Neno DC hails livelihood project

Neno district commissioner (DC) Rosemary Nawasha has commended Umodzi Consulting for implementing a project to improve people’s livelihoods in the district.

She said this on Friday at Mlindi Cooperative at Magaleta Village, Traditional Authority Mlauli during a field visit the Agriculture Service Committee organised to appreciate the programme’s impact in the district.

Umodzi Consulting is implementing a Livelihood Improvement Programme with funding from the United States Africa Development Foundation (USADF) working with cooperatives to improve the nutrition well-being of its members, particularly those with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“I am impressed with what is happening as people are growing different kinds of crops and rearing different kinds of animals,” said Nawasha.

Umodzi Consulting director of finance Ernest Luhanga said USADF works with farmer groups in different countries, providing grants to cooperatives at different levels.

He said in Neno, the programme is targeting people with NCDs such as diabetes to have access to nutritious food.

“We are working with 14 cooperatives which have received grants to implement their projects,” said Luhanga.

He said each cooperative is receiving about $118 000 (about K200 million) disbursed in phases.

Mlindi Cooperative chairperson James Mazingaliwa said they grow crops for consumption and sale.

“We have backyard gardens for vegetables. We also have planted fruit trees,” he said.

Mazingaliwa said NCD patients are now eating nutritious food.

Some of the technologies the cooperatives are using to grow crops include green house and drip irrigation.