from DANAI MWARUMBWA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – JAPAN has contributed US$5,1 million to support 37 000 climate-affected smallholder farmers across Zimbabwe.
The three-year project is to enhance food security and resilience for farmers by establishing water-based infrastructure, developing value chains and strengthening agricultural extension service capacity.
Recipients are in five districts of the Southern African country.
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed the contribution.
Barbara Clemens, Country Representative and Director for WFP in Zimbabwe, said the contribution from Japan allowed the organisation to make food more available, easier to access and more reliable for Zimbabwean families.
“By supporting farmers to grow food in a sustainable way and connect them to markets, we can address immediate food needs and empower communities to build a food secure future,” she said.
Shinichi Yamanaka, Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, said under the project, small-scale farmers would be supported in growing sesame seeds to practice market-oriented agriculture.
A Japanese trading company called ITOCHU Corporation is expected to play an important role in completing the value-chain of the project.
The Japanese government will provide financial assistance of approximately $72 000 to the project for the construction of storages for sesame farmers in Mwenezi District, implemented by Sustainable Agriculture Technology (SAT).
“SAT is expected to support sesame production and its procurement including value addition for the local and export market,” Yamanaka said.
Since 2019, Japan has contributed over US$ 28 million to WFP-supported food assistance and resilience-building for vulnerable communities in the country.
– CAJ News