“I Lost a Leg, but I Still Have My Mind”: Jabulani’s Story

In 2019, a car accident changes Jabulani Ndlovu’s life, leaving him with one leg and a painful struggle to accept his disability. Today, the 35-year-old Gender Champion and community leader is helping others while rebuilding his confidence and shaping his future. By Lynnia Ngwenya A Journey Home Takes a Painful Turn It is a normal day like many other days,…

From Streambanks to Sustainable Gardens

For many years, gardening along streambanks has been a way of life for many families in Gwanda. The fertile soils and easy access to water help them grow vegetables that feed their families and provide much-needed income. By Lynnia Ngwenya Among them is Pauline Moyo from Ward 16. Like many others in her community, she sees streambank gardening as the easiest…

More Than Grain: Value Addition transforms women’s lives in Gwanda

Discover how value addition processing is helping Ward 6 farmers turn small grains into nutritious products that improve incomes and livelihoods. By Lynnia Ngwenya Relief and gratitude Women share laughter as they feed buckets of harvested grain into the labour saving machines, turning their harvest into value added products. For Medelinah Nyathi, the sound of machines means more than grain…

Women lead restoration of hope in Kgobotwane

Laughter and cheerful conversations fill the air around Kgobotwane dam, women proudly reflect on a journey of transformation. By Lynnia Ngwenya As the sun slowly sets over the rehabilitated dam, Hangaleloe Ncube looks across the water with a sense of relief she had not felt in years.  Not long ago, life for her and many others in this community lived…

The rewards of sustainable practices

In Mahlokohloko, Ward 4, Gwanda North, 59-year-old Maidei Ndlovu and her husband, 63-year-old Bisei Sibanda, have become symbols of agricultural transformation through conservation agriculture (CA). Living with their two sons, the family have cultivated not only crops but a model of resilience, sustainability, and partnership that inspires their entire community.  As a dedicated lead farmer under the LINCZ Program, implemented…

A new era for Mamsisi village as BIC-CDS scoops Kgobotwane Dam

Siltation is a severe and persistent environmental problem in most rivers and dams in Zimbabwe which has led to reduction in water capacity posing serious threat to agriculture, wildlife and domestic water use. Community led efforts such as erection of silt traps and other interventions that include desilting are thereby critical in restoring the dams water holding capacity, supporting biodiversity…

GENDER TRANSFORMATION THROUGH TIME-SAVING TECHNOLOGIES

In the dry and drought-prone communities of Gwanda District, climate change had devastating effects on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers particularly women, elderly, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups. With limited access to decision-making spaces, financial literacy, and climate-resilient farming techniques, women carried a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, including time-consuming tasks such as pounding small grains…

FROM FARM TO THE MARKET: THE PROCESS IN BETWEEN

GETTING agricultural produce from the farm successfully to the factory requires a lot of effort applied from production to processing to packaging. Some products may not get to the market because they are not fit for the market that they are supposed to attract. Just like mobile phones have made our communication efficient, energy saving technologies have notably brought about…

About Maggot Rearing

IN as much as farmers in Gwanda district are more into cattle rearing, they also take pride in small livestock rearing such as chickens and goat production. Goats are admired for their resilience and adaptability to harsh climatic conditions whilst cows are deemed as the true representation of wealth amongst the native Gwanda farmers. Poultry production is also an important…

DIVERSIFYING FOR RESILIENCE: A FARMING FAMILY’S JOURNEY

Obadiah and Oline Dube, are dedicated farmers from Ward 8 in Sizeze village, who have transformed their agricultural practices through the Locally Led indigenous Nature-Based Solution for Climate Change Adaptation in Zimbabwe (LINCZ) project implemented by the BIC-CDS. Previously, they relied on conventional maize farming which left them vulnerable to climate change impacts. By embracing Conservation Agriculture (CA) principles, they…