Establishing an Irrigation scheme through harnessing an aquifer borehole for sustainable livelihoods. 

By Grand Mutondo

In 2007 Africa 2000 Network was awarded a contract by the Delegation of the European Union to Zimbabwe to develop an irrigation scheme.  This project aimed at irrigation scheme in Takunda A village of Ward 23 in Chipinge district aimed at improving food production at communal level and enhancing food security.   The project also included value adding of the agricultural produces through agro-processing, and other subsequent processes like capacity building and awareness campaigns in numerous disciplines including the environmental issues and HIV/AIDS.   

                                                          

The project developed a total of 5ha which benefited 45 households of the estimated population of 698.  Child-headed families, orphans and vulnerable children, female-headed households, people living with HIV/AIDS and the poorest of the poor households are the target beneficiaries. It also aims to develop and maintain an ecologically sound ecosystem by practising sustainable agriculture systems like organic farming which will ensure a constant and reliable supply of food.

The project took into account the issue of development in relation to HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has far reaching consequences to the household food security, which should not be overlooked; hence it’s imperative mainstreaming and integrating HIV/AIDS issues in this food security endeavours.  Publications material in local language were obtained from SAFAIDS and distributed to the community.

The major activities that were carried out carried out under this project included the upgrading of an aquifer borehole by upgrading with irrigation equipment and preparing the land for cultivation and the fencing of the site. The cultivation of a variety of food crops for example, vegetables i.e. onions cabbages, rape, peas, and beans, maize, sorghum, groundnuts, groundnuts, and tomatoes, among others help obtain a balanced diet, as access to diverse agricultural produce would have been increased.  The farmers obtained their first harvest in December 2011 with irrigation beneficiaries managing to harvest crops in the dry region at the begging of the rainy season.  The farmers are expected to continue farming during the dry season of 2012 without waiting for the rainy season.

Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe Background

Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe Background

by Grand Mutondo

Africa 2000 Network was started in 1989as a donor helping Community Based Organisations to implement livelihoods projects especially those with a link to the environment.  Africa 2000 Network (A2N) was  supported by the UNDP/Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP/RBA) in 2004 to undergo a process of transformation from a UNDP project to an independent regional network comprising of 11 (eleven) independent networks working together on a catalytic programme of support to local communities to develop the practice of Participatory Development Management (PDM) for attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially reducing extreme poverty, reversing HIV/AIDS trends and promoting sustainable management of resources at the local level. 

The Network now comprises of 11 National Organizations (NOs) with Burkina Faso and Kenya not being operational since 2004 and 2006 respectively while Zambia joined the Network in 2005 and Liberia and Togo in 2007. 

Since its inception, Africa 2000 has gone through III Phase. These are:

Phase I: 1989 to1994.

This was after the global realization that while a legion of programmes and projects had been implemented by African Governments and NGOs over previous decades with the support of multilateral development organizations, African countries south of the Sahara were (are at present) still facing enormous difficulties associated with poverty in rural areas, marginalization of some groups or categories of people in the development process, and strong degradation and gradual reduction in natural resources (forests, soils, water) due to deforestation and inappropriate farming practices.

It was in this context that Africa 2000 Network (A2N) was born from Canadian initiative during the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1986. The primary ultimate goal then (even up to now) was to promote sustainable development while protecting the environment and improving the living conditions of the people in Africa, and, more specifically to alleviate poverty by mobilizing and supporting grassroots communities and NGOs working towards environmental protection and promotion of ecologically sustainable development through the implementation of micro-projects.

Phase II: 1996 to 2000

During this Phase, the network was active in Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. In this period, the overriding development objective of A2N was to improve the livelihoods and resource management of people living in poverty through initiatives that are generated and sustained by local communities. Immediate objectives were

1            Continue to support and foster innovative community based initiatives that sustain the livelihoods and environment of people living in poverty;

2            Identify and develop the most important regional networking dimensions of the programme and

3            Ensure the sustainability of the Network beyond project duration.

In 2000 an Evaluation was held whose main conclusions were:

·            In every participating country then, A2N had allowed for the production of significant relevant and sustainable impacts in terms of strengthened technical and management capacities at community level, and in terms of improved livelihoods and resources management.

·            The best results in terms of quality, relevance and overall impact and sustainability, were achieved when projects (i) are based on innovative technologies, approaches and methods; (ii) are designed as part of more comprehensive programme – programme approach; (iii) involve a major management/technical capacity development component; (iv) are fully owned and executed by Community-Based Organizations (CBOs); (v) are based on income-generating and ecologically-sustainable activities; and (vi) arouse special interest from UNDP/CO from NGOs and from donors prepared to invest at the community level.

·            During Phase I and II the Network was administered through the UNDP/CO and had a National Coordinator who was also National Coordinator for the GEF/SGP

It was there fore recommended to transform the Network into an independent Network with the support of UNDP/CO as a mentor and separate National Coordinators for Africa 2000 and GEF/SGP, hence continue into Phase III (the current Phase).

