adminManicaland Correspondent
THE Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has hailed the unity of purpose demonstrated by Government departments, development partners and the local communities in their close cooperation in implementing environmental management strategies.
FAO sub-regional coordinator for Southern Africa Dr Patrick Kormawa made the remarks during a tour to appreciate land reclamation efforts being made in the Gudyanga area of Chimanimani recently.
“These projects are a success because of the unity of purpose from all stakeholders,” he said.
“FAO seeks to scale-up climate change adoption measures and reduce the vulnerability of rural communities, particularly women to impacts of climate change and extreme events.
“This is a very commendable initiative, for we cannot separate environmental management from irrigation schemes. Poor investment in soil will result in meaningless investments in water.”
FAO Manicaland provincial mechanisation engineer, Eng Nhlanhla Magama, said the area was losing tonnes of soil to land degradation.
FAO, through the smallholder irrigation rehabilitation programme, has so far availed funds towards the reclamation of Tonhorai gulley, which is threatening a nearby irrigation scheme, he said.
Proliferation of gullies in the district has had several notable sinister effects such as siltation of rivers, exposure of main water pipeline channelling water into the nearby Tonhorai Irrigation Scheme among other challenges.”
Eng Magama said they were working on the construction of a sand dam aimed at capturing moisture and promoting vegetative growth in the semi-arid region to counter the effects of climate change as an adaptation measure
Sand dams are the most cost-effective form of rainwater harvesting and provide communities with a reliable source of water even during periods of drought, he said.
The area is characterised by erratic rainfall, so the sand dams will enable communities to capture and preserve the little moisture they can get. We are hoping to put to good use the captured moisture and promote vegetative growth and cover in the area, thereby conserving and preventing further soil erosion as well as protecting major rivers like Save from threats of siltation.
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement district technician for Chimanimani Mr Aaron Mwanasawana cited brick moulding and stream bank cultivation as some of the major drivers of proliferation of gullies, adding that they had taken a holistic approach towards addressing the environmental challenges. He said they were working with various Government departments to address the issue.
“Our approach to the environmental challenges in Chimanimani is not only focusing on gully reclamation, but we are working with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Forestry Commission, Agritex, the local rural council as well as community leaders to tackle and address all land management challenges,” he said.
The project is currently being funded by FAO, with the local community chipping in by providing manual labour required for the progression of the project.
The restoration project will also culminate in livelihoods projects for the farmers within the catchment area.
Online Reporter