Chimanimani youths strike it rich in fish farming
Youth Buzz Theseus Shambare
ALTHOUGH Cyclone Idai left a trail of destruction in Chimanimani, Manicaland province, in 2019, youths under Chief Muusha’s area have turned the page.
Under their group, Young Achievers, the youths have become beacons of hope and symbols of success in their community.
The group of 18 has found success through unity. It all started as a revolving cash cooperative, known as “mukando”, but later transformed into a fully fledged village business unit.
The Young Achievers have a one-hectare plot on which they have established fish ponds, irrigation systems and other agricultural infrastructure. They started the project through contributing US$1 each per month.
Since the area falls under farming region 4, which is largely semi-arid, they opted for a fish farming project.
They dug their first fishpond manually. With the little money they had pooled, they bought water pipes to draw water from the nearby Mhakwe River.
Impressed by the efforts and resilience shown by the youths, the Government, in partnership with some non-governmental organisations and other private players, chipped in by providing fingerlings and feed.
This led to a successful takeoff of the project. The group now wants to expand and diversify into other income-generating activities.
“When Cyclone Idai hit our area in 2019, all our parents’ crops and livestock were destroyed. On top of losing loved ones and infrastructure, we also lost our nutrition gardens that were along the river,” said Mr Bineloge Nhembo (22), the group’s secretary.
The youths, Mr Nhembo said, had to take it upon themselves to restore lost hope.
“We have become leaders in our community. The elders are now looking up to us to even make decisions during village meetings because we have shown our worth to them,” he said.
According to Miss Chelma Machiya (21) from Chikutukutu village, fish farming has been a game changer to young women and girls in the area.
“We lost many young girls of my age to early marriages. The sad part is that some even died while giving birth,” said Miss Machiya.
“But with this project, we feel empowered and make informed decisions, knowing that we can sustain ourselves without submitting to manipulation and abuse from men.”
Ms Annah Nyete (35) said the project had effectively ended period poverty among young women and girls. Period poverty refers to lack of access to safe and hygienic menstrual products during monthly periods, as well as basic sanitation services or facilities, among others.
“We can now buy our own sanitary pads, which are safer than the other alternatives we were using, thereby putting our bodies at risk of infections and other related sexual reproductive health diseases,” said Ms Nyete, a mother of four. “Before this project, girls and women in general were using unhygienic methods like cow dung.”
But the group faced challenges in travelling long distances to buy fingerlings, as Harare is more than 500 kilometres away, whilst feed was also scarce in Chimanimani district.
However, the Government and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) recently launched a Technical Cooperation Programme to decentralise hatcheries.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources Department director Mr Milton Makumbe said the long-term plan is to ensure that all districts have a hatchery closer to farmers.
Fisheries, he said, have the potential to become a US$1,2 billion sector.