he admits that for…
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations partnership is working tirelessly to address food security and nutrition challenges on the continent. During the ongoing sixth ordinary session of the fourth parliament in Midrand, South Africa, various stakeholders, including Members of the Pan-African Parliamentary Alliance for Food…
Post-divorce environment body will not enforce climate change regulations, says proposal, but UK lacks direct replacement for EU institutions. By Megan Darby for Climate Home News The UK government has excluded climate change from a proposed post-Brexit green watchdog, raising concerns about enforcement of climate laws when the country leaves the EU. In a consultation document, the department for…
THE Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions’ (SACAU) will hold its Annual Conference and AGM at the Kingdom Hotel in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe from the 14th to 15th of May 2018. The Conference and AGM will be co-hosted by SACAU’s two members in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union (ZFU) and Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU). Held under the theme, Trade…
By Joyce Mukucha To ensure the continuation of the Enterprise and Business Development Programme (EBDP) on improving livelihoods of rural women, the Government of Swedish has partnered We Effect and signed a SEK 30 million (US$ 3,6 million) agreement. Speaking during the signing ceremony on the 8th of May 2018 in Harare, Sofia Calltorp, the…
By Joyce Mukucha The World Food Programme (WFP) is maintaining strong humanitarian assistance capacity through its Country Strategic Plan (CSP) which focuses on supporting long-term national social protection and resilience building efforts to achieve Zero-hunger in Zimbabwe. It is estimated that by 2050, both the risk of hunger and child malnutrition could increase by 20…
By Husna Rizvi for Climate Home News The UK emits as much as 18 of its former colonies, a report finds, and, along with Australia and Canada, isn’t doing its fair share to cut carbon. Commonwealth heads of state will begin meeting today in London, amid concerns over the unequal effects of climate change and efforts…
By Byron Mutingwende Judith Mafunga Chikono, a member of the Neverlate Horticulture group in Ward 18 of Mutasa District recounts how she has benefitted from the Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Production for Increased Resilience and Economic Growth (INSPIRE) project. “Through INSPIRE, I received theoretical and practical training on good agricultural practices of horticultural…
By Nevson Mpofu and Byron Mutingwende Yes, there is necessity to stay below 1,5 degrees of warming. This is done for the betterment of human livelihoods and for survival sake. To ensure environmental and agricultural sustainability, health and wellbeing, and being free from natural and human induced catastrophes, climate change effects should be kept in…
By Patricia Mashiri and Joyce Mukucha In pursuit of enhancing a positive attitude by authorities and learners in the school to learn in a litter free environment, the Zimbabwe Smart Group (ZSG) in conjunction with Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has launched a campaign which focuses on raising awareness on good waste management. The campaign’s thrust…
By Byron Mutingwende Zimbabwe has launched a research and academia platform for scaling up nutrition in order to accelerate the achievement of national social and economic development aspirations. In his address while officially launching the platform in Harare on 16 March 2018, Albert Chikondo, the Senior Principal Director in the Office of the…
By Byron Mutingwende Building a climate resilient nation is among the country’s aspirations and the focus of the 2017 Zimbabwe Human Development Report (ZHDR) on this theme resonates with this trajectory. In her remarks at the launch of the report at Meikles Hotel on 16 March 2018, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, the minister of environment,…
The Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) has been urged to review its working model to meet modern trends that improve performance. Amabasador Grace Mutandiro, the Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate said the CAMPFIRE framework needed to be updated in line with the new thinking and approaches after…
ProDairy, a new dairy company within ProBrands has imported 600 heifers from South Africa, bought irrigation equipment and feed from the invested US$6 million in pursuit of meeting the national milk demand. The heifers that will come in batches of 100 within the next month will help boost the national milk demand currently at 10…
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) will further enhance its partnership with the Pan African Parliament in a bid to ensure that significant numbers of youths on the continent are engaged in efforts to achieve ‘zero hunger.’ In July 2017, (FAO) launched its Global Internship, Volunteers and Fellows Programmes (IVF) to mobilize youth to achieve…
By Byron Mutingwende The Marange Development Trust has bemoaned the indiscriminate destruction of the environment by miners in the diamond area of Manicaland. “Before the discovery of diamond, families used to depend on crop cultivation, breeding goats, cattle and chickens, selling wild fruit, charcoal and gardening. However with mining, there is widespread water…
By Byron Mutingwende School feeding is an essential tool for development since it fosters food and nutrition security, Vice President Kembo Mohadi has said. Vice President Mohadi made the remarks on the occasion of the third edition of the African Day of School Feeding that was officially opened on 1 March 2018 in…
By Megan Darby for Climate Home News Coal India, the state-owned monolith that produces almost all of the country’s coal, sees a slowdown coming, according to an internal prognosis. That’s despite government efforts this week to open up India’s coal mining sector to competition. Entitled Coal Vision 2030, the report – which has been circulated to stakeholders for consultation – warns…
In trying to reduce the stunting growth of children and understand the current nutrition context in Zimbabwe that would lay the future advocacy, resource mobilisation and analytical work under the Trust Fund, the World Bank has presented the feedback of the research it carried out. For the past five years, World Bank has been moving…
By Byron Mutingwende The Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) is increasing the capacities of communities to protect development gains and achieve improved well-being outcomes in the face of shocks and stresses enabling them to contribute to the economic growth of Zimbabwe. Speaking during the signing ceremony of the £21.5m contribution by the United…
By Megan Darby for Climate Home News The UN Security Council has identified climate change as a driver of conflict across West Africa and the Sahel, in a statement published on Tuesday. It expands on a 2017 resolution linking the dramatic shrinking of Lake Chad to the rise of Boko Haram and other armed groups in the region….
