PROJECT SUMMARY
Nyahokwe ?Sarutani community is situated on the leeward side of the Nyangani Range inhabiting an estimatedtotal area of 1000 hectares and having their main water source from Nyarerwe River. The communities are facing the problem of land degradation and bio diversity loss. Most of the households are peasant farmers and make their livelihood from land, but due to the climate change the farmers face a high risk on their livelihoods as they depend on rain-fed agriculture which has become unpredictable and unreliable. The effects of climate change like rain floods experienced in the last harvesting season have caused massive land degradation leading to the formation of extensive gullies, river siltation and destruction to vast biodiversity in the destructed water sources.

The households in these communities though protective of their environment are forced by livelihood challenges to deplete and degrade their environment to make a living as they depend only on that land for their livelihood. Factors like food insecurity and poverty which are common among the local peasant farmers have negative implications for the environment of the peasant farmers. Lack of fuel wood exerts pressure on the community who now face a threat of reduced energy due to wood shortages. Lack of alternative sustainable and efficient energy mechanisms has not contributed any good to this land degradation fueling climate change. Communities in this area have resorted to cutting down trees for firewood as woody biomass is the only source of energy. The communities are forced to clear vegetation cover which lies along river banks for farming horticultural products as the rivers are only source of accessible water, cutting down trees for fencing gardens and other household uses as a means of survival. The communities have resorted to use of chemicals and pesticides to increase yields in their small gardens and fields due to reduced availability of water, but this unsystematic and un conservative use has put the environment at risk leading to severe degradation like the formation of gullies, increase in the soil erosion and siltation of rivers, drying up of wetlands, thus biodiversity being put at very high risk.

The current socio-economic conditions have also contributed greatly on severe environmental degradation as the community strive to make a livelihood from the land which is the major and only source of income .The local peasant farmers rely on subsistence farming for a livelihood and the only available mechanisms used for productivity have not only lead to reduced yields over the years but have caused severe environmental degradation and contributed extensively to the climate change which has resulted in severe effects on local people. Above everything the community in turn has been left without any coping mechanisms to effects of climate change as well as leaving them in a very vulnerable state in terms of food security, and enhancing positive livelihoods.

Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA Village Committee would therefore want to respond relevantly to climate change by the management of environmental degradation and biodiversity conservation for a sustainable environment through demonstration projects and capacity building on best mechanisms to adapt to impacts of climate change. With this great opportunity offered by the Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) Country Programme the community of Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA Project Committee would liketo transfer mitigation measures to the members through a strategy of managing land degradation and reducing the risk towards biodiversity. The community would like to Promote use of efficient stoves and biogas to reduce forest loss, promote protection of wetlands and woodlots for intergraded watershed management, promote soil conservation through afforestation, gulley reclamation and best farming mechanism, raise awareness and prevention of veldtfires,promotion of organic farming and facilitate formation of policies to address land degradation, protection of biodiversity and mitigate climate change. The community will also engage in capacity building on policy formation, energy saving technology, indigenous tree growing, beekeeping activities as source of livelihoods and best organic and conservation farming mechanism. The community will also work towards the distribution of household chores to reduce the burden on women and with the use of the energy saving stove the burden on women will also be addressed addresses.

The members rely on subsistence farming, and the crops grown are for household consumption. The project members are engaged in land management and rain water harvesting around their homesteads and this has produced gains in agricultural production, enhancing vegetative cover and water availability. The group received funding from GEF/SGP to protect a wetland and orchard for Agro-forestry and the group has achieved well in this project. The group is currently involved in land reclamation through closing gullies, forest management, and woodlot and wetland protection. The members have been able to establish one wetland, woodlot and orchard in their village. The members have been able to produce products like apples, tomatoes, vegetables and honey which they have added value and are selling from their viable enterprise which is the gardens and orchards.

