Aquaculture: A Step Towards Climate Resilience
In response to the precedent negative impacts of Climate Change, farmers have resolved and shifted to commercial fish farming as a way to sustain their households. When properly invested, fish farming has changed the lives of many as they are now able to sustain their families. Aquaculture has transformed quite a number of livelihoods as they are able to get into contract fish
farming meaning their produce has a ready market. However, despite the trade having lucrative returns on investment, some farmers still find it expensive to venture in the new climate resilient farming as they have no access to water sources. On average, drilling a 40metre borehole in Zimbabwe cost between us$1,000 – us$1,500 thus making it difficult for an ordinary subsistent communal farmer to raise such an amount at once. Above drilling a borehole, noting that rural electrification has not been widely effective across all ends, an additional cost of equipping the borehole with a solar powered borehole
pump will be required at an estimated cost of us$1,500. Other costs that include construction of the fish ponds makes it further financially straining to an extent that many farmers cannot manage the start-up costs.
As the impacts of Climate Change continue to hit Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, farmers bemoan the prolonged dry spells and short rain seasons making it difficult for most farmers to adjust to the new rainfall patterns thus seeing a growing trend in the uptake and adaptation of the fish farming business. By: Tinashe Muzanamombe
Our Environment By Sharon Beremauro
Our
environment,
meant to accommodate all living organisms, is the basis of nature’s life cycle. With air, water, land and all the weather conditions being its main elements, our environment has now become saturated with toxic gases. It calls for hu-
man action to protect and conserve our environment. Most industrial sites have polluted the atmosphere with various toxic greenhouse gases that include Carbon Monoxide and Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) amongst other intoxicating gases. Other carcinogenic chemicals which have gone to an extent of causing unprecedented human health hazards such as
tuberculosis and skin cancer. Moreover this intoxication of the environment including the atmosphere is continuously causing a misbalance in the amount of oxygen produced and the carbon dioxide released.
Further the global warming is increasing yearly which is disturbing our weather patterns which are constantly changing time and again. Alt-
hough partially caused by natural events. But with some efforts, it can be controlled.
Pollution has become a major issue to safe environment for example in Bulawayo we have issues with the residents of Makokoba who have been polluting their land which has seemingly caused diseases such as diarrhea. This would be illustrated by a picture. However everyone has the duty of maintain and living in clean and
safe environment. Clean up campaigns should be considered. Environmentalists should work in educating people to live in clean environments. For example the cleanup campaign that has been introduced by the president. It is now up to everyone to work towards saving our environment. Living in a safe environment en-
sures a long life span. But consuming our environment with dangerous gases and deforesting it causes a short life span.
ZIMBABWE ONTO ITS BIODIVERSITY ECONOMY STATUS By Wadzanai D. Manyame
Zimbabwe is one of the most advanced countries in biodiversity in Africa. It holds much value in its natural reserves from the Miombo woodlands to the non-timber forestry produce, fisheries and wildlife. The natural reserves hold a lot of potential in terms of business development, tourism and contributing towards boosting the economy of the country. Outside of the tourism, fisheries, forestry and wildlife sectors, most utilisation of biodiversity is unaccounted for. The cumulative value of biodiversity in this country has never
been calculated and its full potential never really portrayed. Zimbabwe, under the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry with the support from African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has embarked on a journey to value its biodiversity through a biodiversity economy survey. The survey is being conducted by Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) in association with Anchor Environmental Consultants, a South African team of seasoned consultants, who are experts in conservation biodiversity and selected local experts from various institutions of
relevance economy.
to
biodiversity
As stated by Olivia Mufute, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) Country Director for Zimbabwe, the study is being carried out following a request made by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development requires a tool to inform policies in order to maximise the country’s inclusive wealth whilst ensuring the long term sustainability of its biological resource base. A study inception report has been drafted.
GREEN OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT
By Sipho Graham Ndebele
Employment has now become a gamble and its security is not certain. We have seen Covid-19, Artificial Intelligence and Technology pushing companies to downsize or terminate certain occupations. Dynamics have shaped us as human beings. This has diminished and replenished certain situations and their risks and opportunities. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2018 reported that 24 million jobs could open up as we adopt sustainable practices and cleaner technologies. Green Jobs are activities that create added value products or services from waste products. This is done by realising opportunities in our environmental challenges and exploiting them as solutions thus promoting circular economy and green growth. Through innovation and entrepreneurship, green initiatives solve environmental challenges and
create employment in the value and supply chain process. In the world that we live today, we face many challenges such as load shedding, waste landfills and water shortages which undermine our productivity and also pose hazards to our well-being and our environment. These challenges have opportunities locked within them through solutions hence our mindset and abilities are up for the task to identify and unlock the value within them.
By Peter Mudzingwa AGROECOLOGY: THE KEY TO CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION ZIMSOFF farmers believe that traditional seeds are fundamental to their cultural survival. ZIMSOFF is supporting women, men and young farmers to sow and conserve local seeds whilst growing diverse nutritious crops rooted in their traditional knowledge and spiritual values thus
nurturing mother Earth as a living soul. ZIMSOFF does so through farmer-tofarmer learning, field days, seed fairs, technical trainings and community dialogues on culture and spirituality. ZIMSOFF’s goal is to instill a sense of respect and celebration of farming as a cultural way of life to which young farmers can aspire and educate others about small grain adaptability to the negative and devastating impacts of
climate change. In addition to their resilience to the impacts of climate change, small grains play a vital role in traditional diets in the countryside of Zimbabwe. Unlike maize, small grain such as millet, sorghum and rapoko amongst others have not been fully promoted as key agricultural produce. Despite the introduction of fortified foods standards in Zimbabwe, small grains have since been left out as they still
find a less significant market share especially in urbanities only except their availability as a stock feed, mainly poultry feed, ingredient. Now that climate change is upon us, it is now time for small grains to be promoted as they have been proven beyond any reasonable doubt to be the key to climate change adaptation and resilience whilst at the same time boosting food security and sovereignty in the country.