Zimbabwe Livestock for Accelerated Recovery and Improved Resiliency (ZRR) Quarterly Report January-March 2015

The project works to restock household herds, provide training in livestock husbandry, link producers to markets, build community capacity in rangeland management, develop rangeland management plans, and revive the livestock infrastructure. During the reporting period, the Land O'Lakes office in Zimbabwe remained largely closed due to an in-country registration issue, which has been resolved since. To prioritize achievement of program objectives and minimize additional implementation delays, Land O'Lakes has developed a plan to implement technical activities in partnership with its long-time local partner, . An award modification request was submitted to OFDA on March 4, 2015, and OFDA acknowledged receipt of the submission on March 19, 2015. With the modification, Land O'Lakes seeks to shift direct technical implementation to through a subaward, with ongoing support and oversight from Land O'Lakes staff. The project has made progress in several areas. The number of households trained or receiving technical assistance in goat production and marketing has increased to 2,205, exceeding the target of 2,000. The average value of assets (tools, livestock, domestic) in targeted participating households has also increased to $2,496, exceeding the target of $2,200. Additionally, the number of households receiving goats from the program and participating in producer groups has increased to 983, exceeding the target of 800. The project has also made progress in improving rangeland and water resources management. The number of community farmers applying improved farm and sustainable rangeland management techniques has increased to 82%, exceeding the target of 60%. The number of hectares under improved land management has also increased to 6,369, exceeding the target of 5,000. The project has also made progress in disaster risk reduction activities. The number of individuals participating in disaster risk reduction activities has increased to 11,025, exceeding the target of 10,000. The percentage of beneficiary households with improved productive asset base has also increased to 44%, exceeding the target of 40%. The project has also made progress in building the capacity of local partners. The number of CLWs trained in farm and sustainable rangeland management techniques has increased to 68, exceeding the target of 50. The number of individuals trained in improved farm and rangeland management techniques has also increased to 7,430, exceeding the target of 6,000. Overall, the ZRR project has made significant progress in achieving its objectives and has the potential to make a lasting impact on the small livestock sector in Zimbabwe.