PPA- Masvingo Livelihoods  LPPZ Caritas Masvingo will have an opportunity to address food and income security of the targeted poor households in Bikita and Chivi districts of Masvingo Zimbabwe through increasing productivity and enhancing income sources. The project will inject resources for agro-inputs, training and extension support which in turn will provide poor farmers with the capacity to respond to more positive market signals and move out of food insecurity and poverty. The objective of this project would be to enhance livelihoods for targeted men and women through facilitating access to food and income security in a sustainable manner. Food security will be improved by increasing productivity through adoption of modern farming methods like Conservation Agriculture while income security will be done through value addition and strengthening of agro-enterprises. Nutrition and market gardens will as well add value to improving food and income security of the targeted households. The project will start in September 2012 and will be implemented over a period of 18 months to allow for graduation of the targeted poor farmers to better off farmers

Beneficiaries will be supported with an inputs package for the first year and will be trained trained on modern practices on agriculture like conservation farming. CAFOD and Caritas Masvingo will work closely with Foundations for Farming to train 500 lead farmers, government extension staff and partner staff on conservation agriculture and organic fertiliser preparation. Lead farmers will then be supported to establish demo plots in their area and roll out training to 3,750 farmers, who will also receive agric inputs. Inputs for a cereal and a legume crop will only be provided in the first year of the programme whilst in the second year the beneficiaries will retain the seeds from their harvest. Caritas Masvingo will also facilitate establishment of 8 community nutrition and market gardens. Emphasis  will be on the production of vegetables and nutritious herbs to improve on dietary diversity. HIV and AIDS and Nutrition mainstreaming training will be integrated in this activity, with the Nutrition Council of Zimbabwe playing an active role to facilitate trainings on nutrition mainstreaming.  Foundations for Farming will facilitate the establishment of model nutrition demo gardens and training of members on herbs and vegetable production. 

A Youth Business Centre will be built in Chivi District for the youths and young couple entrepreneurs. The centre is expected to house youth entrepreneurs who are going to be trained and mentored on selected business enterprises. The youths will also get business start up grants and will be involved in production and marketing of peanut butter. The expected outcome is to create self employment and increase household income of targeted youths.  180 HHs (900 people) are going to be reached and supported with a focus on small enterprises development and income generation. This will also mean that Caritas will link the enterprises to viable markets for sustainable business development. This is meant to increase incomes of the targeted households hence also improve food security and build resilience to external shocks.   

Caritas will work closely with government structures to ensure that the process will continue even after the project is ended. The government staff will be trained during the course of the project and their capacity will be built for takeover of the project hence sustainability. The departments that the project will work with are Ministry of agriculture Minsuty of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives Development, the District Adminitrators and other local authorities of the respective areas.