Effectiveness of Pfumvudza as a resilient strategy against drought impacts in rural communities of Zimbabwe

Abstract

Pfumvudza is a Zimbabwean vernacular language term literally referring to the blooming of new leaves during the spring season signalling the beginning of a new farming season. It used to refer, to the conservation agriculture concept, a crop production intensification approach under which farmers ensure the efficient use of resources on a small area of land in order to optimise its management. The research assessed the effectiveness of Pfumvudza as a resilient strategy against climate change induced drought impacts in rural communities Zimbabwe, case of Munyarari ward 20. The descriptive case study was used triangulating data collection methods. The sample size was 96 households who practised Pfumvudza (20% of the target population) and all the 18 households (100%) which did not practise Pfumvudza. These were randomly sampled from five conveniently selected villages in the ward. Four key informants were purposively selected. Data was analysed using SPSS and content analysis. Climate change induced drought impacts greatly affected communal farmers who depended on rain fed agriculture. This led to food insecurity which attracted donor aid year after year. Pfumvudza improved yields and reduced donor aid in the area. Mann–Whitney test results indicated that there was a difference between yields of crops before and after Pfumvudza scheme. Mann–Whitney test results also revealed that there was a significance difference between those who practiced Pfumvudza and those who did not. It was concluded that Pfumvudza increased resilience against climate change induced drought impacts and improved yields in rural communities of Zimbabwe where it was implemented. The research recommends farmers to fully embrace the Pfumvudza strategy so as to realize high yields and improve food security.

Climate-smart agricultural practices among rural farmers in Masvingo district of Zimbabwe: perspectives on the mitigation strategies to drought and water scarcity for improved crop production

“…The successful assimilation of Pfumvudza practices resonates profoundly with the experiences of the Zaka rural farmers, further corroborating these techniques' potency in propelling agricultural productivity and fortifying food security for Zimbabwe. These findings harmonise with the conclusions drawn from Mavesere and Dzawanda (2022) study, substantiating the pivotal import of potholing and water channelling within the larger CSA framework. These methodologies empower farmers to set their sights on bountiful crop yields while enhancing resilience to mitigate the adverse ramifications of drought and water scarcity.…”

“…The efficacy of potholing and water channelling, often referred to as water harvesting in specific scholarly contexts (e.g., Ndlovu et al, 2020;Olabanji et al, 2020;Bagheri and Teymouri, 2022;Gebre et al, 2022), as integral components of CSA strategies has garnered considerable attention within the realms of climate change and agricultural discourse (e.g., Mavesere and Dzawanda, 2022). Potholing, a cornerstone of the farming approach known as Pfumvudza in Zimbabwe, has gained particular prominence in this discussion.…”

“…Potholing, a cornerstone of the farming approach known as Pfumvudza in Zimbabwe, has gained particular prominence in this discussion. This indigenous term encapsulates the conservationoriented methodology embraced by rural farmers in Zimbabwe, emphasising its pivotal role in attaining elevated maize production levels and providing rural households with a sustainable source of food (Mavesere and Dzawanda, 2022).…”

Understanding sustained adoption of conservation agriculture among smallholder farmers: insights from a sentinel site in Malawi

“…Such incentives could be payments for environmental services or preferential treatment in fertilizer support programs if CA systems were adopted (Ngoma et al, 2021). An example of such a scheme that has drastically improved the uptake of CA is the Pfumvudza program in Zimbabwe which makes receipt of input subsidies conditional on implementing some elements of CA (Mavesere and Dzawanda, 2022).…”

El Niño’s Effects on Southern African Agriculture in 2023/24 and Anticipatory Action Strategies to Reduce the Impacts in Zimbabwe

“…With an emphasis on the forthcoming El Niño event, this brief study has underlined the effects of the dry season on agriculture in Zimbabwe and on similar countries in Southern Africa. The suggested short-to medium-term actions include encouraging the use of climate-smart agriculture such as conservation agriculture (Pfumvudza), drought-tolerant crops, irrigation rehabilitation and development, efficient water use, early warning information systems, livestock production strategies, water harvesting, strategic grain reserves, and countries purchasing agriculture insurance to protect farmers and increase agricultural resilience [28]. The African Risk Capacity (ARC), through its insurance subsidiary ARC Insurance Ltd., is a sovereign insurance pool which provides African governments with index-based macro drought coverage (in a later stage, also flood coverage) [29].…”