Poor diets in low income countries are still hindering progress to reach the second sustainable development goal; to end hunger, ensure food security and improve nutrition. However, donors and the private sector have a unique opportunity to help – but only if they embrace the crucial issue of diversifying food production and consumption.
Diversification continues to be a buzzword in Zambia right now, and for good reason. The Zambian food system is not delivering enough affordable or nutritious foods for the majority of the population – a direct result of the country’s high dependence on one crop: maize.
A recent exhibition, curated by the Sustainable Diets for All program in Zambia for World Food Day, explored the changes needed to promote healthy and sustainable foods – supplementing the traditional maize-based staple nshima (hard porridge), from farm to plate.
As the Zambian government protects the nation against the COVID-19 pandemic, progress to increase agricultural and dietary diversity is being put at risk. Drawing on findings from a new study, William Chilufya and Jajah Coulibally discuss the challenges and opportunities that policy makers face. Coronavirus & Agriculture in Zambia At the peak of Zambia’s COVID-19 […]
Hivos, through the Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Fund, commissioned a case study on evidence-based advocacy for social accountability in adolescent SRHR – a case study of SAfAIDS in Zambia. This case study is part of a series of documentation of partners’ implementation of ASRHR advocacy approaches, best practices and lessons learnt […]
Public finance must boost demand for improved and ‘cleaner’ cookstoves by addressing the affordability gap in the poorest households —through price subsidies, concessional end-user financing, and other means. And it must increase supply to expand distribution channels — for example through grants, concessional finance, guarantee instruments, and patient capital to enterprises.
Malawi has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Africa – only permitting a termination of pregnancy to save a woman’s life. This restrictive law has been reinforced by harmful social norms thereby creating fear and stigma around abortion which leads women and girls to resort to unsafe abortion methods. In Malawi, unsafe abortion […]
In a bid to promote the full and effective participation and leadership of women and girls in political and societal decision-making in Zimbabwe, Hivos Southern Africa in partnership with the Embassy of Ireland in Pretoria, launched the She Leads project on 19 August 2020 in Harare, Zimbabwe. By Audrey Mutasa The She Leads project, which […]
Technology might change agricultural practices in Zimbabwe for good, once COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have ended. This emerged when a women’s entrepreneurial training program was almost derailed because stakeholders couldn’t do required site visits on farms due to stringent lockdown rules. Drone technology came to the rescue, doing the work faster and more efficiently than otherwise would have been possible with human visits.
Fifteen women farmers have been selected to take part in the Food for Export Masterclass 2020 (FEM2020): a program that seeks to build the capacity of female entrepreneurs in various aspects of horticulture, dairy production, food processing and food export business with a view to turning them into successful exporters.
Written by Nout van der Vaart, Hivos Advocacy Officer Sustainable Food At last week’s 2020 High Level Political Forum (HLPF), UN member states discussed how to get back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. They focused on a dire need for “accelerated action and transformative pathways […]
Written by Bill Vorley, Research Associate, IIED, Shaping Sustainable Markets research group – June 22, 2020. Bill Vorley discusses why we need a much deeper understanding of and partnership with people in the food systems that feed and provide livelihoods for low-income women and men. The food policy world has been abuzz with talk of transforming […]