Solomon Mwacheza (43), the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Manager for TSURO Trust says farmers in Chimanimani district are witnessing significant improvements to their cattle herds and degraded land.
TSURO Trust is implementing the Holistic Land and Livestock Management Programme (HLLM), a programme aimed at addressing land degradation using livestock. The programme was started in 2012. In its initial phases, many challenges were faced.
“It is not every farmer in a given area who has taken on board HLLM. Some farmers who are not yet part of the programme are not in a position to herd with others. They graze their cattle in those paddocks which are resting,” says Solomon.
Solomon says leadership plays a critical role in the success of this programme.
“We are trying to go around this by involving traditional leaders to encourage their community members to work together as a team so that even if the farmer is not yet ready to bring his or her cattle to be herded collectively, the farmer can herd at the same place [without combining his cattle with the community herd],” says Solomon
This strategy seems to be working and there are noticeable improvements in the quality of the cattle. Solomon says the condition of livestock has improved including the calving rate. He attributed this to the collective herding and an increase in palatable grass species.
Solomon says the local police have confirmed that cases of cattle theft have reduced because the community herd is always monitored. TSURO is now engaging researchers to strengthen documentation of the impacts of the programme.
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