Agroecological practices have recently been playing a major part in climate change adoption and mitigation with areas around natural region 4 B and 5 like Insiza District being the most affected by the harsh climatic uncertainty, leading to food insecurity and ultimately affecting the standard of life.
Profoundly affected by the El Nino induced drought that hit most parts of the nation, Insiza District was not spared and the effects of this drought weighed heavily of the smallholder farmers. Receiving very low rainfall in the 2023-2024 farming season, Mr. Dumisani Moyo a resident in Nkankezi village, Ward 17 of Insiza district amongst others was left with almost nothing to sustain himself as most farmers relayed on dry land farming.
“The El Nino induced drought took all of our hope because we always got food that sustained us from our dryland farms.
“The ever-changing weather pattens left us with nothing to feed our families and this has negatively affected us as a community and as a country,” said Mr Dumisani Moyo.
Not only did they lose their crops to the El Nino effect, but they also lost their livestock (Cattle) to diseases.
Having been affected by the El Nino induced drought, Mr. Moyo decided to take the sustainable agriculture root by selling what was left of his cattle and invested in a solar powered borehole which would help in his farming activities.
Seeing the potential and willingness to innovate, Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre in partnership with Zimbabwe Project Trust (ZimPro) did some trainings on agroecology in the ward, focusing on Soil fertility management, horticulture, fisheries, pest and disease management and poultry management amongst others.
“The effects of El Nino gave us a lot to think about, sustainable agriculture seemed to be the solution that would guarantee us food security, so many thanks to FPC and ZimPro who took it upon themselves to equip us with relevant agroecology knowledge we never knew we needed.
“Having received the training, I personally went beyond and turned my homestead into an Agroecology Centre of Excellence” said Moyo.
Diversity of enterprises was the first step for Moyo in his quest to build an Agroecology Centre of Excellence at his homestead, he managed to establish a vegetable garden using the concept of agroecology which now provides fresh produce for his family and surplus for local markets thereby getting income.
More so, realizing the advantages of livestock integration, Mr. Moyo upgraded his goat herd by blending with improved breeds (the Boer Goat) and now the goats provide manure that enriches his garden and farm’s soil health while also being a source of milk and meat.
Over and above, Mr. Moyo established a poultry project of over a hundred indigenous chickens that also provide with manure, meat and eggs for his family as well as the community.
Recently, Mr. Moyo established a fish pond with over two thousand fish that he is hoping to get income from and uplift his livelihood.
“Each enterprise on this farm plays a role in supporting another, the vegetable garden and farm provides organic feed for livestock, and in return, the livestock produce manure that improves soil health, the fishpond supplies fish as well as nutrient-rich water for the crops.
“This inter-connectivity approach reduces reliance on expensive external inputs and ensures sustainability, thus I am proud to call my homestead an Agroecology Centre of Excellence” he said.
Through the establishment of the Agroecology Centre of Excellence, not only has Mr. Moyo secured his own livelihood, but he has also inspired other farmers in the community to adopt agroecology for resilience and sustainability.
