admin | March 19, 2023
News Brief
In Nyamukondiwa village, in the Guruve district of Zimbabwe, a local woman named Perseverance Ganga is bringing new hope in the form of women-led reforestation efforts and a community garden. Zimbabwe is the largest producer of tobacco in Africa, and timber has become a large market to fuel the industry. In order to dry and prepare tobacco leaves, they must be cured over a fire for many hours. Gum trees are a preferred tree for this process because they burn for a long time. As a result, despite the reforestation initiatives, Guruve has lost 8.1% of its tree cover in 20 years. Mrs. Ganga, who owns a borehole in the village, came up with an idea to help the village conserve the ecosystem and create a sustainable income without wiping out the remaining trees in the area. Her plantation currently has 200 budding trees after one year, and has set the goal of 2,000 more by the second year. In addition to the trees, a garden is also maintained with water from the borehole. Okra, tomatoes, watermelon, and herbs are grown to feed 21 families. The garden also helps the women of the village gain financial independence and earn an income to help their families.
In Nyamukondiwa village, in the Guruve district of Zimbabwe, a local woman named Perseverance Ganga is bringing new hope in the form of women-led reforestation efforts and a community garden in a project called Kufunga Ndomunu.
Zimbabwe is the largest producer of tobacco in Africa, and timber has become a large market to fuel the tobacco industry. What used to be tree-covered terrain around Nyamukondiwa and other villages in Guruve is now sparse, open land. Farmers now need to travel further to look for trees for tobacco production, and firewood for cooking. Despite reforestation initiatives, Guruve has lost 8.1% of its tree cover in 20 years.
In order to dry and prepare tobacco leaves for use, they must be cured over a fire for many hours. Gum trees are a preferred tree for this process because they burn for a long time. However, not enough gum trees are grown to meet the intense demand needed to produce tobacco.
Mrs. Ganga, who owns a borehole in the village, came up with an idea to help the village conserve the ecosystem and create a sustainable income without wiping out the remaining trees in the area.
Mrs. Ganga says, “We are focusing on training women on planting trees found in the area to create a sustainable agroforestry system.”
The plantation currently has 200 budding trees after one year, and has set the goal of 2,000 more by the second year. In addition to Mrs. Ganga’s generosity, the community has received help from agricultural and environmental experts.
In addition to the trees, a garden is also maintained with water from the borehole. Okra, tomatoes, watermelon, and herbs are grown to feed 21 families. The garden also helps the women of the village gain financial independence and earn an income to help their families. The garden is led by Dolis Makoshori, the village head’s wife. She explains, “Each member is allocated specific plots of land to plant vegetables to sell at the market and feed their families.”
Environmental Buddies Zimbabwe is an NGO that promotes sustainable use of environmental resources. Shamiso Mupara, who is the founder, praises the introduction of other sources of income. She says that having other ways to provide for their families will reduce the amount of deforestation needed for families to support themselves.
As a whole, the members who have been working on the project have earned US $700 by selling the vegetables that they cultivated in the year that the project has been operating. With this project, villagers such as Stella Marumahoko no longer need to rely on her children working in the city to help her feed her family. This relieves some pressure on her family in the years when her own harvest fails, and enables her children to attend school.
Mrs. Marumahoko says: “After selling our products, we pool the money into a savings pool. We then used money from our savings to pay school fees, agricultural inputs, and started a chicken-rearing project. I can now buy monthly provisions.”
The garden members also contribute to a school food program by donating up to US $5 a month, as well as vegetables. This could help prevent students from dropping out because of hunger and poverty.
Village head Isiah Makoshori hopes that the Guruve project will continue in its success and leave a legacy for future generations.
This story was adapted from an article written by Derick Matsengarwodzi for Mongabay, titled “Community tree nursery and garden bring a ray of hope to Zimbabwean village.” To read the full story, go to: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/community-tree-nursery-and-garden-bring-a-ray-of-hope-to-zimbabwean-village/
Photo: Members of the community in the tree nursery and garden. Credit: Derick Matsengarwodzi.