Agroecology transforms lives in Chieza village

Sarah Hambira (24) from Chieza village in Chimanimani District demonstrates to local farmers some of the water harvesting techniques that she learnt through the permaculture design course offered by PELUM Zimbabwe member, Participatory Organic Research and Extension Training Trust (PORET). Photo: PELUM ZWE

By Sarah Hambira

My name is Sarah Hambira and I am 24 years old. I come from Chieza village in ward 2 of Chimanimani district under Chief Mutambara. When I was a little girl my parents grew hybrid seeds and used synthetic fertilizers. They also practiced monoculture, a farming method whereby one crop, especially maize was planted continuously without any intercropping or crop rotation.

Our farm had storm drains that channeled water out of the field into a nearby river. I did not see this as a problem. I recall how sand slowly filled up the river. Overtime, the soils died and yields declined. The persistent droughts did not help and hunger was always knocking on our door.

I did not understand why my community continued to suffer. All this became clear to me in 2021 when I was selected by my village head to participate in a permaculture design course run by Participatory Organic Research and Extension Training Trust (PORET) Centre. It was through this course that I realised how unsustainable agricultural practices were the root cause of my family’s food and nutrition insecurity.

The permaculture training was held over two weeks. I learned about various agroecological practices such as water harvesting, pest and disease management, budding and grafting, gulley reclamation, soil fertility, nurseries and tree planting.

After completing the course, I returned to my community and shared the skills and knowledge that I had gained. It was difficult to convince my community to adopt agroecological practices. At first, a few people accepted the new knowledge. These few people put into practice what I had taught them. They constructed swales, infiltration pits, dams and tree basins at their homesteads. We wanted to demonstrate how agroecology contributes to improved yields.

Before I introduced these techniques, we used to harvest less than seven bags of shelled maize. After implementing water harvesting techniques, we managed to harvest 15 bags. The outcome inspired 40 other farmers to start rain water harvesting. My community now understands that if everyone implements agroecology activities, we will achieve food security.