In Shinja village, ward 3 of Chimanimani district, 24 year old successful agroecology farmer Joyce Penyai has emerged as a beacon of hope and transformation for other youths in her community.
Joyce says she grew up in Shinja village, where farming was not just a livelihood but a way of life. However, she often witnessed her family and neighbours struggling with the challenges of climate change, diminishing soil fertility, and pest infestations.
“Climate change coupled with continued use of synthetic chemicals and fertilisers destroyed our soils. We became over reliant on synthetic chemicals which worsened our situation. We struggled to control pests in our fields and our yields plummeted,” says Joyce.
According to Joyce, hope came through training from PELUM Zimbabwe members, Towards Sustainable Use of Resources Organisation (TSURO) Trust and Participatory Organic Research and Extension Training (PORET). It was through these trainings that Joyce was introduced to agroecology as a solution.
“I always worried about the future of my community. Real change came after I received training on agroecology from PORET Trust and TSURO Trust. Together with 30 other youths from my community, we began implementing agroecology with our families and there has been considerable changes in our farming,” says Joyce.
She says she learned to work with nature rather than against it, focusing on sustainable practices that could revitalise the land.
Determined to make a difference, Joyce began implementing agroecological methods on her family’s farm. She integrated diverse crops, practised intercropping, and utilised organic compost to enrich the soil. She says the results were impressive, yields increased, and their farm thrived once again.
“Through the various trainings that we have received, we have been able to regenerate our landscapes, we now use organic fertilisers instead of synthetic ones as well as managing the little water that we have in order to realise sustainability. Mulching our gardens also helped us conserve moisture ensuring our crops survive harsh conditions,” she adds.
Rejoice Muwuka, (26), another youth farmer from Jinga village who was also trained by PORET and TSURO Trust says the trainings have given youths like her a lifeline.
“As youth who are interested in farming, we felt compelled to transform our communities. Agroecology is the only sustainable alternative to addressing the inconsistencies in our farming activities. Where there were gulleys we put gabbions, we are also planting more trees and this is helping in transforming our landscape” she says.
Rejoice hopes more youths will be trained as the positive impacts of agroecological interventions are now bearing fruits.
“I hope TSURO Trust and PORET extend training to more youths in our community. The results of the agroecological interventions we are doing are now clearly visible as there has been a lot of transformations in our community through our work,” she says.
Chitenderano Mutyadzanga (46), Program Officer working with PORET says his organisation has been specifically targeting youths with trainings and capacity building.
“We are aiming to target youths in order to promote sustainable farming. Agroecology is coming in as a vehicle for doing that because it is holistic. What we have done is to train youths and build their capacity so that they are able to better take care of the environment and produce food sustainably,” he says.
Chitenderano adds that because of the capacity building and trainings, youths like Joyce have a better future ahead.
“Joyce and other youths like her have a chance to have a better future because of the trainings that we (PORET) have been giving these youths. The work these youths are doing has a huge positive impact for their communities,” he says.
