By Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) INTRODUCTION During the month of May, a new variant of COVID-19, the Indian Variant B.1.617, was detected in Kwekwe. Subsequent to this, the government imposed a two-week lockdown covering the entire district: the City of Kwekwe, Redcliff town, and the surrounding farming areas in Kwekwe Rural District Council. Measures…
Cognisant of the fact that following COVID-19-induced hardships, most families in Zimbabwe are facing hunger and starvation, the Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA) is extending its giving hand by distributing food hampers to deserving families across the country. Speaking during the food distribution exercise in Chitungwiza on Monday 3 May 2021, Mr Can…
The Global Symposium on Soil Biodiversity hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) drew to a close with a call to recognize and enhance the role of soil organisms in sustaining life on Earth. Soils are one of the main global reservoirs of biodiversity. They host more than 25 percent…
Healthy forests are key to “building back better”, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu said last week in his video address to the high-level round table at the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF, 26-30 April 2021). In his remarks, the Director-General extolled the many virtues of forests, including ensuring people’s food security…
IFAD said it aimed to provide an additional US$1.5 billion to Africa to support national efforts to transform food and agricultural systems over the next three years A coalition of multilateral development banks and development partners has pledged over US$17 billion in financing on Friday during a high-level forum, in a bold bid to address…
by Pat Mooney The idea of a Food Systems Summit seemed timely when it was announced in 2019 by the World Economic Forum and the UN Secretary-General’s Office. But while the need was widely appreciated, the unorthodox proposal by Davos to expand “stakeholder capitalism” to encompass the United Nations alarmed some involved in the food movement….
The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) is crying foul over a recent letter in which Finance and Economic Development Minister Prof Mthuli Ncube insisted that retailers should pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on rice for periods backdated to 2017 on packages of 25kg or less. In the letter, Prof Ncube said Treasury could not accede…
Strengthening food systems must be an integral part of efforts to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and to build resilience in Africa, said African Development Bank Director General for Southern Africa, Leila Mokaddem. Hunger is a greater threat to many Africans than the COVID-19 crisis, Mokaddem said in a session on sustainable food systems at the Southern…
By Charles Dhewa Good rainfall seasons across Africa are not only characterized by an abundance of domesticated crops and livestock but an increase in the availability of non-domesticated natural food resources. Such resources range from edible insects to indigenous fruits, tubers, vegetables, mushrooms, and small indigenous animals. While some are prevalent in high rainfall regions,…
By Joyce Mukucha Following successive droughts over the past few years that negatively affected agricultural growth in Zimbabwe, farmers in rural areas are overwhelmed with joy because the rains have remained above normal throughout the country in the 2020 -2021 cropping season. Spiked Online Media conducted interviews with various farmers in different provinces who expressed…
The SADC Regional Vulnerability Committee Chair, António Pacheco Dias Lima on 22 February 2021 called on member states, to find ways to share success stories, opportunities, and progress captured in the national Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis to inform food security interventions as the region battles COVID-19 and record high levels of food insecurity Dias Lima…
By John Wilson Following up on the theme of changing our ‘machine’-leaning mindsets, whenever we are dealing with life and not machines, I’ve been giving plenty of thought the last few weeks to what most people call ‘weeds’. Many people don’t like this term, especially those who eat them. I’m one of those. My laptop…
Following the millions of hectares that were repossessed by the black majority during the land reform programme, the Government has assured the nation that there will be sufficient maize through the food self sufficiency programmes. The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr. Anxious Masuka said this year, the nation will have…
By Joyce Mukucha The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Liaison Office with the United Nations (UN) in New York in collaboration with Emerging Ag Inc, governments, non-governmental organizations, and all other relevant stakeholders yesterday held a virtual event to celebrate World Pulses Day. The event which was aimed at raising awareness and recognising the contribution…
Spiked Online Media caught up with a survivor of COVID-19 who paid tribute to food consultant and expertise, Rumbidzai Mukori, but chose to remain anonymous. Below is the testimony: A moment of reflection.. Feeling abandoned nearly destroyed all the hope in me, but that’s when I realised it’s a mistake to ever look for hope…
By Charles Dhewa Since March 2020 when COVID19 first showed up in Africa, mass food markets have continued to play their critical functions although policy support has continued to be directed to processing companies and supermarkets. In 2021, COVID19 did not just confirm the importance of a strong immune system but has also revealed the strengths…
