Achieving Triple Nexus Programming 03 06 08 17 Bumper Harvest - What Providing emergency Danish philanthropy The role of technology Bumper Harvest? food Aid in Lupane in Matobo in the 21st Century May 2021 Editors Corner protracted economic crisis. Con- crisis is on its own disempower- sequently, it became the theme ing, and has created additional of this edition. To some, the nex- vulnerabilities for Zimbabweans. us is limited to the intersection Reports of an estimated five thou- Patience Ukama of food-water-energy, informed sand unintended pregnancies by the physiological hierarchy in children of school-going age, Reflections on the tropi- of needs, the SDGs, and Agen- means further disruption to and cal cyclones in January, da 2030. It is easy to see why. de-prioritisation of education in fa- after years of devastating Increasing costs of energy have vour of fast-track adult and parent- droughts, record rainfall, rapidly impacted on the rate of hood. Stark inequality resulted in the complete shutdown of deforestation in both urban and most learners in Zimbabwe being industry, loss of income at rural environs, leading to en- forced to defer their education and household level, reduced croachment on wetlands, further stay home, because of poor infra- global development funding, upsetting the natural ecology structure and energy - i.e., Devel- the continued economic cri- which has directly impacted food- opment. No doubt, this will come sis, locust infestations, and water-(and)energy, demanding back to haunt us in years to come. this season’s bumper maize humanitarian, development, and It is my hope that this second edition harvest, provoked reflection peace interventions. Thus, the tri- of the DanChurchAid Oracle is both on the Nexus Approach to ple nexus approach. In DCA, the insightful, and that through these programming. Connecting nexus is applied with an appreci- pages DCA’s nexus approach will development, humanitarian, ation that traditionally women and become clear, as will the need for and the peace pillars is an girls have played a significant role multi-year financing for programmes. intentional strategy through in fetching water, food production which DanChurchAid (DCA) and processing, at household aims to assist communities level. The ability to undertake Editor to build long-term resilience these tasks has been hampered by implementing nuanced by security threats from exter- programming in response nal forces; domestic partners; to different situations and and society at large. Chronic environments. It is global- droughts, macro-economic chal- ly applied in situations of lenges and the outbreak of the chronic vulnerability, which novel COVID-19 pandemic have unfortunately is the condi- magnified challenges. The de- tion of most communities mand to meet family needs and in Zimbabwe due to the to recover from the multi-layered Page 2 THE DCA ORACLE ISSUE 02 BUMPER HARVEST - WHAT BUMPER HARVEST? The narrative of a bumper tions such as HIV, hypertension harvest has firmly gripped etc. Market systems were gravely most spheres within and be- disrupted, creating surplus within yond Zimbabwe. In many some value chain systems, that circles it now serves as the were not delivered to markets. premise to the eradication This meant that vendors were of poverty, propelled by sig- unable to offload fresh fruits and nificant economic growth. vegetables to the market during Among the adherents to this lockdown. As a result, many in- script is the World Bank which formal traders experienced sig- predicts economic growth of Sunflower crops in Lupane nificant loss of income, exacer- 2.9% attributed to an agricul- ening levels of food insecurity. As- bating their already vulnerable tural bumper harvest. Indeed, sertions concurred by the ZimVac economic situations. DCA part- Zimbabwe is anticipating a 2021 report which published, an ner, Bulawayo Vendors and Trad- maize harvest of over two (2) increase in the number of vulner- ers Association (BVTA) President million tonnes. An increase in able people from 2.2 to 2.4 million , Mr Aleck Ndlovu said, “Vendors food production of 200% from attributable to the COVID-19 pan- faced serious challenges when the 2019/20 farming season demic and the economic collapse. the pandemic struck. Especially However, this argument as- Cumulative COVID-19 restrictions due to the crippling boarder clo- sumes not only consistent resulted in an over 50% decrease sures. The pandemic disrupted maize yields across the coun- in household income. Ordinary citi- their livelihoods and led to the try, but consistent income for zens had no means to survive, and collapse of many businesses, most citizens. This is not the far fewer opportunities for casual or restocking challenges, depletion case. While Nyanga received day labour to earn the income need- of meagre savings, and failure 1200mm of rain, some areas ed to buy food for their families. Sup- to pay rates and rentals, as well in Matabeleland South re- ply chain and transport deficiencies as biting hunger experienced by ceived 700 mm, and places hampered progress in addressing