Country: Zimbabwe
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Improving diets and reducing food scarcity with the help of local food plants in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Masvingo, Matabele land North provinces in Zimbabwe
Local food plants for nutrition This document presents the main household-level findings of the baseline survey conducted between 2019-2021, during the second phase of the Sowing Diversity = Harvesting Security (SD=HS) programme (2019-2023). The results of the baseline are complemented with the main findings of the diagnostic exercises conducted by SD=HS’ Farmer Field Schools (FFS). […]
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The government of Zimbabwe pledges to utilize the services of Farmer Field School Master Trainers
By Manata Jeko and Pardon Sithole The Government of Zimbabwe through the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD) has pledged to fully utilize the services of Farmer Field School Master Trainers and facilitators trained under the SD=HS program with the support from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The […]
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Enhancing and supporting resilient Farmers’ Seed Systems in Zimbabwe: Findings from the National End of Season Evaluation
By Manata Jeko and Pardon Sithole Outcomes from the just-ended National end-of-season evaluation in Zimbabwe have demonstrated that the Sowing Diversity Equals Harvesting Security (SDHS) program in Zimbabwe has transformed farmers’ seed systems. A group of 30 participants from the six operational districts convened at Chibhanguza Hotel over three days to evaluate the performance of […]
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Zimbabwean Farmer Muzamani Lihinga’s Success with New Sorghum Seed Sales
By Jeko Manata The tale of success in Matihwa village, situated within Chiredzi’s Chilonga area in the semi-arid southeastern region of Zimbabwe, revolves around the remarkable journey of Mr. Muzamani Lihinga. His collaboration with the Sowing Diversity equals Harvesting Security (SDHS) program in Zimbabwe has resulted the opportunity to increase the income for smallholder farmers […]
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Elevating Food Variety in Zimbabwe: Sylvia Zimboko’s Local Food Plant Journey
By Pardon Sithole Women in Africa have played a crucial role in ensuring household food and nutrition security. They have taken on responsibilities in crop production, meal preparation, and diversifying family diets to meet varying nutritional needs. Sylvia Zimboko, a farmer from Zimbabwe’s southeastern lowveld, faced challenges due to recurrent droughts and long dry seasons […]
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Books 4 Life: Empowering Communities through Community Seed Banks
By Eco Matser, Project Lead SD=HS Community seed banks play an important role in the SD=HS program approach to safeguard the genetic diversity of local crops and increase community food and nutrition security. They provide farmers with a safe storage for seeds as well as a source for seed that disappeared in the community. The […]
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SD=HS Newsletter | January 2023
Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security newsletter Campaign URL Copy Twitter 0 tweets Subscribe Past Issues RSS Translate English العربية Afrikaans беларуская мова български català 中文（简体） 中文（繁體） Hrvatski Česky Dansk eesti keel Nederlands Suomi Français Deutsch Ελληνική हिन्दी Magyar Gaeilge Indonesia íslenska Italiano 日本語 ភាសាខ្មែរ 한국어 македонски јазик بهاس ملايو Malti Norsk Polski Português Português – Portugal Română Русский Español Kiswahili Svenska […]
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Marrying practical experience and theoretical knowledge: Jeko Manata’s reflections
“The interest in farming and working with farmers has always been part of me, I understand it very well because I grew up as a farmer and now, I am a farmer. It’s calling for me to work with farmers.” Jeko Manata grew up in southern Zimbabwe, surrounded by agriculture and with a family background […]
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John Tigere on empowering farmers in Zimbabwe
“Nearly everyone in Zimbabwe is a farmer and even those in towns still have one or two beds of vegetables on their backyards.” John Tigere works with Community Technology Development Trust in Zimbabwe (CTDT). His focus is on farming as a family business and as such he works with Farmer Seeds Enterprises to facilitate the commercialization of […]
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SD=HS colleagues participating in Wageningen University course
Over the weekend of 21 and 22 January, seven colleagues arrived in the Netherlands to participate in a course titled “Smallholder engagement in Seed Systems” at Wageningen University. We extend them a very warm welcome! The course was developed in a consortium with Wageningen University & Research, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, the Production Ecology […]
