Agriculture

The Sustainable Agriculture Department successfully launched the ‘Pass On The Gift’ initiative to help alleviate poverty in the drought stricken areas of Matebeleland South. This is a small livestock programme in which vulnerable families were given goats, guinea fowls and chickens to rear and then pass on the off springs to other poverty-stricken members of the community.

The programme is run in Mzingwane district but plans are underway to spread its tentacles to other areas of the Southern Region of Zimbabwe. The hope is to offer a sustainable solution to the food crises in the region rather than just offer relief food aid.

The department also started herbal and nutritional gardens in the city of Bulawayo. The gardens project will be implemented in all the seven operational areas of the organization, this being done to address food insecurity issues for the Child Headed Households in those areas. Herbal gardens are meant to help meet the medicinal needs of people living with HIV/AIDS as well as any other person wishing to improve on his/her health.

In addition, paramount in the operations of the department are various Food Security schemes being done with the Child-Headed Families (CHFs) on our CHF Support Programme, as well as support initiatives for other vulnerable children. The department is in the steering committee of the Urban Agriculture Development Initiative that is sponsored by RUAF. Bulawayo City Council is steering the activities. The department was involved in Mushroom Production training for the beneficiaries under the programme.