Building Resilience Through CLA: Insights from the Zimbabwe Mechanization & Extension Activity During El Niño

USAID Zimbabwe recognized the benefits of collaborative efforts and encouraged the Mechanization and Extension Activity, implemented by CIMMYT and subgrantee Linkages for Economic Advancement of the Disadvantaged (LEAD), to collaborate with Fostering Agribusiness for Resilient Markets (FARM) Activity implemented by (Chemonics). This partnership combined technical skills, aligned objectives, and coordinated activities to benefit shared beneficiaries and enhance overall impact and efficiency. Under USAID’s guidance, a tripartite collaboration ensured livestock food security by processing maize stover into animal feed, helping beneficiaries adapt and become more resilient during the El Nino year affecting Southern Africa in the 2023/2024 cropping season. LEAD mobilized farmers, FARM provided training on feed formulation and storage, and the Mechanization Activity introduced mechanization through the use of the chopper grinder working with private sector agriculture equipment suppliers, enhancing efficiency and reducing labor. This innovation created economic opportunities for women and youth through service provision. Using the Collaborate, Learn, Adapt (CLA) approach, the Mechanization Activity fostered a collaborative environment through joint training sessions, field days, and awareness meetings. This collaborative effort has significantly increased the uptake of chopper grinders, making them the second most purchased equipment among Service Providers, with 31% being women. This initiative has improved livelihoods and resilience among farmers during the current El Nino crisis. Effective management of stakeholders, staff, and government departments further amplified these collaborative efforts, ensuring sustainable benefits for targeted farming communities in Zimbabwe.