By Joyce Mukucha The Government has said it was geared to roll out a number of programs to achieve food security in the country and ensure that by the year 2023, no commodities such as maize and other grains will be imported. The efforts are aimed at ensuring that farmers in the country get adequate…
By Ross D The vaping industry has witnessed a tremendous growth rate over the past few years. And if recent projections are anything to go by, the industry may not be slowing down anytime soon. One of the reasons behind the meteoritic rise in the vaping culture is the fact that most people no longer…
By Dexter Chagwena This Covid 19 pandemic has brought special attention to herbal remedies or functional foods, naturally regarded for both their nutritional and health benefits. Most of us commonly know these as herbs or complementary and alternative medicines. Everyone is busy looking for something traditional to use, with an aim to boost our immunity…
… Part of a global package worth £47 million to provide food, nutrition, water and shelter to help over 1.3 million vulnerable people in 9 countries and regions, including Zimbabwe. New UN data reveals humanitarian crises are worsening around the world, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, 235 million people are expected to be in need…
By Rumbidzai Mukori A new study from Lancet, has found that obesity is one of the three greatest risk factors for Covid-19. As those who are overweight and obese remain infected several days longer than their aged-matched leaner counterparts. Weight monitoring is essential to all in these times of coronavirus. We have to take note…
By John Wilson It is becoming increasingly apparent that the main drivers of life on Mother Earth are microbial. Perhaps the difficulty in recognizing this is because without a microscope we can’t see this incredibly complex world. Unfortunately, probably because we can’t see it, we have often brought devastation to this microbial world. Most of…
By Charles Dhewa Digital inclusion, financial inclusion, gender inclusion and several other forms of inclusion have received too much attention over the past few years including 2020. What has been ignored is the mother of all inclusions – knowledge inclusion. All forms of inclusion are meaningless when knowledge existing within ordinary people and communities is…
With millions of Zimbabweans devastated by a year of drought, rising hyperinflation and COVID-19, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on 17 December 2020 appealed for an additional US$204 million to support over four million of the most food-insecure over the next six months. The appeal comes ahead of the ‘lean’ season, which risks…
By Joice Mukucha (Staff reporter) Action Aid Zimbabwe is at the forefront of building the country’s resilience to climate change-induced shocks and disasters that affect food and nutrition security. The institution has partnered the Government in launching the Zimbabwe Food Security Policy Brief after noticing the impacts of climate change-induced shocks such as Cyclone Idai…
The uptake of digital agricultural tools and services around the world will be tracked by researchers in the Netherlands to help guide investment and boost food production. Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands will continue the work of the EU-funded institution, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), which is winding down…
The Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) has reported that an increase in food insecurity in Zimbabwe is being driven by poor harvests, reduced income and high food prices but is partially mitigated by increased humanitarian food assistance. Below, Spiked Online Media reproduces snippets from the report: Current Situation Overview (Oct-Dec 2020) Currently, 2.61 million people…
Mathew M. Abang (PhD, MBA) When compared with other regions of the world, Southern Africa’s GDP growth between 2011 and 2017 was higher than that of advanced economies. However, the Southern Africa region (the Member States of the Southern African Development Community – SADC) failed to maintain the growth momentum and had the lowest growth…
By Charles Dhewa The rate at which food systems is becoming a buzzword suggests the world has quietly shifted from a farming systems approach to a food systems approach for good reasons. A food systems approach looks at the entire ecology through which food is produced, consumed, lost, value added as well as roles of…
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on October 21 two new food security programs, Takunda and Amalima Loko. These five-year programs will target nearly 490,000 Zimbabweans in Matabeleland North, Masvingo, and Manicaland provinces. “These two new programs will build on the United States’ investment in Zimbabwean people and tackle the root causes…
By Tatenda Macheka Amid the COVID 19 pandemic, World Food Programme food distribution points have provided a one-stop-shop for millions of Zimbabwe. It has become a platform for knowledge exchange as well as a go-to place for family planning commodities. The World Food Programme (WFP) is the largest humanitarian organization in the UN system, with…
The Global Landscapes Forum Biodiversity Conference will be held under the theme, ‘One World—One Health’ and will run on 28 and 29 October 2020 from 9 a.m. Bonn (UTC/GMT+1). WHAT: Halting biodiversity loss is essential to tackle the climate, food and global health crises, but how to turn ambitious green recovery pledges into concrete solutions that are feasible…
By Wambui Gichuri COVID-19 lockdowns and decreases in incomes have generated a double demand shock – increasing the number of poor and vulnerable people, particularly in Africa’s cities World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization, but celebrations on 16 October were muted due to the coronavirus….