By Byron Mutingwende Zimbabwe is on the brink of famine following a dry spell experienced countrywide and in the entire region that has seen most crops wilting. According to the Southern African Development Community Climate Services Centre (SADC-CSC) Issue Number 2 of released on 19 January 2018, very high to extremely high temperatures have…
By Byron Mutingwende The noble undertaking of working towards the vision of achieving universal access to sustainable energy in Zimbabwe is being impeded by a plethora of challenges that require urgent attention. This appeared at a meeting of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy held in the Senate Chamber with the minister…
By Joyce Mukucha Zimbabwe is expected to experience reduced rains as a result of drier atmospheric conditions, it has emerged. According to a forecast by the Meterological Services Department (MSD), some parts of the country are expected to be very hot and the public was warned to take pre-cautionary measures. “Accordingly tomorrow 18 January 2018…
By Joyce Mukucha The Government of Zimbabwe is looking forward on how a 100-day quick wins programme is faring in response to the directive of His Excellence President Emmerson Mnangagwa to all government organs to implement the initiative, Cabinet minister has said. Speaking during the meeting with the ministers of state on the 11th of…
By Patricia Mashiri and Joyce Mukucha The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has yesterday warned of violent thunderstorms in some parts of the country and urged the public to take pre-cautionary measures. In a statement MSD said the tropical cyclone ‘Ava’ that has since weakened into a depression continues to move back further into the Indian…
By Patricia Mashiri Masvingo province is currently experiencing a dry spell compared to the 2016-17 farming season which received high rainfall amounts that resulted in bumper harvests. High temperatures are being experienced in the province with no adequate rains to till the lands. Nomusa Madakadze, the Agritex Extension Officer for Masvingo North Ward 1, in…
By Byron Mutingwende For Magna Mudyiwa, the Member of the House of Assembly for Mudzi West Constituency leadership is a natural calling and the legislator is using sport to unite people for peace and development. The hardworking legislator is the brain behind the annual Magna Mudyiwa Sports Tournament ever since coming into office…
By Byron Mutingwende Livestock contributes immensely to food and nutrition security as well as to foreign currency generation and economic growth, hence the importance of managing it properly, it has emerged. In his address at a meeting of the Inclusive Policy Dialogue for Social Development (IPDSD), Abdul Nyathi, the President of the Zimbabwe…
By Byron Mutingwende Born and bred in rural Marondera where farmers used organic farming to grow crops, Clive Nyapokoto experienced the hard and intense labour involved in the daily farm activities which sometimes he had to do before going to school in the morning. That background motivated him to come up with innovations to…
By Byron Mutingwende The Global Community is living no stone unturned in their endeavour to develop sustainable community responsive strategies to ensure adaptability and resilience in the wake of extreme hunger and severe poverty. Zimbabwe Parents of the Handicapped Children joined the Global Community in making frantic efforts to ensure grassroots women particularly mothers…
Women overcome poverty through food and nutrition security programmes By Byron Mutingwende Ward 9 and 19 of Chipinge District are role models of successful small-scale farming under the land reform programme. The Food and Nutrition Security Committee (FNSC) initiated programmes saw women in the wards running successful banana, cassava, poultry, dairy and value…
By Byron Mutingwende The drive through Hippo Valley Estates from Chiredzi Town heading towards the south is panoramic and breath-taking. There is a hive of activity as sugar-cane cutters are ferried by huge tractors to and from work. Huge piles of molasses bags are heaped at the Tongaat Hullet Sugar Refinery and in the…
By Byron Mutingwende It is just nine o’clock in the morning but despite the air conditioner, everyone on the Toyota off-road vehicle is sweating profusely. We drive past the fence bordering the Marirangwe Game Park along the Chiredzi-Tanganda Highway in the hot Lowveld area and head straight to Village 3 of the Chizvirizvi area…
By Patricia Mashiri Women in Zimbabwe are seeking gender balance in the energy sector by involving themselves in the green economy activities which helps in saving resources such as electricity. Women have been given stereotypical roles where they have been put in a domestic sphere where energy saving is critical . In trying to curb…
By Patricia Mashiri No one has ever dreamt that waste management and recycling would be someones’s passion. Tinashe Manyonga a 29 year-old social entrepreneur started his green economy journey few years back. He studied for a degree in Crop science at the University of Zimbabwe before he turned to waste management and recycling. Manyonga who…
