|
Back to Index
United
States provides support to urgent food security needs and recovery
in Zimbabwe
US Embassy
October 06, 2010
The U.S. Government,
through the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID)
Office of Food for Peace (FFP), is responding to the needs of Zimbabweans
who require food aid during the 2010-2011 lean season.
USAID is partnering with
Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the lead agency in a consortium
which includes ACDI/VOCA and CARE, to implement the Promoting Recovery
in Zimbabwe (PRIZE) program. This two-year initiative will address
the urgent food needs of vulnerable Zimbabweans while laying the
foundation for recovery and improved food security. Program activities
will help increase household food production, improve access to
markets, raise household incomes, and enhance community resiliency
when faced with natural disasters and economic shocks.
Under the program, USAID's
partners will provide approximately 24,400 metric tons of food to
vulnerable households in Zimbabwe over the next two years. The program
will also assist vulnerable homes through community-based programs
to improve long term food security. Projects include supporting
small- and large-scale irrigation projects; rehabilitating livestock
assets such as cattle dip tanks; promoting conservation agriculture;
improving livestock practices; and training village savings and
lending groups to manage income generation activities. Approximately
90,000 households will benefit from the PRIZE initiative.
PRIZE consortium
local partners, including the Community Technology Development Trust
(CTDT), the Organization of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP),
and the Southern
Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE), will support community
initiatives that promote recovery and improved food security.
"Humanitarian assessments
show that large numbers of people in Zimbabwe still require targeted
assistance to meet their minimum food needs," said USAID/Zimbabwe
Mission Director Karen Freeman. "Through the PRIZE Consortium,
the United States will both address immediate needs and help build
agricultural infrastructure in Zimbabwe to help eliminate the long-term
need for food aid."
CRS Country Representative,
Paul Townsend, concurred, "We are proud to be working with
USAID, the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders to foster
long-term food security and develop community skills in Zimbabwe."
The food security situation
in Zimbabwe has improved this year following a three percent increase
in the national harvest, yet a recent UNICEF study shows that chronic
malnutrition, especially in some children, calls for sustained support
from the international community during this transition period.
Livelihood recovery is a key element of this U.S. government-supported
program and includes bolstering local partners to enable communities
to increase farm production, to access to markets and to create
general economic stability for vulnerable populations.
The United States government
is the largest single donor of humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe.
Since 2002, the United States has contributed more than $1 billion
to humanitarian operations in Zimbabwe.
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
TOP
|