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Ms. Maria Ribeiro has called for sustainable investment in food systems to achieve healthy diets for all. In her remarks to mark this year’s World Food Day held under the theme “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together with Nature” Ms. Ribeiro called on stakeholders to invest in a healthy and sustainable relationship…
By Anyway Yotamu The government has plans to launch the national elderly policy document in partnership with stakeholders that will guide programs and other developmental issues on the matter. Speaking to this publication on the sidelines of the commemorations of the International Day of Older Persons at Mazowe River Bridge Old People’s Home in Rushinga…
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday commenced cash disbursements in the scale-up of the Urban Social Assistance programme thanks to funding from the United States through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID’s support will provide relief for vulnerable families in eight urban areas across Zimbabwe struggling to meet their daily…
Africa accounts for about 12% of the world’s coffee production and the high-quality and taste of coffee from the continent are loved by coffee connoisseurs worldwide Coffee farmer, Francois Dadi Serikpa (https://bit.ly/3l10941), from Gnamagnoa in Côte d’Ivoire, joined Nestlé’s (https://www.Nestle-cwa.com/) Nescafé Plan (https://bit.ly/34fT6Oe) ten (10) years ago. The coffee farms that had been in his family for generations…
By Sowell Chikwari (Lifestyle Reporter) SCORES of touts, rank marshals, and vulnerable members of the Mufakose community last Friday received food hampers as well as essential Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) to mitigate the effects of the lethal virus, courtesy of regional power utility firm, Power Giants Private Limited. Titled “Power Giants Mahwindi Covid-19 Relief…
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and partner Fintrac, marked the successful completion of the five-year Feed the Future Livestock Development program at a virtual event on September 16, 2020 under the theme: Celebrating Commercialization of Smallholder Beef and Dairy Production. Since 2015, USAID’s Feed the Future Zimbabwe Livestock Development program assisted more than…
By Charles Dhewa When your favourite indigenous fruits are in season, take a few samples and keep in the freezer for six months to a year and see what happens. Although touted as part of the solution to food and nutrition security in Africa, cold chain is yet prove its relevance for indigenous fruits and…
By Heidi Jones Now, many countries are beginning to lift nation-wide lockdowns imposed due to coronavirus. But their economies are in a crippled state. Many people have lost their jobs, and almost everyone is in an altruist mode. We have not had holiday trips, watched a theatre show, or witnessed a sporting event for the…
By Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic is a health and humanitarian crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the country. The pandemic comes at a time when more than 4.3 million people are severely food insecure in rural…
The philanthropy in the “Iron Lady” as Betty Kaseke has come to be known because of her ability to conquer criticism and character assassination has refused to die as she focuses on community development through the Betty Kaseke Foundation. Carrying the poise of a beauty queen that she is, Betty Kaseke yesterday through her foundation,…
By Nimrod Ushe Nerumedzo is a national monument popularly known for a swarm of stink bugs (Harurwa) which throng annually to that place between the month of April and August. During that time, citizens of Bikita District, pour libation of traditional beer in petition and sacrifices to please the ancestors/vadzimu/amadhlozi for their precious gift of…
New research from the Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute finds the billion-dollar Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa is not living up to its promises By Stacy Malkan Massive investments spent promoting and subsidizing commercial seeds and agrichemicals across Africa have failed to fulfill their purpose of alleviating hunger and lifting small-scale farmers…
