Building a Climate Resilient Society

Training and Development International Office PD 47, First Floor, Main Post Office Building Gweru Zimbabwe Building a Climate Resilient Zimbabwean Rural Economy Zimbabwe Registration Number: MA646/2008 Contact Person Munashe Shumba Email: Project partners Ministry of environment Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Health Local communities Area to be covered Midlands Province Zvishavave District – Mazvihwa Area Mberengwa District – Mataruse, Mketi, Mataga, Negove Areas Project period 01 June 2013 to 30 December 2015 Background The fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change clearly describes the evidence of a changing climate (IPCC 2007 a, b). Although scientists disagree about the extent to which these changes will happen, they do agree that there have been and will be changes in average climatic conditions; there will be changes in the frequency and intensity of weather hazards; already variable climates will become less predictable, and there is considerable uncertainty about the distribution and impact of these changes. When temperatures increase and rainfall decreases as a result of climate change, farming in the semi-arid regions which constitute half of Zimbabwe will become increasingly arduous, with potentially disastrous impacts on farmer livelihoods and on food security in rural regions. The identified areas are prone to perennial droughts, severe crop failure (particularly maize crop) , dwindling vegetation, famine, and this has, to a large extent, compromised the quality of life for mainly economically disadvantaged families. These includes Child Headed Homes, Windows, HIV/AIDS infected and affected, the Elderly and a number of poor families Project Goal Building Climate Resilient Society through Sustainable Community Enhancement Capacity Building. Project Objectives 1. To reach out, mobilize, organize and create Climate Change awareness to 9 615 Households by July 2013 2. To train 185 Community Based Climate Resilient Champions on Adaptation Strategies by August 2013 3. Improve food security through crop diversification, sustainable crop production practices, integrating soil nutrients management, and timing of planting directed by both Indigenous Weather Forecasting and Metrological Forecasting, water harvesting techniques, and land rehabilitation exercises by 2015. (Conservation Farming) 4. Creation of Community Based Organizations that will manage the Agricultural affairs of the community beyond the project period. 5. Improve Community Livelihoods through coordinated product marketing, Village Savings and Lending Methods. Target Group • Resource poor households with limited production capacity • Child Headed Households, Widows, Disabled Household heads, the very poor • HIV/AIDS affected and infected people. • Households with orphans