Zambuko Resilience Challenge

The Zambuko Resilience Challenge is a resilience-building project funded by USAID through the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The project seeks to improve smallholder production, the governance of community resources, and access to finance and markets, strengthening and expanding on-farm and off-farm livelihood opportunities in order for households to be less vulnerable to recurrent crisis as assets are better utilized and incomes increase.

The project also strengthens social cohesion, integrate nutrition, and empower women and youth. Zambuko leverages on asset-creation activities funded by USAID FFP and others and build livelihood capacities to complement these investments, creating a holistic package of support, resulting in durable resilience impacts for economic growth. The project represents medium-term transition support for households, to help them graduate from humanitarian assistance and pave the way to sustainable livelihoods.

Zambuko started in January 2020 and targets 5,000 households in Masvingo and Mwenezi districts (to be reached by March 2021).

The overall objective of the project is to strengthen and diversify livelihoods among Zimbabweans living in poverty and vulnerable to recurrent crises.

Objectives

1. To improve access to finance and increase saving capacity of smallholders

2. To improve access to markets through enhancing the capacity of farmers to engage with market players

3. To reduce post-harvest losses through developing capacity of farmers in post-harvest handling