From Seed To Table (FStT) : Bulawayo - Zimbabwe - Activities Update

Bulawayo - Zimbabwe | Ndola - Zambia | Cape Town - South Africa.

Background

The city of Bulawayo is home to one of the FSTT projects in the region. Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe. It is situated in area of low annual rainfall and receives less than 800mm of rain per year. Water for agriculture is therefore a perennial challenge. The CFF project sought to augment water supply in order to promote all-year round agriculture. This was done through building a canal in the Gum Plantation Garden allotments in order to minimise water losses through seepage. This has significantly improved the overall water supply.

Selecting the NGO-FSTT and the Farmers

The FSTT project is building on the gains of the CFF project. One of the partners of the CFF project, World Vision International, was approached to coordinate the project and they agreed. A contract was subsequently signed with them to formalise the agreement and agree on deliverables and benchmarks. A group of 100 farmers were identified to be part of the project. These farmers who are part of the project are working to introduce innovation in the manner they produce and access markets. The process started with the choosing of the farmer representatives and the training of these farmers in order to make them understand the project and be able to work with experts and the NGO coordinating the project.

Farmers work through MoPO selection in Bulawayo

Farmer Training and the Diagnostic Process

The farmers then went through the process of identifying products that they can produce for the markets, analyse the markets, and selected their most promising option (MoPO). The two most popular options for them were poultry and mushroom. They finally chose to produce dressed poultry that they would supply to retail and institutional organizations. These will be branded and packed as whole chickens as well as in portions.

Business and Project Planning

After the diagnostic phase, the team joined the other cities at the second regional training that was held in Ndola, Zambia. The team was exposed to Business Planning, Project Planning, and planning for the Urban Producer Field Schools (UPFS). At the training, the team produced drafts of all the plans and proceeded to finalise these upon their return from Zambia. The team has since submitted a draft Business Plan. They have also produced schedules of UPFS meetings and session plans for each UPFS. They are now planning to purchase the chickens and start project implementation.

The MSF and Strategic Agenda

Another more inclusive process running alongside the FSTT innovation project is the multi-stakeholder Forum on urban agriculture, the MSF. This is being coordinated by another CFF partner, SNV. They have also been formally contracted to coordinate the MSF. The organization has taken a keen interest in the process by dedicating an officer to run the MSF. This is expected to address the capacity constraints that were affecting the MSF due to lack of dedicated personnel.
The MSF is expected to finalise the Strategic Agenda as well as see to it that projects associated with it are implemented. The MSF is still chaired by a city councillor who ensures that deliberations and aspirations of the MSF are formalized in the council decision making structures.

Monitoring and Coaching

The regional team regularly monitors the project. Support is also provided through coaching visits to ensure that the local teams are well supported.