Online Reporter
Elita Chikwati
Agriculture Reporter
DOMA farmers operating at Kamfungu Village Business Unit (VBU) in Mbire are reaping the benefits after establishing a nutritional garden and embarking on fish farming under the DanChurchAid Ushingi Utariri Project.
The initiative forms part of the Government and DanChurchAid’s efforts to bolster resilience to climate change and promote household food and nutrition security.
The five fish ponds were financed by the United Nations Development Programme through the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) , while the piped‑water scheme was funded by the Swedish Embassy.
The project supported the construction of a two‑hectare garden, the drilling of a borehole, the installation of water tanks and a pump, and the erection of an electric fence to protect the crops.
The garden is tended by 22 members – five men and 17 women – who grow leafy vegetables, tomatoes, watermelons, cucumbers, okra and a variety of other crops.
The members have also diversified and are now into beekeeping and fish farming. They have since sold 100 kg of fish from the first two ponds.
Kamfungu VBU members recently completed preparing three more ponds, which are awaiting stocking.
Beneficiary, Mrs Gladys Kafamauro, said the garden and fish farming project had transformed her ability to provide for her family.
“As a woman, I have to put food on the table, and that is not easy. Now we grow onions, tomatoes and other vegetables, so my children will never go hungry,” she said.
“The project has also empowered us women; we now have an income‑generating project and can afford to buy food without having to ask our husbands for money.
“It has brought economic independence to many of us, and we hope to keep expanding the project.”
Kamfungu VBU secretary, Mr Elias Kasanhu, said the members had benefited a lot from the project as they now have access to fresh vegetables throughout the year.
“We now have access to fresh vegetables all year round thanks to irrigation. We used to run out of vegetables during the dry season, but now we supply the community,” he said.
“At the moment we are the only ones with tomatoes and they are selling at high prices. We will never be food‑insecure as we also have disposable income.”
Mr Kasanhu said the garden electric fence had kept wild animals such as baboons and elephants at bay.
Kamfungu VBU chairman Mr Choice Nyamhandu said the project was progressing well, though the water tanks were small for the garden.
“If we could obtain larger tanks, we would increase the area under irrigation. Our refrigerator is still to be set up, which makes it difficult to sell fish to distant markets – fish is perishable and we cannot reach dealers far from the site,” he said.
He also mentioned plans to use garden proceeds to purchase drip‑irrigation equipment.
“The project has empowered many households; a member can even borrow from the project when faced with a pressing issue,” he said.
Local butcher Mr Chaka Matika entered a partnership with the VBU. He is providing a ready market, despite the long distance between the project site and his shop.
Members report that the garden has lifted their livelihoods. Mr Kasanhu stressed that none of the participants are food‑insecure.
“We will never go hungry. We eat our vegetables and sell the surplus. We intend to use the earnings to buy maize and distribute it among members, ensuring household food security,” he said.
Utariri Ushingi spokesperson Mrs Patience Ukama described the scheme as the flagship climate‑change, biodiversity and livelihoods programme.
“Through this project, we are focusing on building community resilience. We identified fish farming as a key activity and expect the Kamfungu VBU to harvest up to 800 kg of fish, which will boost local livelihoods and help meet national goals of leaving no one and no place behind,” she said.
