Thank you @usaid nutrition diversity and environmental stewardship is bearing fruits as it is catering for household consumption and income generation. Loveness Mauyangwe and her daughter in law, Maria Dhliwayo from Ward 1 in Chiredzi are enjoying the benefits of vegetable diversification in their diet from their nutrition garden. The FARM activity is encouraging women to establish nutrition gardens so that they gain access to diverse vegetables in addition to earning income from the sale of excess vegetables that they would have produced. In May last year, 45 mulberry fodder trees were established around their garden to provide a live fence that prevents entry of livestock, to provide fodder to supplement her livestock nutrition requirements through protein rich animal feed and at the same time protect the environment through reducing land degradation, and global warming through carbon sequestration. The trees have fully established and are now ready for cutting and supplementing her livestock. The trees also provide, mulberry fruits which they can consume when in season for added diversity. Her garden is now catering for both her livestock, household, and the community.
Currently she has planted sugar beans, tomatoes, kale, tsunga and onions. She also has already started harvesting and selling the green vegetables and she sells 3 bundles of vegetables for a $1. Her daughter in law, Maria Dhliwayo said that per week they sell about 45 bundles giving them $15 each week. “We were using the land to produce small grains but after getting assistance for the FARM activity we realised that we could make better use of the land by producing horticultural crops all year round and produce feed for our household as well as feed for our livestock from the same garden as we have access to water,” said Maria Dhliwayo.
