PELUM Zimbabwe member, Chinyika Community Development Trust (CCDT) is strengthening capacity of the local community in Gutu district to regenerate their landscape through supporting Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM).
Vimbai Mlambo (63) a farmer from Gutu district says using cattle to replenish depleted landscapes is central to her farming activities.
” In our community, the landscapes had become severely depleted. Our lands were unproductive. My crop fields had not been spared from these effects which were also exacerbated by industrial farming practices and monoculture,” she says.
Vimbai also adds that using cattle for impaction is improving biodiversity.
“One of the ways that we are using to replenish our landscapes is through holistic and planned grazing. We have a systematic schedule of impacting our land using the village herd. Planned grazing is helping in improving our soils because the cattle also impact our farms and landscapes leading to improved soil fertility and biodiversity,” adds Vimbai.
Dr. Paul Muchineripi (76), who founded CCDT in 2005, posits that building organic matter and nutrients in soil is essential for sustainable agriculture, adding that all components of the ecosystem—soil, plants, and animals—are interconnected.
“There is a complimentary relationship between soil and crops; healthy soil yields good grass, which in turn supports livestock and crop health,” he says.
Dr. Muchineripi urged farmers to embrace agroecology and the sharing of knowledge and learning from successful practices within their community.
He expressed admiration for the efforts of the Chinyika community in landscape regeneration, recognising their commitment to sustainable agricultural practices.
“When we started working in Chinyika, the landscape was gravely depleted. Only through agroecology, purposeful and concerted efforts did we manage to keep up the momentum to regenerate our landscape. We figured that the starting point was to systematically manage our livestock,” he says.
Charity Kwezani (50), an Agricultural Technical Extension (AGRITEX) officer working with CCDT says HLLM is a comprehensive land management approach prioritising the health of ecosystems, which includes livestock, wildlife, and human communities.
“The goal is to create a sustainable, productive, and resilient system that can meet both environmental and community needs, which we are currently doing here in Chinyika,” she says.
Samuel Chimbarara (40), Programmes Officer at Chikukwa Ecological Land Use Organisation (CELUO), highlighted the success of integrated grazing methods in restoring land health.
“With religious application, the processes on landscape regeneration are effective in restoring soil health and the well-being of our ecosystems. They create a balance in the ecosystem by restoring degraded landscapes,” he noted.
