Online Reporter
George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
NEARLY 1 000 households in Bikita District are set to benefit from an ambitious wetlands protection and restoration programme being implemented by Bikita Rural District Council (RDC) in partnership with development organisations, a move expected to enhance food security, water availability and household incomes.
The local authority is working with development partners, including Care Zimbabwe and Christian Care, to restore degraded wetlands and promote sustainable utilisation of natural resources as part of broader climate resilience and rural development initiatives.
Bikita RDC chief executive officer Engineer Arnold Mtuke said the programme, which will run until 2028, targets the restoration and protection of wetlands across five wards while directly benefiting close to 1 000 households.
He said the initiative combines modern conservation approaches with indigenous knowledge systems to ensure sustainable management of wetlands and improved livelihoods for local communities.
“As Bikita District, we are implementing a wetlands protection and restoration programme covering six wetlands with support from Christian Care as the implementing partner and funding from The Charitable Foundation. We are also implementing the Community-Based Adaptation Programme on Climate Change (CBA Scale+) project, led by Care Zimbabwe,” said Engineer Mtuke.
“The Christian Care initiative, known as Wetlands for Wealth, will run until 2028. The expected outcomes include improved water availability, increased household incomes and enhanced food security.”
He said communities were already actively involved in project implementation through the digging of perimeter trenches for fencing, while wetlands management committees had been trained and established.
“Fencing materials have already been delivered, including poles, barbed wire, tying wire, strainers, pliers, nails and cement. Wetlands management committees have been elected and are functional, while engagements with village heads and traditional leaders have been completed to ensure collaborative management of the resources,” he said.
At Tarwireyi Wetland in Ward 11, located in Sosera communal lands, the project targets the rehabilitation of a 15-hectare wetland expected to benefit more than 250 households.
The project includes the construction of a weir to support irrigation development and fisheries production.
In Ward 9, rehabilitation of Kurumwaune Wetland will facilitate irrigation development on six hectares of land, with plans already underway to fence the wetland and establish irrigation infrastructure for smallholder farmers.
Ruyerera and Cherima wetlands in Wards 19 and 15 are expected to provide water for nearly eight hectares of irrigated land, benefiting about 200 households through gravity-fed irrigation systems.
Another 250 households in Ward 15 are expected to benefit from a weir that Bikita RDC and its partners plan to construct to irrigate four hectares of land and improve agricultural productivity.
Engineer Mtuke said the current programme builds on successful interventions implemented in 2025, which benefited more than 13 villages across the district.
Last year, communities received support through fisheries, apiculture and climate-smart agriculture projects. A total of 11 500 fingerlings were stocked in weirs across the district, while other households were assisted to venture into beekeeping and commercial chilli production.
The initiatives benefited more than 100 households across three wards and formed part of efforts to strengthen rural livelihoods while promoting environmental conservation and climate resilience.
Peter Tanyanyiwa