Sibusiso and David digging for devil’s claw. © Africa Now
The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation provided a grant of £30,000 in 2007/08.
Increasing Incomes in Rural Zimbabwe
With inflation the highest in the world and severe shortages of fuel and food, millions of people throughout Zimbabwe are struggling to survive. In spite of these challenging conditions, Africa Now’s work funded by The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation is enabling 1,600 rural households to earn additional income to meet their basic needs. The Zimbabwe programme is supported through two projects, Increasing Income Opportunities for Small-Scale Dairy Farmers, and Sustainably Harvesting Devil’s Claw. The focus of the dairy project is to introduce new techniques to increase milk production, leading to higher incomes. With few opportunities to earn a living, dairy farming is seen as a long term option to help families through these difficult times. With generous support from the Foundation, we have worked with local partners and farmers to improve fodder production and animal health, the key issues identified by the community to increase milk yields. With record unemployment and food scarce, a reliable supply of milk is important to the wellbeing of farmers’ own families and of the wider community.
The second project is helping farmers in the Kalahari region of Zimbabwe to earn money from the harvest and sale of the medicinal plant, devil’s claw. Alongside a local partner, Africa Now is helping communities meet an established international demand, whilst obtaining a reliable income and protecting their environment. The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation has specifically supported training on sustainable harvesting techniques and processing. The average income earned per sale was £15 – the equivalent of a primary school teacher’s salary or enough money to buy 6 goats or 100kg of maize.
Visit the Africa Now website.