Phase III (2001 to 2007)

This was split into a Transitional Phase (2001 to 2003) and the actual operational phase, (2004 to 2007).  The support to A2N as an independent Network started with an Inception workshop in November 2004 which reviewed the progress made towards transformation, partnerships, resource mobilization and uses of documentation for information sharing.  The NOs were also introduced to the MDGs and to UNOPS procedures.  These included Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.  A2N was however not registered in Mauritania.  An independent organisation (TENMIYA) was contracted by UNOPS to implement PDM activities in Mauritania.

The support by UNDP/RBA for the transformation phase was aimed at enabling A2N to:

·            Establish a Secretariat with adequate capacity and competence to facilitate networking and provide critical support to the NOs in the effective implementation of PDM for MDGs attainment by sharing lessons learnt, building on best practice, showcasing best results for advocacy and resource mobilization.

·            Implement PDM programmes in 11 (eleven) countries (with at least three communities in each country) that empower local communities to manage their own development to achieve the MDGs.

In order to prepare the different NOs and the Pan Africa Secretariat for the post-transformation phase and to effectively support community initiatives aimed at achieving the MDGs, influence policies at national level while at the same time ensuring long-term financial sustainability, strategic planning was done both at the national and Pan Africa level.  The following were adopted at the Pan Africa level as the goals of the Network for the period 2006-2009:

·            To strengthen the capability of poor local communities to negotiate, develop and implement their own action plans and to increase the local administration’s adoption of these community plans

·            To improve development policies at the national and local levels so that it facilitates the socio-economic development of poor urban and rural communities

·            To create the capacity for A2N to be an effective grant making partner as well as a capacity building and implementing body

·            To scale up activities in order to reinforce the pan-African nature of the organisation by strengthening the capacity of the NOs to have demonstrable impact in the context of the MDG indicators adopted by the respective communities as well as on the decentralized governance policies of the respective member states

·            To develop and implement strategies whereby the organization can be assured of long-term financial sustainability

The transition phase that was initially planned to start June 2004 was deferred and started November 2004. This created a financial void that offset the possible strong start in the independent state. The six months (June – November 2004) created serious shortfalls that threatened the adoption of the programme. This was cushioned from the resources mobilization that raised funds to support the operations and programme staff.

Africa 2000 Network Foundation Zimbabwe was duly registered on 27^th August 2003 pursuant to and in accordance with the provision of the Societies Act Cap 119 of the Laws of Zimbabwe with the main objective of contributing and accelerating progress to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at poor community levels mostly through Participatory Development Management (PDM), Result Based Management (RBM), Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and the Local-level integrated Information system (LIIS) as intervention methodologies.

Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe is currently working in three provinces namely Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland north. It is facilitating holistic development in the three pilot communities in implementing Participatory Development Management to achieve relevant MDGs in our strategic plan. The organisation is facilitating the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture and Water-harvesting project in Chipinge, Mwenezi and Insiza districts of the provinces mentioned above respectively as part of PDM. Africa 2000 Network is also facilitating the implementation and sustainable management of community irrigation schemes in the above-mentioned areas. Lastly Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe is providing empowerment and capacity building training in PDM to communities, Community based Institutions and NGOs in the three pilot areas of Chipinge, Insiza and Mwenezi.

Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe Background
By Grand Mutondo

Africa 2000 Network was started in 1989 as a donor project helping CBOs and communities to implement livelihoods projects especially those with a link to the environment.  In 2004, Africa 2000 Network (A2N) was  supported by the UNDP/Regional Bureau for Africa (UNDP/RBA) to undergo a process of transformation from a UNDP project to an independent regional network comprising of 11 (eleven) independent networks working together on a catalytic programme of support to local communities to develop the practice of Participatory Development Management (PDM) for attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) especially reducing extreme poverty, reversing HIV/AIDS trends and promoting sustainable management of resources at the local level. 

Since its inception, Africa 2000 has gone through III Phase. These are:

Phase I: 1989 to1994.

This was after the global realization that while a legion of programmes and projects had been implemented by African Governments and NGOs over previous decades with the support of multilateral development organizations, African countries south of the Sahara were (are at present) still facing enormous difficulties associated with poverty in rural areas, marginalization of some groups or categories of people in the development process, and strong degradation and gradual reduction in natural resources (forests, soils, water) due to deforestation and inappropriate farming practices.

It was in this context that Africa 2000 Network (A2N) was born from Canadian initiative during the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 1986. The primary ultimate goal then (even up to now) was to promote sustainable development while protecting the environment and improving the living conditions of the people in Africa, and, more specifically to alleviate poverty by mobilizing and supporting grassroots communities and NGOs working towards environmental protection and promotion of ecologically sustainable development through the implementation of micro-projects.

