Agroecology is gaining traction in Chimanimani district and smallholder farmers in the area are now involved in pioneering new farming methods that reduce land degradation. One of the farmers is Judith Bingadadi (65) who works with PORET Zimbabwe and is involved in seed saving and water harvesting.
For water harvesting, Judith says she uses locally available material to set up structures to harvest water in her fields.
“I use different sizes of stones, starting with the bigger stones and then I put the small stones at the top. Chimanimani is a mountainous area and as such it is easy to find stones. In areas where stones are few the farmers use 50 kg sacks with pit sand as boundaries,” says Judith.
Judith says water harvesting has helped in reducing land degradation and improving her yields.
“Water harvesting reduces soil erosion and subsequently I am now getting better yields because of improved soil quality. I now get enough food to feed myself and my grandchildren and even sell the surplus. Agroecological farming has helped me to improve the quality of soils in my farmlands and I am getting better yields each year,” says Judith.
Grace Gumba (36) a PORET Field Officer explains that her organisation provides the farmers with technical support.
“We provide the farmers with technical support. Sometimes we do it practically with them,” says Grace.
To strengthen her farming operations, Judith explains that she also ventured into seed saving. “Water harvesting only without proper farming methods and seeds will not improve the soil quality and provide high yields. I save seeds from the previous harvest and use them for the next farming season. I keep the seeds in a 20 litre bucket in a dark room and put ash inside,” says Judith.
Judith explains that seed saving has financial benefits for the farmers.
“Farmer managed seed systems are sustainable. I no longer need money to buy seed or travel long distances to buy seeds and fertilizers. It is a cheap and efficiency method of earning a living,” says Judith.
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