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Zimbabwe: Harvesting seeds of hope
By Leonard Maveneka, Oxfam America, Southern Africa Information Officer Oxfam
August 05, 2004

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Oxfam's Agriculture Recovery Program-which distributed tons of maize, groundnuts, beans and pumpkin seeds to more than 4,500 households in northern Zimbabwe last year-is flourishing in many districts. An estimated five million Zimbabweans will require food aid this year.

In February, more than a hundred people in the Seke District were queuing up for food handouts from relief agencies (including Oxfam America) operating in the district following a severe drought and ensuing food shortage.

To the surprise of the relief agencies, as they prepared to dish out their standard fare, representatives from the community stepped in and provided fresh food from their fields. There was enough food to feed all 140 people who were in line-a bounty that included green maize, pumpkins, pumpkin leaf vegetables, groundnuts and the staple "sadza" made from maize meal.

The seeds were distributed at the home of Israel and Joyce Siwela, beneficiaries of Oxfam America's Agricultural Recovery Program. The program has been supplying needy households in the Chikumba and Seke districts with seed packs to help them recover from two successive drought seasons.

Israel and Joyce now have a thriving crop of maize, beans and groundnuts, and have already harvested more than 440 pounds of pumpkins. They have kept some pumpkins to feed their family, and have sold the rest for some desperately-needed family income.

The Agriculture Recovery Program, started by Oxfam America partners The Association of Women's Clubs (AWC) and Management Outreach Training Service for Rural and Urban Development (MOSTRUD), began with the distribution of maize, groundnuts, beans and pumpkin seeds to more than 4,500 households in the Seke and Chikomba Districts in northern Zimbabwe last year. The seed packs targeted the community groups that were the most vulnerable to drought and food shortages, including women-headed households, households looking after children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, child-headed households with children old enough to work in the fields, and households caring for the chronically ill, in particular those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Each household received maize, beans, groundnuts seed and packets of pumpkin seeds. The food relief program distributed "open pollinated" varieties of maize seeds, which have enabled the farmers to retain seeds which can be planted in the next season, and do not require expensive artificial fertilizers.

Until recently, Zimbabwean farmers had become almost entirely dependent on hybrid maize seed varieties. While these have higher yields, and enjoy several advantages over the traditional open-pollinated varieties (ie. being drought resistant) they put farmers at the mercy of the multinational seed companies. Hybrid maize seed varieties, for example, have a terminator gene, which means that they cannot be retained for planting in the next season. They also require artificial fertilizers, which have become unaffordable for the majority of peasant households in Zimbabwe.

The open-pollinated crops have flourished, and for the time being hunger been averted in those households which managed to plant on time. In addition, many families have earned additional income from their crops.

Israel recently sold some of his pumpkins to a private school, and earned enough money to pay the school fees for his two children for the whole year.

In the meantime, Israel is exploring new opportunities. "I will save up some of the income I will make from my vegetable garden to buy cattle," says Israel, who tilled all his fields by hand, as he does not currently have any cattle.

With AWC's assistance, communities are also planning to set up village grain banks where people can access food. Grain banks create strategic grain reserves for local communities, especially benefiting vulnerable households such as child-headed households, many of which did not receive seed packs as members are too young to grow crops for themselves.

The Agriculture Recovery Program marks a significant departure from Oxfam America's modus operandi in the past two drought years, which has focused on providing needy families with food assistance. While this assistance was critically important-due to severe, country-wide food shortages following two successive droughts and the escalating cost of living in Zimbabwe's hyper-inflated economy-the strategy was not sustainable in the long-term as it does not equip households with the capacity to recover.

By combining food distribution with seed distribution, the new program has helped needy households to cope with the ravages of hunger, while at the same time enhancing their capacity to produce food and increase their food security.

Ransom Mariga, Oxfam America Southern Africa Humanitarian Officer, explains: "With the assistance of the Agriculture Recovery Program, the most vulnerable households have managed to produce their own food and to adequately meet their daily dietary requirements in the short-term."

Mariga says the seed distribution program has opened up opportunities to assess other strategies that could be used to diversify the income-base of communities suffering from food crisis-strategies which are not dependent on a complete reliance on dry land agriculture. One initiative being considered is called "water harvesting," where residents tap the abundant water available during this season for winter crops and vegetables, for use later in the year. The program is also looking at the potential for giving families small livestock, such as goats and chickens, to improve their family's protein intake.

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