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Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter

Cabinet has adopted a Multi-Sectoral Food and Nutrition Strategy for Zimbabwe (2023-2025) which seeks to achieve accelerated, broad based and sustainable economic growth that cut across all sectors of the economy as the Second Republic heighten efforts to ensure national food security.

The strategy also seeks to promote and ensure adequate food and nutrition and came about as a result of wide consultations with stakeholders.

This was said by Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere while addressing a post-Cabinet briefing held in Harare yesterday.

He said the strategy paper was presented in Cabinet by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga who is the Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Food Security and Nutrition. 

“The nation is being informed that the Multi-Sectoral Food and Nutrition Security Strategy for Zimbabwe (MFNSS) (2023-2025) seeks to achieve accelerated, high, inclusive, broad-based and sustainable economic growth as well as socio-economic transformation and development. 

“It also aims to promote and ensure adequate food and nutrition security for all the people in Zimbabwe. The strategy is a culmination of wide and extensive consultations with stakeholders inclusive of citizens and cooperating partners,” said Dr Muswere.

“The nation is being advised that the Multi-Sectoral Food and Nutrition Security Strategy for Zimbabwe (MFNSS) will adopt a multi-sectoral approach to ensure partnerships and coordination among the following key sectors: agriculture, education, health and child care, local government, social services; and women and gender.”

He said the coordination mechanism will assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of comprehensive sector strategies, while creating an enabling environment for the realisation of food and nutrition security at individual, household, community and national level. 

“The strategy will operationalise the following National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) key result areas: Policy Analysis and Advocacy; Agriculture and Food Security; Social Protection; Food Safety, Quality and Standards; Nutrition Security; Food and Nutrition Information; as well as Enhancing and Strengthening Capacities for Food and Nutrition Security,” he said.

“The nation is further being informed that the Strategy will be implemented through multi-sectoral decentralised structures in order to attain the set objectives. 

“Local Development Councils will play a critical role in coordinating implementation of the strategy, while the lead sectors will be fully accountable for the attainment of the set goals.” 

The strategy, said Dr Muswere is envisaged to achieve several impacts.

“The Food and Nutrition Security Strategy for Zimbabwe is envisaged to achieve the following impacts: promotion of closer coordination and alignment of actions in the field and more efficient use of resources; strengthening collaborative action among Government sectors; efficient monitoring of the implementation of food and nutrition strategies; and the effective reduction of food insecurity and malnutrition,” he said.

“The strategy is designed to build food and nutrition resilience for communities, culminating in improved livelihoods, visible development, productivity and economic growth as the country marches towards attaining Vision 2030.”