AGRICULTURE minister Anxious Masuka has urged farmers to embrace agroecology, saying it mitigates the effects of climate change and promotes sustainable agriculture.
Agroecology, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, is a holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously applies ecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of sustainable agriculture and food systems.
It seeks to optimise the interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while also addressing the need for socially equitable food systems within which people can exercise choice over what they eat and how and where it is produced.
Speaking during a regional conference in Harare last week, Masuka said agroecology would help boost agriculture production.
“Agroecology practices like diversified cropping, integrated pest management, and soil conservation not only help mitigate the effects of climate change, but also promote sustainable, regenerative agriculture that supports healthy ecosystems and thriving rural communities,” he said.
“These nature based solutions do far more than just mitigate effects of climate change, they as well are of essence of sustainable, regenerative agriculture, weaving together diversified cropping, integrated pest management, and meticulous soil conversions to create thriving resilient ecosystems.”
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Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum chairperson Elizabeth Mpofu said farmers should stay prepared for any climate change-induced disaster.
“One thing which El Niño did to us as a region was to show us how vulnerable and fragile our farming model was,” Mpofu said.
“Crops were a right off, livestock is under threat from starvation, national economies are projected to shrink.
“Agroecology offers a great farming system to deal not just with challenges of climate change, but also to ensure food nutrition to many people.”
Jo Abbot, development director and deputy ambassador at British embassy in Harare, said the United Kingdom recognised the devastating impacts of climate change in Zimbabwe and was committed to ending extreme poverty.
“We cannot or should not talk about agroecology without putting women and girls at the heart of our thinking and practice, as they are the linchpins of homes, heading more than 40% of households in rural areas,” Abbot said.
Nyasha Makayakora, a farmer from Mutoko, urged fellow farmers to adopt agroecology to cut input costs and boost yields.
“Agroecology is important because as a farmer, I don’t worry about where I am going to get money to buy seeds, nor money for fertilisers as all these will be readily available, as we use organic waste and natural manure,” Makayakora told Standardbusiness.
“When we harvest, I just take some of the harvest I will want to use as seeds and put aside, meaning I won’t have to worry about buying seeds.”
Zimbabwe, like other countries in the southern region, is experiencing an El Niño-induced drought.