When Cyclones Idai and Kenneth made landfall in Southern Africa in March and April of 2019, heavy rains, floods and landslides affected over 3.8 million people and destroyed nearly 800 000 ha of standing crops in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Farmers lost local seed reserves and crops that were ready for harvest. In response, FAO has provided electronic cash vouchers and agricultural kits to improve food security, nutrition and livelihoods in the short-term. At the same time, FAO is also working with governments, genebanks and farmers to rebuild seed systems, supported by Germany, through a project entitled “Foundations for rebuilding seed systems post Cyclone Idai: Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi”. This article first appeared in German in the newsletter Welternaehrung. The final project report is available
here while a communication product on achievements and insights from project implementation is available
here. There is also a
brochure on the project.
