A group of 25 smallholder farmers from two villages in ward 10 of Chinyika, Gutu district have brought together 234 cattle for collective herding in order to heal depleted land and natural water bodies.
The group named itself ‘Hazvidihope’ community, a name which can be loosely translated to, ‘it is not for the extremely dull,’ and was born out of the initial difficulties in getting the community to begin herding collectively.
Charity Kwenzani (47), an Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX) Officer working with the smallholder farmers says bringing together cattle from the two villages to graze collectively was not easy and it did not happen overnight.
“We held meetings the whole of 2020, trying to bring smallholder farmers together. In 2021 after we saw that farmers have agreed to collectively herd their cattle that is when we started. It was in January,” says Charity.
“Bringing cattle together is very difficult. One has to deal with the people’s mindset,” adds Astrid Huelin (51), a veterinary doctor and expert in land and livestock management.
Musatya Chikusvo (54) is the Chairperson of Hazvidihope community. Musatya says the group was initially made up of three villages forming a total herd of 645 cattle.
“Initially we started as a group of three villages from ward 10 but due to internal conflicts within one of the villages, that village dropped out,” says Musatya.
Bringing livestock to herd together requires livestock owners to develop patience, trust and to be commitment to a collective vision. Musatya says another challenge experienced by the group was that the cattle were fighting.
“Initially the cattle were fighting when they joined the herd. They fought because they were not used to being herded together,” adds Musatya.
A technical expert in land and livestock management, Elias Ncube (64) says fights between cattle are normal during the early days when cattle are combined for grazing. These fights, he says, resolve quickly if the cattle continue to graze collectively every single day.
“Cattle need about two weeks to continuously graze together so that they get used to staying together,” says Elias.
Despite the initial challenges in bringing cattle together, Musatya says the group has begun to realize the benefits of collective herding.
“It has increased the pregnancy rate. It has also reduced labor because herders herd on a rotational basis. This gives farmers free time to pursue other endeavors,” says Musatya.
Success stories from ward 10 have inspired smallholder farmers from ward 11 to combine their livestock. A total of 23 families in ward 11 also started collectively herding 122 cattle under the banner of ‘Tinokunda holistic group’.
The chairperson for Tinokunda holistic group, Mike Mugadza (56) says his group also faced challenges when they started planned grazing.
“We faced resistance from some community members but with time they ended up joining because of the strong policy that we put in place,” says Mike.
The policy prohibits those who have not joined the collective grazing initiative from grazing their cattle in the paddocks. Such individuals may only allow their cattle to graze in the sacrifice paddock (the area set aside for isolated animals).
Despite encountering many challenges, smallholder farmers in Chinyika say planned grazing has reduced conflicts within the community and enhanced social cohesion.
“Ever since we started collective herding, our relationships have improved. There are no longer conflicts related to cattle eating our crops because they are herded by adults,” adds Plaxedes Mashonganyika (48), one of the members of Tinokunda holistic group.
Elias says the journey to regenerate landscape using livestock is not an easy one yet it is key to resolving many of the problems faced by smallholder farmers.
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