A man’s wealth is in his kraal

In the African tradition, naming a child after someone is a way of honoring that person’s memory and legacy. It is the same manner of thinking that Eugen Tapomwa in Chimanimani must have had when he named his new calf  ‘World Bank’ after the ZIRP project donor. Following the devastation by Cyclone Idai, affected communities were forced to walk long distances in order to find grazing fields for their livestock. The condition of the livestock was deteriorating. 

As Noel Mudare, a cattle farmer from Jinga village in Chimanimani explains, “I didn’t have any meaningful benefits from my herd as they were in poor condition. I could not use them for transport or draught power, and neither could I get any milk from them. Selling them was not a good option as they would have fetched a very low price on the market.” He was afraid of losing them, too, to poverty, death or thieves. Through ZIRP programming, farmers like Eugen and Noel were trained on livestock production aspects such as housing, breeds, feed management and animal health management.

Farmers were also supported with 750kgs of stockfeed to supplement feeding of their cattle. The training instructed the farmers on selection of cattle for pen feeding. When they did this, the improvement in body weight and animal condition were significant. To sustain this feeding program for their cattle, farmers have been encouraged to grow drought resistant sorghum from which they can store stova for supplementary feeding of their livestock.

Under ZIRP, implementing partners continue to seek innovative ways to support the restoration and resilience of cyclone affected communities.  When the country was forced into a COVID-19 induced lockdown, farmer training continued through a radio program. In addition to allowing the targeted communities to continue their training programs, the radio delivery method enlarged the scope of the program; reaching people within the radio’s broadcast areas.