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SD=HS in Zimbabwe newsletter | July 2022
Sowing Diversity=Harvesting Security newsletter Campaign URL Copy Twitter 0 tweets Subscribe Past Issues RSS Translate English العربية Afrikaans беларуская мова български català 中文（简体） 中文（繁體） Hrvatski Česky Dansk eesti keel Nederlands Suomi Français Deutsch Ελληνική हिन्दी Magyar Gaeilge Indonesia íslenska Italiano 日本語 ភាសាខ្មែរ 한국어 македонски јазик بهاس ملايو Malti Norsk Polski Português Português – Portugal Română Русский Español Kiswahili Svenska […]
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Snapshot: Murewa local market in Zimbabwe
By Dzikamai Zingwe, Field Officer at Champion Seeds A team of Seed Production and Marketing Farmer Field School facilitators visited various potential seed buyers as part of market research survey. This took place in the frame of the Training of Trainers for Seed Production and Marketing (SPM), as it helps participants plan for a SPM […]
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Zimbabwe end of season evaluation
By Bernard Muradya Oxfam Southern Africa MEAL Officer Yield improvement The Seed Production and Marketing component of the SD=HS project in Zimbabwe employed the Farmer Field School model in proving technical capacity to seed growers in the four targeted districts. During the 2021-2022 farming season, a total of 15 Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) adopted seed […]
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SD=HS in Zimbabwe: an overview
By Patrick Kasasa, SD=HS program manager CTDT Zimbabwe The SDHS project in Zimbabwe has made great strides in improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through strengthening the role of smallholder farmer in the utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. This was achieved against the backdrop of political and economic turmoil that the […]
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Farmers integrate SD=HS efforts by selecting varieties of local food plants in Zimbabwe
Participatory variety selection of cleome: integrating nutrition, local food plants and participatory plant breeding in farmer field schools Pardon Sithole, Pillar 3 lead and Manata Jeko, Pillar 1 lead at CTDT Zimbabwe People in Zimbabwe, like in any other country in Africa, are affected by malnutrition. Poor diets, socio-economic conditions and disease are to blame. […]
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’I am now a better farmer’ Muzamani Lihinga is on his new crop variety in Zimbabwe
Translated by Obey Mugwira, and Manata Jeko, Field Officer CTDT Zimbabwe My name is Muzamani Lihinga. I am a 63 year old smallholder farmer from Maihwa village ward 6 of Chilonga in Chiredzi district to the South East of Zimbabwe. I am a member and facilitator of Hlubuko Farmer Field School (FFS). Effects of climate […]
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Farmer-Led Seed Production: Community Seed Banks Enter the National Seed Market
Ronnie Vernooy, Jai Rana, Gloria Otieno, Hilton Mbozi and Pitambar Shrestha Abstract: Smallholder farmers around the world obtain their seed from various sources, which can vary over time. In some countries, smallholder farmers are gaining ground as local seed producers and sellers. This study focuses on the seed production and marketing operations, achievements, and challenges of […]
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Three SD=HS partner organisations awarded funding from the Global Alliance for the Future of Food
Early this February, the working group on participatory plant breeding established under the Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF) recommended five projects for a first round of funding. We are excited to hear that three of the awardees are partner organisations in the SD=HS programme: Farmers’ Seed Network in China, Community Technology and […]
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Mid-term review through stories
Two years into its second phase, the SD=HS programme is undergoing a mid-term evaluation. While the final report presents a comprehensive overview of our work and of the results seen, we wish to share a few highlights based on stories collected by partners and evaluators. The mid-term evaluation review assessed the extent to which activities […]
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Champion Seeds: 100% success rates!
Tsungai Bwerazuva Champion Farmers Seeds Cooperative Company is a farmer-led enterprise that produces and sells high quality and certified seed of highly-adaptable, high-yielding and drought tolerant varieties of sorghum, groundnuts, maize (hybrid and open pollinated), sugar bean, cowpea and pearl millet – all of which are very important for the food and income security of […]