Sustainable Youth-driven Rabbit Production For Improved Food and Nutrition Security

The Hama Maoko Star Club is raising funds for their youth-driven rabbit production project which will improve food and nutrition security in the Shurugwi community.

Based in Gonye Village, Shurugwi District,Midlands Province,Zimbabwe, the Hama Maoko Star Club was formed by Hand in Hand Zimbabwe, and came from the need to widen the range of nutritious food available to the community.

This has been decided to be done through the provision of rabbit meat and organically-produced vegetables, whilst simultaneously using the produced rabbit urine as an organic fertilizer and pesticide.

The project will also provide employment opportunities and a steady income for 20 youths from 20 households in the community, further improving their economic access to food.

Initially beginning with a small number of rabbits, the project hopes to, with the procurement of sufficient rabbit food and cages, subsequently produce a large number of rabbits. 

Within just a few months, it is hoped enough rabbits will be produced, simultaneously providing meat and urine for fertiliser and pesticide.

"We have the land, knowledge and skills to effectively manage this project. We also have the mentoring and coaching support of organisations such as Hand in Hand Zimbabwe which will make the success of our project inevitable."

This campaign development has been supported by the Institute for Sustainable Food's Make it Grow project. Lawrence Kudakwashe Makaure, Takudzwa Ndawana, Tungamirirai Dingiliziwe, Selina Hungwe and Farirai Sihlahla co-created this campaign video proposal after taking part in a participatory video workshop series run virtually by Dr. Pamela Richardson-Ngwenya at the Institute for Sustainable Food