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Peter Matika, [email protected]

THE World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have joined hands with the Government in intensifying efforts to mitigate the adverse impact of the El-Nino-induced drought on vulnerable communities across the country.

Food relief interventions have since commenced while more assessments across provinces are being conducted to evaluate the impact of the drought in order to guide implementation of adequate support strategies.

WFP, FAO, and the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare held a symposium during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo last week to engage farmers over measures to mitigate against drought.

“We knew that El-Nino-induced drought was coming. Investing in resilience building was critical. We have been working closely with the Government and FAO, anticipating a crisis due to the El-Nino phenomenon.

“Assessments are ongoing under the leadership of the Government’s food and nutrition council to determine the precise number of affected individuals,” said WFP Zimbabwe deputy country director, Christine Mendes.

She said WFP will actively engage communities to strengthen their resilience against El Niño drought with support structures to ensure communities are cushioned.

“This involves creating valuable assets such as boreholes, reservoirs, and drip irrigation systems and providing drought-resistant seeds to smallholder farmers.

“We will be working with the Ministry of Labour, Public Service, and Social Welfare in the food deficit mitigation strategy programme, where we provide technical assistance,” said the official.

“The Government has taken control of the food deficit mitigation programme where food is being distributed in all districts in the country. WFP only supported a small package to four districts out of the 16 districts in the country.”

Mendez said WFP supports the development and mainstreaming of an anticipatory action system with the aim of moving towards proactive risk management.

“It enhances the capacities of stakeholders to anticipate drought events through defined risk thresholds, anticipatory actions and prearranged financing,” she said.

WFP collaborates with various Government entities, including the Meteorological Services Department (MSD), the Climate Change Management Department (CCMD), provincial and district development coordinators, District Drought Relief Committees (DDRCs) and Civil Protection Units as well as other key stakeholders such as the Red Cross and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on the development of a robust drought anticipatory action system.

Mendez said funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) is complementing the support from the Green Climate Fund and previously from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to pilot and mainstream anticipatory action programmes across 12 districts.

The districts were selected based on several criteria, including susceptibility to drought risk, alignment with existing WFP programmes and level of local government engagement.

An agronomist and seed technician Wendy Matashu Madzura said the private sector is key in Zimbabwe’s food security.

“We have invested in climate smart seed technologies. We all need to work on the disintegration of issues such as El Nino and its direct and in-direct effects to our communities,” she said.

WFP supports districts in designing Anticipatory Action Plans (AAPs) for climate related hazards and is developing an umbrella AAP at national level. The MSD is a key partner at the central level in developing district-specific forecasts and identifying thresholds for severe weather forecasts.

In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WFP also provides climate services by facilitating smallholders’ access to skilful, timely and easy to understand information to support decision making and help them enhance their agricultural production, as well as inform other livelihood decisions. The project links both United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) and WFP’s Green Climate Fund supported initiatives.