OXFAM Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods Phase 2 (CARL 2) 2022- 2025

Summary of Year 1 achievements Notable results (indicated below) have been achieved from the rehabilitation, construction and use of infrastructure such as Boreholes and Masonry tanks, natural Resources Management and biodiversity conservation initiatives, promotion of youth and women participation, financial management and governance and climate related information and awareness. - Communities adopt new climate smart farming practices in a sustainable way, including new income-generating activities like selling of vegetables and horticulture produce. - Communities have access to water throughout the year as a substitute of dry land crop production which can be disrupted by drought. - Communities adopt new climate-smart natural resources management practices with farmers proactively managing their biodiversity for greater food security, resilience and adaptation to climate change. - Participation of women in decision making on the administration of productive assets has also assisted them to be heard in major decision making. Women making their needs and concerns heard in community development.The training enabled women to stand up for their rights, being able to draft project visions and follow them up to success. They are empowered through access to financial services. - Households develop new businesses through livelihood diversification from established micro irrigation schemes and gardens. Households are better able to track their profits and have adequate records for their income generating projects and communities are better able to solve conflicts in the project assets they share. - MSD better able to produce and disseminate relevant weather products. Communities receiving reliable weather information alerted and better prepared in case of weather threats and shocks. Locally observed rainfall data are considered in early warning and informs farmer decision on cropping season. Critical information now reaching smallholder farmers timely with accurate and relevant information allowing smallholder farmers to make better farm decisions. Summary of Results by outcome Outcome 1: Increased climate adaptation knowledge and awareness enabling adoption of gendered climate-smart agricultural solutions, innovations and technology integrated with Natural Resources Management, biodiversity protection and diversified livelihoods at the household and landscape level in targeted areas. - 18% of the targeted households in Mberengwa have adopted climate smart agricultural practices while the adoption of the 7064 farmers trained in Gutu, Bulilima and Buhera districts on irrigation technologies, the adoption of drought-tolerant crops and livestock, infield water harvesting, and soil and water conservation is yet to be noted. - In Mberengwa- 12%, Bulilima 31%, Buhera 24.4% and Gutu 7.7% have been trained on sustainable natural resources management and utilization practices. Percentage increase of adoption of these will be attained in year 2. - 8070 (40%) households have diversified livelihoods such as irrigated agriculture production, indigenous chickens, and goat production and participation in Village Savings and Lending groups/ associations and petty trading. Key lessons learnt for Outcome 1 include: - Natural Resources Management without livelihood benefits for the target group is not sustainable. - Need for Rural communities to transform their food systems to embrace a diversity of food plants and sources of food then food security and resilience will be achieved e.g. small grains are not favored among the youth. - Importance of reliable climate and weather information which enables farmers to make decisions in ways that can minimize risk exposure or mitigate climate risk. The seasonal rainfall outlook in August 2023 of a possible El Niño induced drought saw some farmers adjusting their grain selling decisions from the previous harvest. Outcome 2: Increased Women and Youth economic empowerment and more equitable access and control over household and community resources This outcome focuses on the enhanced economic empowerment of women and youth through enhanced access to and control over household and community resources. -A total of 10,075 (167%) women and youth are directly reached by the project with Buhera having the highest reach of 3376 women and 1035 female youths. - 3408 (17%) women were reached with market information and training. However, an evaluation is yet to be done to determine improved access to markets for key value chains as well as effects on their ownership and control of assets. Key lessons learnt for Outcome 2 include: - Women with diversified livelihoods under CARL 2 are seen to have improved their adaptive capacities and are more likely to adapt to climate change shocks by shifting focus to more resilient livelihoods, adjusting production practices, and even tapping into alternative income streams as needed and thus enhance household resilience. - Entrepreneurship training's among women and youths have fostered empowerment, self-reliance as well as a proactive mindset among farmers. - Village Savings and Lending groups promote a culture of saving and financial discipline among rural farmers. These are like financial reserves that cushion them against income shocks, unexpected expenses, and seasonal fluctuations. Outcome 3: Enhanced hydro-meteorological products, dissemination, and use This outcome explores the advancements achieved in the generation, dissemination, and application of enhanced hydro meteorological products under CARL 2. - 3220 (16% of project target) small holder farmers received climate-related information but an assessment is yet to be carried out to measure their level of satisfaction. - SMHI and MSD initiated work together to investigate and establish appropriate methods for applying OCR (Optical Character Recognition) or HTR (Hand-written Text Recognition) techniques to more automated digitizing of MSDs paper journal observations, thus furthering data rescue. - Field visits and workshop included a co-design of a plan for a pilot season of new and improved weather forecast services with important insight for further development of weather forecast. The co-designed plan covered development of new forecast products, dissemination channels, timing, and plan for training of users. - Developing partnership and relationship building between SMHI, UZ, ZINWA and Ministry (of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development) was one of the key achievements in year 1 as these will ensure sustainability of the HYPE hydrological model in Zimbabwe. - The hydrological model HYPE was identified as a potential tool for research at the University of Zimbabwe and a potential way forward for ZINWA to be used in a hydrological forecasting system. Key lesson learnt for Outcome 3 include: - Farmers are better able to make farming decisions based on the weather information that they are receiving to avoid input losses, early planting which has promoted early action.

The Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods programme expects to achieve: 1. Increased climate-smart agricultural solutions, technology and innovation integrated with natural resource management, biodiversity protection and diversified livelihoods at the household and landscape level. Activities include targeted awareness raising for 20 000 beneficiaries on natural resource management and biodiversity conservation and capacity building on adaptation at sub national level structures. There is also support for concrete, context specific resilient building measures to be adopted at household, community and landscape level including a large wetland fencing and agroforestry component and focus on regenerative soil fertility management, soil moisture conservation and rainwater harvesting. 2. Increased women and youth economic empowerment and more equitable access and control over household and community resources. Activities include training and support for linking women and youth to appropriate, climate smart, high value chains, providing catalyst funding for women and youth entrepreneurs and policy briefs developed on unfair trading practices in targeted value chains. 3. Enhanced hydro-meteorological products, dissemination, and use. Activities include quality control mechanisms established to improve data management, developing appropriate meteorological products to improve forecasting, and improving dissemination and accessibility of the forecasts and early weather warnings. The project vision is that of a resilient rural Zimbabwe, where poor, vulnerable and rural communities and institutions are able to anticipate, adapt and respond to climate shocks and other stresses, take charge of their own inclusive development while sustainably managing diverse natural resources and valuing biodiversity.