Field Trip: 1-4 APRIL 2014, Report by Julious Piti
What changed in
your life after eco-community training in Chikukwa 2013?
Introduction
and overview
There were 16 farmers in Murehwa on 2 April,
during the monitoring trip to the group that was trained by CELUCT in October
2013. The people gathered under a tree, telling their stories of change. We
visited 8 projects sites that showed and told their story of change in context.
I saw water harvesting schemes developed, nurseries for mangoes and indigenous
trees, trees planted in the indigenous forest in the mountain, compost heaps
from crop residues that could have been burned, pit beds, swales and bee keeping
project developed. The people were able to talk about future projects that would
help to strengthen and improve the wetland, for example protection the top part
of the wetland. However there is a big challenge if this task is to be
accomplished: proper facilitation, planning and monitoring is needed. The
project is not a short-term project, it involves 60
families and needs careful planning so that people will work together. Lots of
training on natural resources management, permaculture and building community relationships
needs to be carried out in the near future. We really need a practical training
for three days or four on different sites, with proper preparation so that the
impact is felt by the larger group of families living on this wetland.
Figure 1 Murehwa team on project tour
Names of the people at the meeting
1.
Takesure Hwatera – Secretary of the head woman
Gladys Gutu
2.
Simba Tendai –Police man for the head woman
3.
Gilbert Gutu
and his wife
4.
Thomas Gutu
5.
Mr Mangwende Chief-Trainee
6.
Trust Zvomuya-
Trainee
7.
Petros Makuwatsine–Trainee
8.
Abedenigo Gutu Trainee
9.
Tinashe Gutu
10.
Iden Chengere (son) son of Headwoman Gutu
11.
Gladys Gutu
the headwoman.-Tranee
12.
Ivin Zvomuya -Trainee
The meeting started around 1pm on the 3 April
at Gutu village ward 8, Murehwa in the wetland under
an indigenous forest.
On a sunny day, the spot we were sitting
was cool due to the plants that were providing shade, making the air fresh.
The headwoman Gutu
was the first to tell her story of change.
Story
1: Gladys Gutu
“Despite the death of my son in-laws during
the period after training, we managed to use organic manure to grow maize on
dry land cropping area by just carrying the manure and spread in the field.
Started reclaimed one of the gully in the
wetland by developing swale from the top to harvest the water into the ground
while spreading the water and sink it.
We organized 3 acre land to be developed,
to become community orchard and indigenous forest mixed farming food forest in
the wetland.
We have reduced the use of chemical poison
in our vegetables and chemical fertilizers in our garden, this reduces water poisoning
and on 26 April 2014 Chief Mangwende the paramount
chief of Gutu is ordering the organic vegetable for
his ceremony.
The people are more united and we are able
to discuss our problems more openly although we still have internal conflicts
with people who cut the forest.”
At her home she has planted 4 apples trees,
8 avocado, 4 bananas.
“We would like to improve our wetland area
by protecting the area from cattle and planting more trees around the wetland area
and for that we need training and resources to achieve our goal.”
Story
2: Trust Zvomunya
Figure 2Trust Zvomunya Seeds fro
the training raised as seedlings
Figure 3.Trust Zvomunye
background of his home
“We carried some seeds and plants after
training in Chikukwa, I planted 1 avocado, 3 wattle trees, 4 mango trees, 3
apples, one orange tree, 2 pawpaw trees,
I was using organic matter and compost to grow maize and that proved to
work for me. The maize were intercropped with cow peas
and pumpkins.”
Story
3: Ivin Gutu Chiyengerere
“After training I planted one orange, 4
apples, 3 pawpaw trees, we organized a permaculture committee that is responsible
to monitor and administer permaculture activities in our area and our
permaculture club name is called Japachapa. We are
busy trying to develop tree nurseries of mango and other indigenous trees. The
club needs to fence an area of three acres that we would like to protect young
plants from grazing cattle as an orchard. We would like to fence the area away
from cattle and goats.”
Story
4: Petros Makuwatsine
Figure 4 Crop residues turned into compost
“After the training I was able to develop water
harvesting schemes from my door steps of five pit beds. I used organic fertilizer
from the forest and from the kitchen to an area of 50m by 50m. I’m growing
vegetables with less poisons such as, peas, beans, peas.”
Story
5: Abednigo Gutu
Figure 5 Bee keeping promising
“After the training, I talked to my parents
who sent me to train in Chikukwa as a report back and we improved the secret
forest above our home by replanting several other indigenous trees and suprus trees.
We identified companion plants in our orchard
and gardens; I planted bananas, tomatoes, in my orchard as mixed cropping. We
are now making compost from the cow dung that we did not use much before.”
Story 6: Father of Abednigo,
the headwoman’s secretary
Figure 6 Abedenigos' father, proud of his son who
went to learn in Chikukwa
“After my son went for training we improved
our orchard, we added apple trees, mango seedlings, other indigenous tree
seedling. We target to plant and expand our indigenous forest. The idea is to
harvest the water so that we can reduce soil erosion.”
Story
7: Mr Hwatera
Figure 7 Community trainer by nature Mr Hwatera
“We
are now using inter- cropping in our garden, planting rape with tomatoes mixed
with onions. Onions repel some insects and they all do not share the same
disease therefore, I use small land to produce more food.”
Figure 8 Taken last year same place on the (left taken April 2014, right
taken 2013)
He has four by 50m long swales that are
aligned to harvest water from the steep slope; the swales protect his home, and
some swales harvest water from his home into his field bellow. The water
harvesting scheme is well-done, there is a sign that he started with these
swales long back before Chikukwa training but this can be a relevant venue for
a follow up training workshop.
Recommendations
following monitoring trip
1.
Follow up workshop in Murehwa
for three days with Chikukwa farmers (at least 3 farmers from Chikukwa).
2.
Follow up should include lots
of practicals on the land: at least three sites on
water harvesting, tree planting, compost making, use of herbs, organic pest and
disease management, conflict resolution that include traditional knowledge
systems.
3.
Topics to be discussed: conflict
resolution, history of land use design in this wetland and how they want to
improve the wetland as a community. Compiling of integrated land use plan for
the wet land which must come from the people.
4.
Participants should include
major stakeholders in the wetland such as Agritex,
Environmental Management Agency representatives and community.
5.
Facilitation team must be well
prepared and well equipped with enough training materials for three to four
days.
