“We want to secure the right to land tenure and access to productive natural resources like water and access to seeds for small-holder farmers with a special focus on women – the backbone of our rural and agricultural economies,” Oxfam Country Director Jan Vossen told the launch of a Climate Change Adaption project recently.
The $4 million project is set to benefit over 90,000 small holder farmers from Chipinge, Chimanimani and Buhera districts over the next 4 years. It is being implemented by Oxfam and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Vossen said small-holder farmers provided 80 percent of Africa`s food needs and 75 percent of them are women.
“However, despite the role they play in food production, women farmers lack security of tenure and access to water and seed. Only one percent of women small-holder farmers control land in Africa and have access to credit,” he said.
“We are pleased that this project gives Oxfam the opportunity to engage with the Government of Zimbabwe, UNDP and other stakeholders in the area of climate change adaption, particularly in relation to its impact on food and rural livelihoods,” said Vossen.
The campaign also seeks to dialogue with Southern African Development Community (SADC) to ensure that governments in the region invest in small scale food producers especially women.
“We want to ensure that women get secure access to land and water as well as promote indigenous knowledge, practices and needs,” he said, adding that “climate change is a reality that is here to stay with us for a long time”.
“We will have to accept that increasing frequency of climate extremes, particularly drought and heavy rainfall events, coupled with shifting rainfall patterns are additional stressors in Zimbabwe that will cause severe risks to our economy and to the livelihood of thousands of Zimbabweans,” he said.
Post published in: News