The European Union and Switzerland have committed more than €200 million (CHF187 million) towards initiatives aimed at bolstering food security and climate resilience in the country.
One standout project features an unconventional approach, a goat that defies conventional milking practices.
With an annual rainfall of 650 to 700mm, traditional agriculture struggles to thrive, plunging communities into poverty and hunger, the project is in the arid expanse of Mutiusinazita, Buhera district one of the country’s driest regions.
Jesca Mutero (46) a widow who was grappling with poverty, scraping on meager harvests from a small plot of land has seen her fortune change since the start of the project, she now owns 45 goats.
“Before this project, I was struggling. We cultivated the land, but the harvest often failed. Thanks to the goats we can now make a living,” she says.
Mutero attributes this remarkable turnaround to her involvement in the Mutiusinazita Buhera Livestock Association, a cooperative comprising 38 women dedicated to goat breeding.
This initiative is part of the broader €40 million Zimbabwe Agriculture Growth Programme launched by the EU in 2016 to revitalize the country’s livestock sector.
In March 2023, the EU and Switzerland further bolstered their collaboration with Zimbabwe, injecting €207 million into the Team Europe Initiative on Greener and Climate-Smart Agriculture.
The overarching goal is to foster sustainable agricultural practices and empower vulnerable communities to confront climate-induced adversities. The initiative targets regions like Manama in Gwanda district, situated 600km south of Harare.
Richard Nyamanhindi, program officer at the Swiss embassy, applauds the initiative’s local coordination, facilitating knowledge exchange and steering clear of past pitfalls.
Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Resettlement, Anxious Masuku applauded the EU and Swiss partnership, which he says aligns with the government’s sustainable agriculture agenda.
“It aligns with the government’s programme launched in 2020,” he said.
