Musa Dube, a lead farmer from Zimbabwe amidst her cowpea crop

Abstract

The ‘Increasing Food Security and Resilience to Climate Shocks – Gwanda Project is addressing the major underlying causes of food insecurity in Zimbabwe including poor access to water for irrigation, insufficient food production, as well as lack of livelihoods alternatives beyond crop production. The project introduced solar powered drip irrigation technology. This has ensured water use efficiency in the driest parts of the country which resulted in farmers increasing cultivation area. Nine solar powered pumping systems were introduced to reduce the drudgery associated with carrying water using buckets. Around 1000 people from 250 households are benefiting from this component of the project. Musa Dube, a lead farmer amidst her cowpea crop that she has planted under the seed multiplication component of the project. Musa has planted cowpea in 0.2 ha planted to this cowpea crop and at harvest she will share 10 members of her group.