Mwenezi farmers applaud World Food Programme's small grains project

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Name of story Food Security Climate Resilience Facility
Linked ICI page Food Security climate Resilience Facility
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Full story text Mwenezi farmers applaud WFP’s small grains project

Small holder farmers in Mwenenzi have applauded the World Food Programme’s (WFP) small grains production project saying the project has helped them counter the risk of poor yields and hunger. The WFP in partnership with Zimbabwe's government and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) launched the small grains production project in Mwenenzi to enhance the resilience and food security of highly vulnerable communities affected by climate shocks. Speaking to 263 chat at a field day event in Chidaba village, one of the beneficiaries of the project Tendai Chinanga said the small grains production programme has made life easier for her as her yields have significantly improved. “I have managed to secure enough harvest for my family until the next season,” she said adding that the small grains programme is ideal for areas like Mwenezi which have always experienced food deficits as a result of low rainfall patterns and the El Nino induced drought. Chinanga who for the past 5 years stood the brunts of climate change narrated how WFP’s small grain project has transformed her life. “I have managed to purchase goats for myself after selling part of my sorghum and millet produced under the small grains production project. She added that she has been able to pay school fees for her kids on time. Shylet Sithole, admired the programme highlighting that it has helped many villagers to bolster their resilience capacity through the farming of drought tolerant small grains. “The yields have improved as compared to all the other years. Small grains are suitable to our region given the rainfall patterns in our area. She vowed that she will always prefer small grains over traditional crops like maize citing the nutritional benefits which comes with small grains. Mwenezi which is in natural region five receives low, erratic and poorly distributed rainfall resulting in crop production for food and income being unreliable. Denhere Jemtius, a Mwenezi based Agronomist in charge of horticulture production said the project which was introduced as a climate mitigation strategy is meant to promote sustainable small grain production using climate smart agricultural techniques.

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