thier families.” For many families, like Chiredzi and Mwenezi hunger, malnutrition, and access it will take more than one sea- District grappled with a locust to medication for pre-existing condi sons bumper harvest to recover infestation, resulting in crop from this one seasons hardships. losses. In as much as varying rainfall patterns result in var- ied yields, COVID-19 magni- fied the poverty situation for the most vulnerable. In Zim- babwe, one-third more people were affected by food insecu- rity in 2021, than they were 2020. This according to Pri- mate’s World Relief and De- velopment Fund (PWRDF), with whose support DanChur- chAid provided emergency food aid to 3600 people in Lupane. This amounted to twice as many people con- fronting potentially life-threat- Mbuya Mushunguruko at home shelling her maize after harvest Page 3 May 2021 MIDLO DAM FINALLY REACHES CAPACITY FOLLOWING 2020/21 RAINS In December 2018, the Zim- babwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) Sizimele proj- ect - in which DCA is the lead partner - came to the rescue of Matobo’s, Ward 14, Emad- waleni community in Matobo, Matabeland, through the re- construction of the 800,000m³ Midlo dam, at a cost of US$60,000. Constructed in 1952, the dam provided wa- ter for domestic purposes, crop irrigation, and livestock. Midlo Dam in Ward 14 Emadwaleni, Matobo district, at full capacity after the 2020/21 rains It was the only source of wa- irrigate between 10 and 15 hect- of Ward 14 did not have an irriga- ter for the 4326 individuals in ares of land. However, the dam only tion scheme, farmers travelled 15 km the Ward, and supported the reached capacity following the 2020/1 to participate in the valley irrigation broader district population of rain season. The scheme has a total scheme in Ward 13, to produce food for almost 100, 000. In 2007, the irrigation capacity of 8 hectares, sup- their families. Farmers who could not dam breached after severe porting 51 members (28 females, 23 travel the 15 km established nutrition flash flooding resulting in dam males), each commanding 0.1 hect- gardens, doted around the dam, less failure. Between 2000 and are. The project delivers on the ener- than 30m from the dam wall. These 2009, more than 200 notable gy–food–water nexus. The demand gardens were washed away when the dam failures were recorded for water, energy and food is expect- dam breached in 2017 leaving families worldwide. Sudden, rapid, ed to increase due to demographic without gardens. The ZRBF Sizimele uncontrollable release of wa- changes, economic growth, as well as objective is to enable, recovery, and ter which a dam cannot con- changes in climate. Nexus approach- enhance, the resilience of at-risk tain, is known as dam failure. es have been considered successful smallholder farmers so they are food, Eventually, the community, in in terms of specifically identifying the income, and nutrition secure, in the partnership with the Organi- linkages across key natural resource face of increasing multiple and chronic sation of Rural Associations sectors to reduce costs and increase shocks and stressors. Matobo district, for Progress (ORAP), under a benefits. DCA’s nexus approach ex- like many districts in Zimbabwe was project funded by the United tends to its partnerships model, max- adversely affected by climate change States Agency for Internation- imising public-private partnerships in patterns, leaving many people without al Development (USAID) at- remote areas to benefit communities. tempted to repair the dam. But food and water. The ZRBF Sizimele in- tervention not only restored the dignity the embankment breached a Mncedisi Ndlovu, a member and livelihoods of the community but, it second time in February 2017 of the irrigation scheme said, also re-introduced fish species into the on both sides of the central dam, providing an additional nutrition- masonry spillway, which was “I would like to thank Sizimele constructed after the 2007 al food source. A solar powered wa- for bringing such a project to our failure. It seemed all was lost ter pumping system linked to the dam area. I never dreamt of being part for the people of Emadwale- provided the foundation for Midlo Irri- of an irrigation scheme. Now I can ni, until 2017, when the ZRBF gation Scheme. established in 2019. see my life changing. I am able to Sizimele reconstruction proj- Estimates were that at full capacity, grow cash crops that will generate ect began. The absence of a 200 000 - 300 000m³ of water would income for my family and I will be dam meant that the residents be available for irrigation, sufficient to able to send my children to school” Page 4 THE DCA ORACLE ISSUE 02 THE NEED FOR A NEXUS MODEL FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT In the first month of 2021, Mo- The impacts of extreme weath- communities in the southern zambique and Zimbabwe ex- er events including cyclones and lowveld found themselves hav- perienced two extreme weath- flooding, exert economic pressures ing to contend with an outbreak of er phenomena, being Cyclone on local economies, an already locusts.