SMALL GRAIN CROPS, CLIMATE ADAPTATION & NUTRITIOUS FOOD SECURITY

In the face of climate change, how small holder farmers in semi-arid rural communities like Makaora are adopting to small grains as a key adaptation strategy?. From the seed, planting and nurturing the plants to processing; are we really walking the talk together?

....realising their resilience to drought, Zimbabwe has implemented several policies and legal frameworks to promote the cultivation of such small grains like sorghum and millet. We applause the Government of Zimbabwe, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development for playing a crucial role in scaling up the adoption of these vital grains, especially through the Presidential Input Support Scheme.

Coming closer to Mutoko's vulnerable communities like Makora, NGO's like Mercy Cops also contributed much through their USAID-funded ELEVATE project. Provision of essential inputs, knowledge and tools is key to empowering rural farmers to build climate resilience, thereby enhancing food security, nutrition and livelihoods. 

However, despite these policies and interventions, challenge still exist. For the past 4/5 months, we have been looking at two small grain varieties that are common in Makora rural community; sorghum/mapfunde/mashava and millet/mhunga, including how they respond to local weather events. In the upcoming posts, we will be sharing some of the observations we noted, and we would also like to hear from you. 

Together we can continue to advocate for policies that support rural farmers for a more resilient food system.

#smallholderfarmers #ruralfarmers #foodsecurity #climateadaptation #smallgrains #sorghum #millet #sustainablefarming #Mutoko