Smallholder farmers rejuvenated after exchange visit

Smallholder farmers from Sizinda community in Hwange district took exchange and learning visit participants on a tour of the different landscape regeneration and agroecology practices that are being done in the community. Participants learnt about water harvesting, rocket stoves, bee keeping, herding and predator management, crop field impaction and permaculture gardening. Photo: Theophilus Mudzindiko/PELUM Zimbabwe

Smallholder farmers from Chimanimani district working with Participatory Organic Research Extension and Training (PORET) got the opportunity to enhance their knowledge on landscape regeneration, agroecology and human-wildlife conflict management through an exchange and learning visit to Hwange and Victoria Falls. The visit was facilitated by PELUM Zimbabwe and hosted by the Africa Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM) in November 2021.

Daniel Muisa (65), one of the smallholder farmers from Chimanimani district who participated in the visit said the initiative was welcome as it augmented farmers’ knowledge about agroecology.

“We learnt about agroecology, land regeneration and planned grazing. This was very helpful to us as farmers because we were equipped with technical expertise from our counterparts in Victoria Falls,” says Daniel.

Matthew Mathe (62), a community trainer in agroecology from Sizinda village in Victoria Falls says the primary aim of the exchange and learning visit was for farmers to learn from each other.

“People liked the idea (of learning from each other) and adopted the trainings (what they learnt). These mechanisms are easier to adopt and the concepts can work in different environments,” says Matthew.

Elias Ncube (65) the Training Manager for African Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM) stressed the importance of having such learning opportunities and highlighted the need to have more similar platforms in other areas.

“These programmes (farmers exchange programmes) promote good farming practices in agroecology such that farmers learn the benefits of conservative methods of crop production and animal rearing. If these projects are exported to other areas, there will be considerable growth in the (agroecology) movement,” says Elias.

Daniel encourages other smallholder farmers all over the country to learn about and adopt agroecological practices.

“Despite challenges of low uptake of agroecological practices, I would like to encourage other farmers to take up agroecology as it is regenerative and has huge benefits. We have witnessed considerable positives through crop and land regeneration activities,” says Daniel.