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Awardee Name and Host Country CNFA, Zimbabwe Award Number CNFA FFP-A-13-00004 Activity Name Amalima Activity Start Date June 14, 2013 Activity End date June 13, 2020 Submission Date November 5, 2018 Reporting Fiscal Year FY 2018 Awardee HQ Contact Name Alan Pieper 1828 L Street NW, Suite. 710, Awardee HQ Contact Address Washington DC, 20036 Host Country Office Contact Name David Brigham Submitted to: Tammy Boger U.S. Agency for International Development Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Office of Food for Peace 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20523 Email: [email protected] November 2018 1 Amalima CNFA FFP-A-13-00004 List of Acronyms AMC Asset Management Committee CA Conservation Agriculture CBF Community Based Facilitator CFA Cash for Assets CGV Care Group Volunteers CHC Community Health Club CU2 Children Under 2 DRR Disaster Risk Reduction EHT Environmental Health Technicians EMA Environmental Management Agency FaaB Farming as a Business FAW Fall Armyworm FDP Food Distribution Point FFA Food for Assets FY Fiscal year GoZ Government of Zimbabwe HHAV Household Asset Vouchers LM Lead Mothers LQAS Lot Quality Assurance Sampling MoHCC Ministry of Health and Child Care PFNSC Provincial Food and Nutrition Security Committee PHC Primary Health Center PHHE Participatory Health and Hygiene Education PLW Pregnant and Lactating Women USD United States Dollars VAC Village Agriculture Coordinators VS&L Village Savings and Loan WASH Water, Sanitation, and Hygeine November 2018 2 Amalima CNFA FFP-A-13-00004 Contents I. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 4 II. Results ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Strategic Objective 1: Household access to and availability of food improved ......................................... 5 Strategic Objective 2: Community resilience to shocks improved........................................................... 16 Strategic Objective 3: Nutrition and health among pregnant and lactating women (PLW); and boys and girls under 2 improved ............................................................................................................................. 21 Crosscutting Activities ............................................................................................................................. 27 III. Direct Participating Households by Sector Table.................................................................................. 29 IV. Challenges, Successes, and Lessons Learned ........................................................................................ 31 November 2018 3 Amalima CNFA FFP-A-13-00004 I. Executive Summary The Amalima program promotes resilience and food and nutrition security for 95,536 direct participants (58% adult female, 10% adult male, 16% girls, 16% boys) in four rural districts of the Matabeleland region in southern Zimbabwe by sustainably improving household nutrition and food security and strengthening communities’ resilience to shocks by leveraging communal initiatives to increase productivity, improve drought mitigation and adaptation, and enhance nutrition and hygiene practices. FY18 was the fifth year of implementation. During this FY, the program was extended for two years until June 2020. The reporting year was bookended by notable political developments. In Q1, the President of Zimbabwe, who had been in power since independence in 1980, was bloodlessly removed from office in favor of his Vice President, and national elections took place in Q4. The elections were generally peaceful, and the ruling party retained power. Some activities involving large gatherings of people were delayed until after the elections to avoid potential conflict during the campaign period. Economically, cash shortages, which began in early 2017, flared into a full blown financial crisis over the course of 2018. Officially the Zimbabwean economy operates in US Dollars (USD), but the severely depleted reserves of USD cash can no longer be accessed through the banks, nor can USD funds be transferred out of the country through the banking system, leaving importers unable to pay foreign suppliers. Parallel markets emerged with $1 USD cash trading for $2 by bank transfer, mobile money, or Zimbabwean “bond notes” by the end of the FY – effectively halving individuals’ bank balances in real USD terms. This had wide ranging impacts on the country, from inflation to shortages of key imported goods such as fuel and medicines. The crisis continued to deepen rapidly at the end of the FY. The Amalima districts, being near the border with Botswana and South Africa, were somewhat insulated from the crisis as goods flow across the borders and households often receive remittances in South African Rand, which is used widely in rural Matabeleland. II. Results Results Framework (Theory of Change) The Amalima Results Framework has not changed. However, in preparation for the 2020 extension the Amalima team reevaluated the activities and developed a sustainability plan, looking at which activities and behaviors were most vital to continue after the closure of the program, and who among communities, government, and the private sector would drive these behaviors, and activities. Though objectives remain the same, approaches have been refined to focus on cost recovery, volunteer recognition and motivation, and support from and linkages to government and traditional leaders. Notable changes include the promotion of selected high- performing lead farmers to became Village Agriculture Coordinators (VACs), and the introduction of Amalima Days. The latter are large community-led events build on the established tradition of agricultural field days to highlight key activities and achievements across SOs, including health and nutrition, and to publicly recognize the contributions of community volunteers and the support of traditional leaders and government technical officers in those activities. Amalima also added a learning unit to better organize and support learning initiatives across the program. November 2018 4 Amalima CNFA FFP-A-13-00004 Strategic Objective 1: Household access to and availability of food improved Matabeleland is an arid region with low average rainfall and limited surface water sources. Amalima provides improved access to water by rehabilitating and constructing dams, abstracting water from river beds, and promoting technologies that conserve moisture, which contribute to enhanced productivity and production leading to improved access and availability of food. The reporting year saw poorer than average rainfall, with a prolonged dry spell in the middle of the season which resulted in low harvests of staple grains (maize, sorghum, millet) and an increase in food insecurity compared to the previous year. Following the poor harvest in 2018, national food insecurity for the coming lean season (Jan-Mar 2019) is projected to be 28%, compared to 11% in the previous year. The situation was better for livestock than for crops, as late rains replenished dams and improved pasture before the dry season. The overall impact of the national outbreak of fall army worm in Matabeleland was limited by the dry spell, but maize in irrigation schemes was severely affected. IR 1.1 Agricultural Production and Productivity Improved Improving access to water, appropriate technologies, and strengthening market systems for private sector participation in rural economies stimulates farmers to improve production and productivity. With improved productivity and production and access to reliable markets, incomes and food security for rural households is enhanced. This enables communities to access a diverse range of nutritious foods contributing to improved nutrition and health. IR 1.1.1 Access to water resources for agricultural production improved In FY18, Amalima worked to maintain and rehabilitate existing water points, completed construction on an irrigation scheme from FY17, and began constructing three new irrigation schemes, two new dams, and rehabilitating 11 dams through the Food/Cash for Assets activity. Assets construction, which normally starts in June, was delayed until after elections which occurred in late July. All assets which started in FY18 will be completed in Q1 of FY 19. The number of households with improved access to water for agriculture and productive use (indicator 9) is 12,655. This number will increase in FY19 once construction and rehabilitation for assets that began in FY18 is complete. Amalima has prioritized building the capacity of water user committees, also known as Asset Management Committees (AMC) for dams and irrigation schemes, to encourage proper maintenance of the assets. Amalima trained 35 garden groups and AMCs for dams on sustainable maintenance and management of water resources (Indicator 26). User groups and AMCs were also encouraged to develop user funds to support infrastructure maintenance and for the purchase of input/spares replacement. For irrigation schemes, a total of 464 people (335 female, 129 male) participated in the training which focused on building AMC and user’s skills in conducting repair and maintenance works on their sand abstraction hand pumps and garden water supply systems. Amalima, together with garden group members, conducted practical repair and maintenance works at each site which