Zimbabwe's food crisis: Can old crops fix new problems?
Zimbabwe鈥檚 staple crop, maize, can鈥檛 cope with dry, hot weather. Drought-resistant alternatives exist, but can the food industry convince consumers to embrace different tastes?
Every day people dig into sadza, a maize based meal, but there鈥檚 a problem. Zimbabwe鈥檚 getting much drier and maize can鈥檛 cope. Crop failures have partly contributed to food shortages this year leading to more than 7 million people needing food aid. The economic crisis has made the situation more serious and things will only get worse as the climate heats up. How can Zimbabwe feed itself? It turns out grains like millet and sorghum could hold the key. Unlike maize, these small grains are indigenous to the region. Charlotte Ashton meets the remarkable business people fighting to put them back on Zimbabwean plates. From convincing smallholder farmers that traditional crops are the way forward, to advertising the health benefits of small grains to busy parents, this is a campaign for hearts and minds as much as full bellies.
Presenter: Charlotte Ashton
Producer: Phoebe Keane
Picture Credit: 大象传媒
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- Sat 8 Feb 2020 08:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sat 8 Feb 2020 09:32GMT大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sun 9 Feb 2020 01:32GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Sun 9 Feb 2020 19:32GMT大象传媒 World Service
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