Phase II: 1996 to 2000

During this Phase, the network was active in Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. In this period, the overriding development objective of A2N was to improve the livelihoods and resource management of people living in poverty through initiatives that are generated and sustained by local communities. Immediate objectives were

1. Continue to support and foster innovative community based initiatives that sustain the livelihoods and environment of people living in poverty;
2. Identify and develop the most important regional networking dimensions of the programme and to
3.   Ensure the sustainability of the Network beyond project duration.

In 2000 an Evaluation was held whose main conclusions were:

•     In every participating country then, A2N had allowed for the production of significant relevant and sustainable impacts in terms of strengthened technical and management capacities at community level, and in terms of improved livelihoods and resources management.
• The best results in terms of quality, relevance and overall impact and sustainability, were achieved when projects (i) are based on innovative technologies, approaches and methods; (ii) are designed as part of more comprehensive programme – programme approach; (iii) involve a major management/technical capacity development component; (iv) are fully owned and executed by Community-Based Organizations (CBOs); (v) are based on income-generating and ecologically-sustainable activities; and (vi) arouse special interest from UNDP/CO from NGOs and from donors prepared to invest at the community level.
• During Phase I and II the Network was administered through the UNDP/CO and had a National Coordinator who was also National Coordinator for the GEF/SGP

It was there fore recommended to transform the Network into an independent Network with the support of UNDP/CO as a mentor and separate National Coordinators for Africa 2000 and GEF/SGP, hence continue into Phase III (the current Phase).

Phase III (2001 to 2007)

This was split into a Transitional Phase (2001 to 2003) and the actual operational phase, (2004 to 2007).  The support to A2N as an independent Network started with an Inception workshop in November 2004 which reviewed the progress made towards transformation, partnerships, resource mobilization and uses of documentation for information sharing.  The NOs were also introduced to the MDGs and to UNOPS procedures.  These included Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.  A2N was however not registered in Mauritania.  An independent organisation (TENMIYA) was contracted by UNOPS to implement PDM activities in Mauritania.

The support by UNDP/RBA for the transformation phase was aimed at enabling A2N to:

• Establish a Secretariat with adequate capacity and competence to facilitate networking and provide critical support to the NOs in the effective implementation of PDM for MDGs attainment by sharing lessons learnt, building on best practice, showcasing best results for advocacy and resource mobilization.
•   Implement PDM programmes in 11 (eleven) countries (with at least three communities in each country) that empower local communities to manage their own development to achieve the MDGs.

In order to prepare the different NOs and the Pan Africa Secretariat for the post-transformation phase and to effectively support community initiatives aimed at achieving the MDGs, influence policies at national level while at the same time ensuring long-term financial sustainability, strategic planning was done both at the national and Pan Africa level.  The following were adopted at the Pan Africa level as the goals of the Network for the period 2006-2009:

 To strengthen the capability of poor local communities to negotiate, develop and implement their own action plans and to increase the local administration’s adoption of these community plans

To improve development policies at the national and local levels so that it facilitates the socio-economic development of poor urban and rural communities

To create the capacity for A2N to be an effective grant making partner as well as a capacity building and implementing body

To scale up activities in order to reinforce the pan-African nature of the organisation by strengthening the capacity of the NOs to have demonstrable impact in the context of the MDG indicators adopted by the respective communities as well as on the decentralized governance policies of the respective member states

    To develop and implement strategies whereby the organization can be assured of long-term financial sustainability

The transition phase that was initially planned to start June 2004 was deferred and started November 2004. This created a financial void that offset the possible strong start in the independent state. The six months (June – November 2004) created serious shortfalls that threatened the adoption of the programme. This was cushioned from the resources mobilization that raised funds to support the operations and programme staff.

Africa 2000 Network Foundation Zimbabwe was duly registered on 27^th August 2003 pursuant to and in accordance with the provision of the Societies Act Cap 119 of the Laws of Zimbabwe with the main objective of contributing and accelerating progress to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at poor community levels mostly through Participatory Development Management (PDM), Result Based Management (RBM), Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and the Local-level integrated Information system (LIIS) as intervention methodologies.

Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe is currently working in three provinces namely Manicaland, Masvingo and Matebeleland north. It is facilitating holistic development in the three pilot communities in implementing Participatory Development Management to achieve relevant MDGs in our strategic plan. The organisation is facilitating the implementation of the Sustainable Agriculture and Water-harvesting project in Chipinge, Mwenezi and Insiza districts of the provinces mentioned above respectively as part of PDM. Africa 2000 Network is also facilitating the implementation and sustainable management of community irrigation schemes in the above-mentioned areas. Lastly Africa 2000 Network Zimbabwe is providing empowerment and capacity building training in PDM to communities, Community based Institutions and NGOs in the three pilot areas of Chipinge, Insiza and Mwenezi.