Abstract
Forest benefit analysis is vital in ensuring sustainable community-based natural resources management. Forest depletion and degradation are key issues in rural Zimbabwe and strategies to enhance sustainable forest management are continually sought. This study was carried out to assess the impact of forests on communities from Nyanga, Guruve and Zvimba districts of Zimbabwe. It is based on a Big Lottery Fund project implemented by Progressio-UK and Environment Africa. It focuses on identifying replicable community forest and land management strategies and the level of benefits accruing to the community. Analysis of change was based on the Income and Food Security and Forest benefits, which also constitutes the tools used during the research. The study confirms the high rate of deforestation and the increased realisation by communities to initiate practical measures aimed at protecting and sustaining forest and land resources from which they derive economic and social benefits. The results highlight the value of community structures (Farmer Field Schools and Environmental Action Groups) as conduits for natural resource management. The interconnectivity among forests, agricultural systems and the integral role of people are recognised as key to climate change adaptation.
Highlights
Progressio-UK and Environment Africa (EA) are implementing a project entitled ‘Conserving our Land and Producing Food’ in Guruve, Zvimba and Nyanga districts of Zimbabwe
The project makes use of community-based groupings, namely the Environmental Action Groups (EAGs) and Farmer Field Schools (FFS), which have gone through an intensive capacity-building in forest management
It examines the current scenario against two major Regular Impact for Capacity Assessment (RICA) indicators of forest benefits and income or food security expected to be accelerated by environmental education (EE) and sustainable development
Summary
Progressio-UK and Environment Africa (EA) are implementing a project entitled ‘Conserving our Land and Producing Food’ in Guruve, Zvimba and Nyanga districts of Zimbabwe. An increase in sustainable management of forest, land and water resources is expected for the benefit of the most disadvantaged households. The project makes use of community-based groupings, namely the Environmental Action Groups (EAGs) and Farmer Field Schools (FFS), which have gone through an intensive capacity-building in forest management. This study is a culmination of a series of observations, monitoring and evaluation and results of Regular Impact for Capacity Assessment (RICA) surveys. It largely focuses on the work of EAGs and FFS. It examines the current scenario against two major RICA indicators of forest benefits and income or food security expected to be accelerated by environmental education (EE) and sustainable development
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