Bulilima launches indigenous climate change centre to empower farmers

Zimpapers Writer

THE BULILIMA community in Matabeleland South on Friday launched the Indigenous Climate Change Centre of Excellence, a key initiative aimed at empowering rural communities to adapt and respond to the effects of climate change.

The centre, spearheaded by Sisonke Working Together Trust Bulawayo, is designed to support smallholder farmers with sustainability training, resources and indigenous knowledge-based strategies to tackle climate change effects in dry regions. Over 200 farmers across the district attended the launch in Nyele, Ward 4.

“We had a successful ground-breaking ceremony for the launch of the Indigenous Climate Change Centre of Excellence in Nyele Ward 4, Bulilima District, Matabeleland South Province,” said Mr Themba Phiri, Director of Sisonke Working Together Trust Bulawayo.

“The indigenous climate change centre will act as a sustainability training centre for farmers, provide tools and resources to curb climate change,” Mr Phiri said.

He added that the centre would also serve as a platform for future farmer training, with plans underway to mobilise resources for the construction of offices and dormitories.

“The centre will also engage in a resource mobilisation drive so that offices and dormitories will be set up for future farmer training programmes,” he added.

The farming community in Bulilima, already participating in climate-smart agriculture through the cultivation of small grains and cover crops, welcomed the development as a game-changer in boosting resilience and food security.

Presiding over the ground-breaking was traditional leader Headman Lenny Khuphe, supported by Headman Mzwanyana and Councillor Bangani Ndlovu, who hailed the centre as a significant step towards reclaiming indigenous knowledge and practices that are compatible with local climate realities.

The launch of the centre comes at a time when rural Zimbabwe is experiencing increased climate shocks, including prolonged droughts and erratic rainfall patterns, posing serious threats to agricultural livelihoods.