Agro Ecology for Food Security & Inco

General

Women smallholder Farmers in Zombo District face climate change challenges that have affected their food production and income capacities. These challenges range from prolonged dry spells affecting crop germination, too much and erratic rains which causeflooding and damage root tuber crops such as cassava, yam, and potatoes. Dry spells and waterlogging result in crop diseases which can affectother crops, especially since women producers lack the capacity to control such infestations. These, coupled with ineffective agronomic practices and accelerating climate change impacts and damages, affect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their households. The project aims at enhancing the food and income security of 200 women smallholder farmers using the CRAEM model. Oxfam has piloted this model with smallholder women and men food producers, and the model has proven to enhance the resilience of smallholder farmers to climate change impacts and improve productivity. The model emphasizes working with andstrengthening community leadership structures and emphasizes practices and technologies within the means of beneficiaries which can be scaled without further external support Land degradation, poor soil health, and high dependence on rain-fed agriculture has increased the vulnerability of rural households to food insecurity and poverty, eroding productive assets and weakening their coping strategies and resilience. Onset, duration, and intensity of rains vary considerably from year to year, and the increased frequency of erratic weather patterns, including drought and flooding, have negatively impacted the national economy and the livelihoods of the people. New measures are needed to help farmers and consumers cope with the changes in emerging and projected weather patterns. Oxfam would like to support 200 women smallholder farmers to practice climate-smart agriculture to maximise their productivity and increase nutrition and income using the Climate Resilient Agro Ecological Model (CRAEM)