Story by Tamuka Charakupa
EIGHT village business units have been established in Hurungwe by the government in partnership with 4-H Zimbabwe, to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Rural communities in Magunje, Hurungwe district, are reaping the benefits of climate-proof farming methods, which have been implemented to counter the negative impacts of climate change.
A recent climate change awareness workshop held at Magunje Vocational Training Center focused on localised environmental conservation techniques.
“We are grateful for the workshop because it has opened our minds to how best we can mitigate the impact of climate change, particularly adaptation of climate-proof agriculture and planting of trees,” farmer Mrs Violet Mubirimi said.
“Pfumvudza is a game changer for our community. We have now embraced the farming concept and it is working perfectly for us. Our appeal is for mechanisation of Pfumvudza so that we dig holes which are deep enough to hold enough moisture when it rains,” another farmer Mrs Doris Makiyi said.
“As tobacco farmers, we are aware of the dangers we pose to our environment when we cut down trees to cure the crop so we appreciate what the government is doing through the provision of trees for reforestation,” Mrs Tomaza Chikumba said.
Implementing partner 4-H Zimbabwe director Mr John Muchenje revealed that his organisation has so far established eight village business units in Hurungwe highlighting the need to capacitate local communities, particularly women, to implement localized climate resilience measures.
“As 4-H Zimbabwe, we set up eight solarised village business units which are empowering more than 400 women. We realise that women are at the receiving end as far as climate change is concerned. This workshop therefore is meant to capacitate local communities particularly women to make use of localised mitigation measures such as Pfumvudza, planting trees among other initiatives.”
Hurungwe District Agritex officer Mr Andrew Mafuzhe spoke on the importance of collaboration in mitigating climate change effects.
“Conservation of the environment should be a collective effort where everyone should play a part. As the government we are prioritising the adaption of safe climate-proof farming methods and those efforts are being complemented by organisations like 4_H Zimbabwe who are teaching our farmers the same.”
As Zimbabwe continues to grapple with the effects of climate change, initiatives like Pfumvudza and the village business units are crucial in promoting food security and sustainable agriculture practices.
