A story narrated by Simba Guzha and Nelson Mudzingwa
Nelson Mudzingwa transformed a piece of land into a paradise using agroecological practices, despite daunting environmental and social challenges in his corner of Zimbabwe. Together with NGO worker Simba Guzha, he shares how pioneering farmers can lead by example, amplifying agroecology and fostering groundbreaking changes in national policy.
Simba: I remember how a few years ago, I was watching Nelson gazing proudly into an iron barrel brimming with cow dung and organic materials on his small farm in Shashe, Zimbabwe. This simple construction perched on steel rods holds a beautiful metaphor of his farm’s transformative journey into agroecology. Nelson dug out a fistful of earthy organic matter threaded with red worms. At the front of the barrel, caramel-coloured water dripped out of a small hole and was collected in a container. Nelson used both this precious liquid and the rich compost as organic fertiliser for his crops.
Nelson: That is true, the worms have helped bring many changes on our farm. When my wife and l bought our piece of land ten years ago, we never dreamt it could be transformed into such an island of prosperity. We have poured our hearts and souls into this land by using agroecological practices. Today, our fields are lush and productive, with indigenous fruit trees such as marula, musuma, matamba and mutohwe, and exotic species including banana, peaches, pawpaw, mango, avocado, mulberry, lemon and guava. We also grow diverse annual crops like sorghum, millet, maize, beans, cowpeas, groundnuts, sunflowers and sesame. And our chickens, goats and cattle produce manure to feed our crops.
Agroecological success stories like this one are now plentiful in Zimbabwe, thanks to the bottom-up movement for farmer-to-farmer learning and for national policy changes that was ignited by small-scale farmers like ourselves.
Drought and food insecurity
Simba: According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, approximately 70 per cent of the population in Zimbabwe relies on subsistence agriculture for their livelihoods. Most of these farmers are smallholder farmers like Nelson, cultivating less than one hectare of land and entirely dependent on rainwater for irrigation.
Farmers face numerous obstacles in this semi-arid country, including soil depletion, deforestation, biodiversity loss and pollution following many years of high-input farming. Zimbabwe has also been grappling with the effects of climate change, including erratic rainfall, water scarcity and extreme weather events. Most smallholder farmers struggle to produce enough to feed their families; statistics from the World Food Programme show that during the lean season of 2022/23, more than 3.8 million people in rural areas faced food insecurity.
At the same time, farming traditions in the country are social and cooperative. Farmers help out on each other’s land during the growing season to ensure that everyone has good yields, and set up joint savings clubs for the purchase of cows, eventually sharing the meat amongst community members. This is the foundation on which the agroecological movement was able to grow.
Spreading the seeds of agroecology
Nelson: We have lived through many of these challenges. Successive seasons marked by prolonged drought and soaring seed prices impacted our ability to secure an adequate harvest, which was devastating for my family. After hearing of other Shashe farmers who were successfully using agroecological practices, I took part in exchange visits where I learned about soil fertility management, crop diversification, seed saving, agroforestry, livestock integration, conservation agriculture, pest management, water harvesting and conservation, beekeeping and fish farming. I experimented with these techniques on our new piece of land.
We planted diverse crops, and we integrated trees into our agricultural landscape to provide shade, windbreaks, and additional income from tree products, including medicines. We implemented techniques such as rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation and adopted the practice of ‘pfumfudza’: deep watering and then mulching with grass to keep the soil moist.
"As more farmers began to experiment with agroecology, the results on the ground became visible and the excitement grew." - Nelson Mudzingwa
Following promising improvements in soil health and increased yields, I and my fellow agroecological growers were eager to share and spread these agroecological practices across the country. Through ZIMSOFF, the Zimbabwe Small Holder Organic Farmers’ Forum, we started to organise workshops and awareness campaigns to educate farmers about the benefits of agroecology for ecological health, social equity, and economic prosperity. As more and more farmers – including women – began to experiment with agroecological practices, the tangible results on the ground became visible and the excitement grew.
Our efforts soon caught the attention of local government representatives, who were impressed by the tangible results we were achieving. Some of our farmers were invited to share their experiences and success stories at agricultural forums and conferences, where they spoke passionately about the potential of agroecology to transform Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector.
