By Shalom Shawurwa
Smallholder farmers in rural areas are being trained to use plants, insects and soil organisms to measure the health of their land as communities seek new ways to withstand worsening climate shocks.
The move comes as droughts, erratic rainfall and land degradation place growing pressure on farming livelihoods across the country.
Farmers, traditional leaders, government officials and civil society representatives in Makonde District, recently attended a two-day workshop on biomonitoring a science-based method that uses living organisms to assess ecosystem health.
The training was led by PELUM Zimbabwe under its Holistic Land and Livestock Management (HLLM) programme and brought together participants from 13 districts.
The initiative aims to restore degraded landscapes, improve soil fertility and strengthen resilience to climate-related shocks through more sustainable livestock and land management practices.
PELUM Zimbabwe country coordinator Theophilus Mudzindiko said biomonitoring gave communities practical tools to assess the impact of how they used their land.
“It allows them to track changes in grazing areas, soil fertility, water infiltration and biodiversity and make informed decisions,” he said.
For many farmers, the approach marks a shift away from conventional agriculture reliant on heavy external inputs, towards agroecological methods based on observation and adaptation.
By monitoring ground cover, species diversity and soil conditions, communities can identify early signs of degradation and respond by changing grazing patterns or cropping methods.
Organisers say the system has already shown results.
During the 2023-24 El Niño-induced drought, communities practising structured grazing where livestock are rotated between designated areas to allow land recovery reported having grass for longer than those using uncontrolled grazing systems.
Supporters of the programme say better land management can also improve water retention, stabilise watersheds and protect ecosystems that support livestock, wildlife and people.
The initiative is also in line with Zimbabwe’s broader development goals, including biodiversity conservation strategies and emerging agroecology policies.
Alongside biomonitoring, participants at the Makonde workshop were trained in water harvesting and orchard management, measures intended to help households diversify incomes in increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
The latest phase follows earlier training sessions held in Masvingo last year after a baseline study, with communities now expected to begin monitoring environmental changes directly on their farms.
