When Rosa Mateka started her garden in 2020, it was a small, stony plot where she only grew maize during the rainy season.

“The garden had a lot of stones, so I just grew maize when the rains came. After that, I would leave it idle and go to Msengezi river to do gardening again,” she recalls.

Her farming was seasonal, dependent on rainfall, and limited in scope. But Rosa’s determination to improve her household’s food security and income never wavered.

In 2022, Rosa’s journey took a new turn when she joined trainings under the Strategic Partnership Agreement 2 project facilitated by ActionAid Zimbabwe and Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre. She learned sustainable gardening techniques and began extending her garden to grow vegetables year-round.

“It was not easy. I had to dig out the stones and apply manure. I dug trench beds and started learning how to grow vegetables organically,” she explains.

Agroecology became her guiding principle. Rosa adopted mulching to conserve water, fertility trench beds to enrich the soil, and crop rotation to maintain productivity. She even began making her own botanical sprays.

“I can make chilli spray to get rid of pests. It is effective and safe for our health,” she says proudly.

Water scarcity remains Rosa’s biggest hurdle.

“Water is so far the major problem I am facing. I tried growing fruit trees, but they all died due to lack of water,” she shares.

Livestock also posed challenges, but due to her dazzling determination, Rosa managed to fence the whole garden to keep chickens and goats away.

Despite these obstacles, Rosa’s resilience shines through. She continues to produce vegetables that meet high demand in her area, especially during the dry season when most people struggle to get fresh vegetables for relish.

Inspired by a learning visit to Shashe, Rosa realised the importance of diversifying household enterprises.

“We saw that they were doing aquaculture, poultry, and other small projects. When I came back, I also started keeping ducks, goats, and chickens,” she explains.

This diversification has strengthened her household’s income streams and reduced her vulnerability climatic to shocks.

Rosa is not only transforming her own livelihood but also becoming a voice for change in her community.

“I have seen that many people here still use poisonous chemicals and synthetic fertilisers. I want to educate other women on how to make botanical sprays and use things around us like leaves, grass, and animal waste as our manure,” she emphasises.

Her vision is to spread agroecological practices that improve health, reduce costs, and build resilience.

Rosa now produces and sells vegetables year-round. Her poultry flock and goats supplement her earnings. She is committed to teaching other young women in her neighbourhood about agroecology.

Her vision is to expand her garden further and one day introduce aquaculture, despite water challenges.

“Agroecology has changed my life. I am now able to grow and sell organic vegetables all year round, and I want other women to benefit too,” Rosa concludes.

Rosa’s story demonstrates how agroecology transforms livelihoods and builds resilience, turning challenges into opportunities and inspiring community-wide change.