Biofortified Crops Improve Farmers ’ Livelihoods in Zimbabwe

By Martha KatsiHARARE, Zimbabwe, Jan 27 2020 (IPS) Steven Seremwe, who is 57 years old, was retrenched from his job as an administrator at Lake Shore Missions in 2012. He decided to focus on farming, and he started growing various crops—white maize, sugar beans, and sweet potatoes, among others—for consumption and sale. “I have always loved agriculture but because of work pressures, I was not practicing. But when I got retrenched from work, I decided to follow my heart and started farming,” he said. The problem was that every farming season, even with a bumper harvest, Seremwe`s income was falling short. Profits were never enough to feed and care for his wife and two children. He had to do odd jobs in the community to help make ends meet. Seremwe lives in Zvimba District of Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe. According to a National Nutrition Survey conducted in 2010, Zvimba was among 27 districts in Zimbabwe that were identified as having a high prevalence of malnutrition. The irony is that in Seremwe’s district, many types of crops and vegetables are grown, but most are grown for sale rather than for consumption. In 2016, under the Zimbabwe Livelihoods and Food Security Programme (LFSP), HarvestPlus introduced biofortification in Zvimba district. The programme, which is funded by the Government of the United Kingdom through the Department for International Development (DfID), aims to reduce poverty through increased agricultural productivity, increased incom...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Biodiversity Development & Aid Economy & Trade Environment Featured Food & Agriculture Food Sustainability Headlines Health Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news