Key Results 2019

The key results are evident from the project status as captured in the baseline study conducted in May 2016 and the results achieved by December 2018.

In the period of May 2016 to end of 2018, the 2,250 farmers were trained in conservation agriculture, crops’ rotation, crops’ diversification, storage of crops, livestock, water management (irrigation systems), agro processing techniques & trading, entrepreneurship, savings and loans, leadership training, etc. Alongside the training, ADPP agriculture instructors also worked daily with the farmers to monitor the activities in the fields. Demonstration fields were established in each club. Throughout the project period, planning sessions and interactions with farmers took place on how to adopt the new learning and increase productivity for better food–security and improved income, which resulted in:

• The farmers adopted new farming techniques and improved farm productivity. e.g. the production of rice (one of the main crops) harvested per hectare increased 182% and sesame, cash crop 67%.
• Above 50% of the farmers started storing their crops and selling their products  jointly as organised groups, which facilitated bargaining for better prices, with better results.
• 725 farmers established contracts with agro-trading companies and received better prices, than what they had been getting before.
• 690 micro businesses started, of which 429 were run by women.
• The 45 clubs were formally registered as legal associations giving them legal status and a legal voice reinforcing their institutional sustainability.
• When the project ended in 2019, 10 of the clubs were led by women and 35 by men, compared to when the programme started, where all the clubs were led by men.
• In average the 2,250 farmers’ household increased their annual income almost 300%: from an average of $175 in 2016 to an average of $500.

In March 2019, Nhamatanda district was struck by Cyclone Idai with devastating effects: 2,250 farmers and their families lost not only all crops, but also their homesteads and belongings forcing some to leave their places of origins.  The cyclone severely undermined the gains the project had made on one hand, but also highlighted the benefit of the social cohesion the project had built when club members reached out to help each other, including sharing information on the whereabouts of each other. This facilitated information collection which was critical to get the necessary help during the humanitarian response.