Zimbabwe’s   Smallholder Farmers Embark On  Agro-Ecology Initiatives.

By Wallace Mawire   recently in Mashava, Masvingo province

  Zimbabwe’s smallholder farmers are intensifying the adoption and implementation   of agro-ecology projects as the country continues to fall prone to the negative impacts of climate change in most of its agro-ecological zones.

 Due to climate change, most parts of the country are witnessing less or no rainfall. During the current season, the forecast predicted low to below normal rainfall and many farmers throughout the various regions of the country are beginning to see their crop getting dry due to poor and low rainfall. Also most of the farmers in the country rely on rain-fed agriculture, highlighting the need for adoption of irrigation projects to boost agriculture production.

 Zimbabwe is divided into five agro-ecological regions, known as natural regions on the basis of the rainfall regime, soil quality and vegetation among other factors. The quality of land resource declines from natural region one  to five, according Researchers Moyo in 2000,Vincent and Thomas in 1961.

  The government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Development has expressed keen interest to facilitate the drilling of boreholes and establishment of irrigation projects to safeguard smallholder farmers from climate change.

  In Zimbabwe, a Non-Governmental Organization, the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe is at the forefront of supporting   and enhancing capacity building for  smallholder farmers throughout the different agro-ecological zones of the country  for the implementation and adoption of agro-ecology projects.

 PELUM works with other partner organizations, institutions and farmers associations to facilitate trainings for the farmers on adoption of agro-ecology.

  The organization works on increasing smallholder farmers’ resilience through strengthening community based seed systems.

  PELUM-Zimbabwe began when the regional PELUM Association was launched in 1995.During its early years, the NGO was active in networking, capacity-building and it established the PELUM College Zimbabwe, the first agro-ecological school without walls in Southern Africa where trainings on agro-ecology were conducted.

  Its works through its   member organizations who in  turn work with small scale farmers in Zimbabwe.

Member organizations should be legally registered to operate in the country to provide training and services to communities to promote sustainable livelihoods and should have a record of such work service of at least two years.

  Its mission is to upscale participatory ecological land use management practices for improved nutrition security, livelihoods and environmental sustainability.

​According to an organization called More and Better, agro-ecology shares much in common with other approaches to sustainable farming.

  The organization says that agro-ecology is farming that centres on food production that makes the best use of nature’s goods and services while not damaging the resources.

  The organization also adds that farming thrives when it works with local ecosystems, for example, improving soil and plant quality through available biomass and biodiversity, rather than battling nature with chemical inputs.

 They add that agro-ecological farmers seek to improve food yields for balanced nutrition, strengthen fair markets for their produce, enhance healthy ecosystems and build on ancenstral knowledge and customs.

 More and Better says that worldwide, scientists, grassroots organizations ,NGOs, consumers, universities and public agencies are working with farmers to construct sustainable and nutritious food systems based on agro-ecology.

 In its bid to enhance the adoption and promote agro-ecology projects with smallholder farmers in the country, PELUM-Zimbabwe facilitated a learning and exchange visit  for smallholder farmers, farmers organizations and associations and its partner organizations to share experiences and promote the adoption of agro-ecological projects for farmers enhancement.

  The exchange programme was conducted at Shashe School of Agro-ecology at Shashe in Mashava district of Masvingo of Zimbabwe on 20 to 21 February,2024.

 The exchange visit programme was attended by local farmers from Shashe and associations, farmers, farmers associations and partner organizations of PELUM-Zimbabwe.

  Participants were drawn from areas of the country such as Bikita,Chimanimani,Mwenezi,Makonde,Mbire,Chirumanzi,Guruve,Bindura,Gutu,Rusape,Harare,Goromonzi and Matebeleland province.

  The exchange programme was supported by PELUM-Zimbabwe as the lead organization under the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP).It was meant to be a platform old and new farmers and organizations to share and exchange experiences on agro-ecology.

 The Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme is a multi-year programme underpinned by agro-ecological principles.

  Its visions is towards seed sovereignty of farming communities who depend and rely on crop production.

 The programme aims to protect and promote farmers rights.

It has established seed banks, seed fairs and raises awareness of the importance of cultivating food that is native to the land.

 The seed sovereignty project is dedicated to promoting farmer seed systems through seed saving, seed   multiplication and agro-ecological practices.

The project supports communities to revive their lost seed varieties as a way to diversify food production and reduce dependency on a few grain crops like maize.

 ZSSP was formed in 2014 by a collaborative of seven NGOs in Zimbabwe. Peter Mudzingwa, ZSSP Representative told participants at the exchange visit programme in Shashe that they are now currently 10 organizations participating in the initiative and it has grown.

  Under the initiative, centres of excellence on agro-ecology adoption have also been established like at Shashe.At the centres, field visits are made to outstanding farmers homesteads who are active in the application of agro-ecological  methods  for other farmers to learn from their experiences.

  At the Shashe visit, farmer field visits were made to Mr Abumeleck Matsenhure’s Village, Mavedzenge Village, Mrs Mpofu’s village and Mr Peter Mudzingwa’s village.

These are some of the outstanding farmers in the Shashe district who are implementing successful agro-ecology projects to improve their agricultural production, incomes  and livelihoods.

  PELUM-Zimbabwe has also conducted similar exchange visits with farmers and farmers organizations to other regions in Zimbabwe like Chimanimani and Zvishavane.

  Participants at the Shashe exchange visit remarked that the district stands outstanding as a model of excellence in the application of agro-ecology projects and initiatives.  

   Farmers at Shashe implementing agro-ecology projects have benefitted immensely from the training offered at the Shashe Agroecology School and are implementing various initiatives and projects at their homesteads.

  Some of the initiatives include establishment of agroforestry, adopting intercropping, downland conservation, water harvesting, stonewalls to capture water, manure making and preservation fishponds, dead-level contours, standard and upland conservation contours, promotion of the use of natural herbs ,nutrition gardens, processing-centre driers, earth dams including the establishment of seed banks, information centres, gene banks and seed stores for keeping seed stock.