Midweek Reporter
MASVINGO CITY- Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe, a network of civil society organizations working to upscale participatory ecological land use management practices for improved nutrition security, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability in Zimbabwe has begun training farmers on Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM) in Masvingo today.
The three day workshop is being held at Chevron Hotel hosting a total number of 78 people from across Zimbabwe.
The main agenda of the workshop is to take note of how the integration of HLLM is making an impact focusing mainly on five districts which are Victoria Falls, Shurugwi, Gutu, Matobo and Chimanimani with Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) blending traditional wisdom and science to create community-driven, sustainable solutions.
Speaking to The Midweek Watch, PELUM programs officer Farirai Jemwa mentioned that this workshop is responding to ecological degradation and climate extremes in Zimbabwe focusing on addressing poor livestock management practices contributing to land degradation and they are aiming to implement a Joint Learning Programme on Livestock and Land Regeneration which promotes holistic grazing management whereas livestock movement mimics wild grazing animals.
“As PELUM in conjunction with other organizations across Zimbabwe we are literally responding to ecological degradation and climate extremes in Zimbabwe focusing on addressing poor livestock management practices contributing to land degradation”, said Jemwa.
“By implementing a Joint Learning Programme on Livestock and Land Regeneration which promotes holistic grazing management whereas livestock movement mimics wild grazing animals there are benefits like restoring soil health and grassland ecosystems, improves biodiversity, soil fertility, and water retention and builds community resilience to drought and climate shocks”.
She went on to state that they have targeted six districts for scaling up practices and they are expecting up to 40% increase in water tables over two years, regeneration of soil, enhanced biodiversity, and improved governance of natural resources.
PELUM Zimbabwe initiated the Landscape Regeneration Programme after realizing that isolated efforts by organizations had limited impact and it was built on lessons from the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP) which brought together organizations working on holistic land and livestock management to enhance collective impact.
This process then began at the 2018 National Seed Fair, with new partners who joined namely SALT Kenya, Mlezu Agricultural Systems, Bindura University of Science Education, and Health Excellence and a joint concept note was developed and it’s being funded by Tudor Trust for an 18-month pilot phase.
PELUM is a regional network of over 280 civil society organizations in 12 countries in East, Central, and Southern Africa working with small-scale farmers to promote ecological land use management practices.
