[{"bbox": [96, 152, 1163, 207], "category": "Text", "text": "region. However, women who are too often dependent on forest and farming landscapes face many obstacles moving out of poverty⁹."}, {"bbox": [96, 231, 1163, 366], "category": "Text", "text": "Zimbabwe hosts the 2nd biggest population of African elephant (*Loxodonta africana*) – only after Botswana- and very important populations of other iconic species, like black rhinoceros (*Diceros bicornis*), white rhinoceros (*Ceratotherium simum*), big cats (*Panthera sp.*) and wild dogs (*Lycaon pictus*) to name only a few. In a context of biodiversity erosion and declining populations of megafauna, the selected areas constitute a real stronghold for these species whose populations have been largely decimated all over the African continent."}, {"bbox": [96, 391, 1163, 578], "category": "Text", "text": "The rural populations in the indicated intervention areas share the general characteristics of vulnerability of most of the country's farmers and only a small fraction produces a surplus in excess of their household immediate needs. In addition to some 1000 corporate and commercial farmers each with some 1500 hectares on average, since the 2000 land reform, there is a category of only some 30,000 resettled and small-scale women and men farmers scattered across the country that progressively produce significant quantities for the market and increasingly become part of the commodity value chains. In fact the districts selected for intervention are identified as some of the most vulnerable in the country and were the basis for the selection of the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) programme."}, {"bbox": [96, 603, 1163, 843], "category": "Text", "text": "Poverty continues to be one of the major underlying causes of **vulnerability to food and nutrition insecurity** as well as precarious livelihoods in Zimbabwe. According to the ZIMSTAT Poverty, Income, Consumption and Expenditure Survey 2017 report, 70.5% of the population were poor whilst 29.3% were deemed extremely poor. The macroeconomic situation remains volatile due to parallel market exchange rates that are the main drivers of price increases in the local currency in both formal and informal sectors. This is impacting livelihoods and access to food, especially among poor households. Zimbabwe's predominantly semi-arid climate is extremely variable, with shifting rainfall patterns, droughts and floods exacerbated by substantial environmental challenges including land degradation, deforestation and inadequate water quantity and quality. Climate stressors affect agriculture and food and nutrition security, disproportionately affecting women and girls."}, {"bbox": [96, 868, 1163, 1134], "category": "Text", "text": "About 80 percent of agricultural production is rainfed and thus **highly vulnerable to drought**, resulting in strong annual fluctuations in, and overall decreasing levels of, national maize (main staple in the country) production over recent decades. The food system in Zimbabwe is characterized by a sharp trend of increasing cereal imports since 2000, in a context of a steadily increasing population and a general decline in per capita food supply (daily kcal) in all foods, except vegetable oils (sunflower and sesame) which have tripled since 2007. The production of cereals, beef and milk have remained largely unchanged over the past 20 years. Production of fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers have increased steadily since 1980, and the production of poultry, eggs and goats has risen rapidly over the past 20 years. However, increases in these products have been insufficient to keep pace with the growing population. The importance of Oil Crops and Livestock Feeds to the Zimbabwe food economy is highlighted by significant increases in both their production and the imports since 2000."}, {"bbox": [96, 1160, 1163, 1321], "category": "Text", "text": "The Zimbabwe National Agriculture Policy Framework (2018-2030) notes that while the land reform and resettlement programme created a new and more equitable structure of landownership, control and use in Zimbabwe, **numerous challenges remain within the domain of land management and administration**. Key challenges persist such as farmland tenure insecurity and lack of access to capital in a high-risk business environment, poor crop diversity, a general lack of value addition, structural bottlenecks in input/output markets, land underutilization, and low productivity."}, {"bbox": [96, 1345, 1163, 1505], "category": "Text", "text": "Effects of protracted and complex crises, including climate change, are not gender neutral, as women and youth, in their diversities, are typically among the highest risk groups. Key factors that account for the differences between women's and men's vulnerability to such risks include gender-based differences in time use, access to assets and credit, treatment by formal institutions which can constrain women's opportunities, access to policy discussions and decision making. Systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data for policy change is one of the key avenues to address the issue and this Action has the potential to contribute to the overall improvement."}, {"bbox": [85, 1597, 1141, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁹ GEF, 2022. How gender equality can make landscapes more sustainable. The Global Environment Facility online, accessed through https://www.thegef.org/newsroom/feature-stories/how-gender-equality-can-make-landscapes-more-sustainable"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1142, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 9 of 31"}]