In 2022, when the Strategic Partnership Agreement 2 project was introduced in Mbire by ActionAid Zimbabwe and Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre, a new chapter began for many youths, especially young women like Blessing Kapota. Blessing is a young woman from Kabvongodze village (Ward 9, Mbire) under Chief Chitsungo.
Through hands-on training in agroecology, she and her other 200+ peers in Mbire were introduced to sustainable practices such as the production of drought-resistant crops like sesame, sorghum, and barnyard millet using composted manure instead of synthetic fertilisers and exploring value addition for indigenous fruits like masawu.
Yet, it wasn’t until a transformative learning visit to Shashe that Blessing truly saw the low-hanging fruits of empowerment that can be embraced through agroecology. Meeting other young women from Shashe, who, just like her, face the same climate challenges that she faces, Blessing was moved by their thriving projects that they were doing at household level.
“I never thought such things could be done in rural (Region V) areas that are just like mine,” she reflected.
“I was moved and I vowed to start my own agroecology projects back home.”
Upon returning, and as part of the beginning of a transformative curve in her agroecology journey, Blessing began by drafting her own household development action plan which included establishing rainwater harnessing infrastructure, a food forest containing a kitchen garden, and building a fowl run.
Her journey started by making a small (12X12m) plot with a food forest and a kitchen garden which she modeled after the one she saw in Shashe. She planted 9 banana trees, 13 papaya trees, 2 granadilla vines, 2 mango trees, and several lemon and orange trees in the food forest.
She integrated a small garden into the food forest where she planted some vegetables. Instead of buying fertilisers from the shops like before, Blessing now makes her own compost manure from chicken waste to fertilise her soil.
Recognising rainwater harvesting as one of the foundational elements of her vision, she has started digging a deep well and recently started using other moisture retaining methods like mulching. She has designed some rainwater harnessing pits to trap and store rainwater for the kitchen garden and the food forest.
Starting with only 4 chickens (1 cock and 3 hens) in April (2025), immediately after the Shashe visit, her flock tremendously grew to 50 around June. She said she sold 35 (atUS$5+ each) and bought some roofing sheets, bricks, laying trays, and fences which she wants to use for upgrading her flock’s infrastructure. Her new upgraded fowl run is almost complete.
Chick fostering in poultry management is one of the key learnings that she said she owes Fambidzanai for,
“I learnt from our mentor Kudakwashe Manikwa (FPC Spa2 Field Officer) that, you can choose one hen to raise the chicks, either her own or others’, while the other hens are relieved of brooding duties and return to laying eggs”.
During our visit early October (2025), we found Blessing with a beautiful flock of 75 chickens (excluding chicks), 6 guinea fowls, 2 turkeys, and 18 ducks.
She sells eggs and meat, reducing household expenses and generating income. With rapid growth, she’s now focused on improving her water and flock infrastructure. She is in the process of digging a deep well and has recently completed building a separate fowl run for her chickens. She noted that a separate fowl run reduces disease outbreaks and ensures decent animal welfare. She is also thinking of establishing beekeeping at her homestead.
“My aim is to build separate housing for my flock to reduce disease prevalence due to overcrowding”.
Water scarcity remains a major challenge. Yet Blessing’s determination to dig her own deep well and other rainwater harvesting pits is a dazzling reflection of resilience for all the other young women and girls in Mbire to undoubtably embrace. Her journey, from learning to leading, embodies the spirit of empowerment which has been fostered by Fambidzanai and ActionAid Zimbabwe for the past 4 years.
“We are now getting meat and eggs here and I do not buy them from the shops. I am no longer an egg buyer but an egg seller. I sell eggs and chickens. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to empower ourselves as youths, especially as young women.”
There are many other youths in Mbire who, like Blessing Kapota, have stories that prove that agroecology has transformed people’s lives. Food forests and poultry projects that they are doing have not just become sources of food only but of income as well.
Blessing’s advice to the other youths is that, they should leverage on the comparative advantage that Mbire has in terms of livestock production. She urges the other young women in Mbire to take up small livestock production projects like poultry as their livelihoods.
“I urge all young women, especially those in Mbire, to take up poultry as a livelihood because I have seen how it can significantly transform one’s life”. She said.