Agroecology as a national pillar
Simba: Indeed, these agroecological breakthroughs on the ground also offered solutions to the country’s agricultural crisis, and they eventually sparked interest at the national level. Wishing to revive Zimbabwe’s former role as the bread basket for Southern Africa, the government was open to taking bold policy action to transform the sector.
This marked the beginning of a cooperative and fruitful dialogue between farmers and national government officials. In 2022, Nelson and his community actively participated in the policy development process, advocating for holistic, nature-friendly and people-centred approaches to sustainability and the provision of guidance, resources and incentives for farmers to facilitate the switch to agroecology. As a result, the promotion of agroecology, sustainable livelihoods and ecosystems and climate smart agriculture became fundamental pillars within the government’s National Agriculture Policy Framework (NAPF).
The integration of agroecology into national policy has taken some time. As the concept is relatively new for most policymakers, the first step was to focus on the cultivation of a deep understanding of its 13 principles using the HLPE framework. More specifically, we emphasised how an agroecological approach can address climate change and delink farmers from expensive agro-industrial inputs.
This has taken place through a series of inclusive, multi-stakeholder policy development processes led by the Ministry of Agriculture and involving smallholder farmers like Nelson, as well as other groups with expertise in sustainable agriculture (including the Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre in Harare and VSO, which promotes agroecology across Africa).
"This signals a new era: governmental and non-governmental actors co-creating a policy that can reshape the agricultural landscape." - Simba Guzha
Together, this range of actors shaped the NAPF’s proposed Agroecology Promotion Policy and Strategy, which will hopefully be adopted in 2024. This inspiring plan not only prioritises the adoption and advancement of agroecological practices but also recognises the need for capacity building, research and investment in agroecology projects. The plan includes farmer-to-farmer exchanges matching conventional with agroecological growers, peer learnings to share knowledge, and wider government extension programmes focusing on upscaling and ensuring quality deliverables.
The goal is to create an enabling environment for farmers undergoing the transition from conventional farming methods to more sustainable and regenerative practices, while at the same time celebrating indigenous wisdom, local knowledge, and community-driven solutions. Importantly, it signals a new era of cooperation, uniting governmental and non-governmental actors in co-creating a policy that holds the potential to reshape the agricultural landscape.
Naturally, there have been hiccups and stumbling blocks along the road. Beneficiaries of conventional, input-intensive farming – including agrochemical producers who often have strong political affiliations – have resisted the proposed changes to policy frameworks. Balancing diverse stakeholder interests – farmers, agribusiness, environmental groups and consumers – has been challenging at times.
And the juggling of competing priorities and demands by policymakers has led to periods when the process has taken a back seat. Ultimately however, the government’s fundamental support for agricultural transformation and the demonstrated success of agroecology on the ground has resulted in a relatively smooth integration from practice into policy over the past two years.
Momentum for farmer-led movement building
Nelson: The incorporation of agroecology into the national policy framework has brought about a powerful wave of change in Zimbabwe, and we now find ourselves at the forefront of a movement that is shaping the future of the country’s agriculture. The promotion of agroecology has become an essential part of my life. We are now working with our civil society partners to push for the adoption of Zimbabwe’s agroecology policy through meetings with farmers and policymakers across the country. We have become trainers and mentors, sharing our knowledge and expertise with others in Shashe eager to adopt agroecological practices. The sense of community and collaboration has grown stronger as farmers from other regions have come together to exchange ideas, learn from each other’s experiences, and collectively advocate for additional resources and support.
Advocating for the recognition and immense potential of agroecology has strengthened us both as smallholder farmers and as a community. We understand that we must continuously engage with the government to ensure the long-term success of this transformative farming approach.
Simba: From his freerange roadrunner chickens to his organic compost operations, Nelson’s homestead radiates hope and abundance. It showcases the immense potential of agroecology for climate adaptation and community development, and serves as an inspiration to farmers and policymakers in Shashe and beyond.
Authors: Simba Guzha works with VSO, specialising in food security and agroecology. He manages the ACTIVE project in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini. Nelson Mudzingwa is the national coordinator of the Zimbabwe Small Holder Organic Farmers’ Forum (ZIMSOFF). He is a smallholder farmer with years of experience in agroecology.
Contact: simba.guzha@vsoint.org
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This article is part of Issue 1-2024: Policies for Agroecology
