Fighting Poverty in the
Dry South of Madagascar
Smallholder Shell Fish
Farmer Cooperative in Vietnam
KAITE - Social Investment
in Zimbabwe
Empowering Low-Caste
Women's Cooperatives Nepal

Dignity, Health and Clean Water
EcoSAN in Ethiopia

Water and Energy for the Rural Poor, Madagascar
Pyrethrum Natural Insecticide, Bolivia
Jatropha Biofuel for Local Markets, Tanzania
Improving Livelihoods for small-holder Farmers, Madagascar


GEXSI Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) provides non-charitable services based on a shared philosophy with the GEXSI Charity. For more information on the professional services provided by GEXSI LLP refer to www.gexsi.com
 

KAITE - Social Investment in Zimbabwe



www.betterplace.org/projects/19

KAITE supports landless and small-scale farmers in Zimbabwe, where there is currently the lowest life expectancy and the highest inflation in the world. Organic farming and production of essential oils and staple foods are the pillars of KAITE.

Until the 1980s, Zimbabwe was known as the 'Switzerland of Africa'; today it has the lowest life expectancy in the world and a rising inflation rate of over 10.000 %: the rapid deterioration of the economy is obvious. This instability has severe repercussions for the people of Zimbabwe, who are struggling for their social and economic survival.

Through long-term partnerships, KAITE supports the organic production of essential oils made from fragrant plants, as well as the cultivation of medicinal plants, herbs, and staple foods. Farmers affiliated with KAITE grow these plants which are then processed by KAITE . The organisation assists its farmers through training in organic agriculture and arranging for global fair trading schemes for their products. This is the basis for the future independence of small farmers from development aid.




KAITE launched this initiative in Zimbabwe in March 2007. In the initial phase, organic cultivation methods, in accordance with EU certification standards, were employed on five hectares of land. Seventy farming families are now being trained in sustainable agriculture and the cultivation of marketable cash crops on this land. This will enable them to become not only efficient subsistence farmers, but also to generate a regular income from their land.
KAITE has teamed up with Silveira House, the Leadership Training and Development Education Centre of the Jesuits in Zimbabwe (www.silveira.co.zw/). They have a showcase garden where fragrant, medicinal plants and herbs, as well as staple foods are cultivated. As a training centre, Silveira House plays an important role in informing many people from different backgrounds about KAITE 's activities.

KAITE is a Zimbabwean-German agricultural initiative. In Shona, the language of the majority of Zimbabweans, the expression KAITE means 'a task to be conscientiously fuflfilled'. And in old German, 'farm of the smallholder'.