1.2 ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND AND CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT
?Chitsanza Development Association Background (CHIDA):
Chitsanza Development Association is a registered community based organization established in 2004 and registered as a trust 2008 implementing environmental, livelihood projects and capacity building workshops for sustainable communities. The organisation now operates in 8 wards in the Nyanga District. The community based organization is membership based with a large membership base of 5600 women, men and youths who are not expecting immediate material rewards without contributing anything. The organization is strengthened by the presence of the community who are committed to work together regardless of race or religion. This independence affords flexibility, credibility and accountability wherever and with whomever it works with. The organisation is involved in lobbying and advocacy to improve the living standards of the communities. The organisation aims to promote acceptable gender and traditional practises that benefit the communities, it aims to inform disseminate information on legal issues that affect the communities and promoting the conservation of biodiversity of the area by lobbying Council to enforce by-laws.

The community has easy access to stakeholders and stakeholder participation is strong and available. The availability of stakeholders has enhanced the potential for CHIDA to effectively contribute towards sustainable environmental management. CHIDA partners with a number of local, national and international organizations. The main stakeholders CHIDA works with are governmental institutions AGRITEX, Nyanga Rural District Council, Environmental Management Agency, Agricultural and Engineering department, Ministry of Gender and Women Affairs, Ministry Of Youth, ZRP Victim Friendly Unit and Peace Unit, and non-governmental organisation such as ZIMNET and all civic groups operating in Nyanga. The organisation has the support of local leaders which enhances the organisations capacity to mobilise the community. The organisation is located within the community that is well informed of community status and needs.

The organisation has gained experience in implementation activities related to conservation of natural resources and protection of the environmental through four projects that it undertook in Bonde, Mambemba, Nyatondo and Sedze villages with funding from GEF/SGP. The organisation resulted in the planting of Jatropha as live fencing for homesteads, gardens and communal maize fields. Woodlots and wetlands were protected to provide sustainable source of energy and to re afforest rate denude forests and for the replenishment of water sources and protection of biodiversity. The project has mobilised community on construction of energy saving stoves to reduce demand on wood biomass for fuel and to reduce the burden of household chores on women. The organisation received funds from Norwegian People?s Aid to construct four weirs for the four projects. The organisation in 2008 through the funds received from GEF/SGP mobilised eleven more communities in environmental management and protection of wetlands and orchards in promoting sustainable environment management.

The organisation is capacitated by committed Village Project Committees, Board and staff members who are driven by the desire to serve the community. The Board members are representatives from the community who are the drivers of the organisation. The organization has 5 staff members who are committed to work for the community and these only receive allowances on the availability of funds and the staff members offer their services voluntarily to the community thevillage committee represent the community in implementing the community projects. The organisation is formed by community members who are the owners of the organisation and they are always present to develop and protect the environment for positive livelihoods.

CHIDA?S VISION AND PLANS.
The organisation?s vision is to see a sustainable community based local development in the beneficiary areas with the relevant local people taking active interest in and ownership of the development of their communities through protection and conservation of their environment for sustainable livelihoods.
The organization?s plan with the Bonde, Mambemba, Nyatondo, Sedze and Nyahokwe Projects is to create a green belt along the Nyangani range, from ward 22 to ward 1 in Nyanga South taking advantage of the vast amounts of water oozing out from the range. This green belt aims to be the bread basket of the Manicaland Province if not the country as a whole, providing the country with all organic horticultural products, livestock and all types of crops. The projects through the greenbelt aim to create employment to the community and bring income for development to the district through production of the crops. The four other projects are already yielding positive results as the community members have started harvesting from their community gardens and woodlots to produce value added products like honey,jam and dried fruits and vegetables which they now selling. Thefour projects also have consolidated community gardens, these will be used as referral points were the community will meet and transfer skills and better methods of conservative farming. The skills and methods received from the garden will be replicated in the community members? fields. The four projects do not plan to create sustainable livelihoods for households only but to generate income to fund other developmental initiatives or projects in the area.
?Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA Committee Background:
Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA Committee is a group that was formed in 2008 with the aim to reduce biodiversity loss through reforestation, sustainable woodland management and wetland conservation for sustainable livelihood. The group has a total number of 352 households and of these 213 is female headed and 139 are male headed. The households have an average of 6 people each. The majority of the working age of the population of the households works in farm estates and in towns. The group has a committee which leads the group?s activities. The community ofNyahokwe-Sarutani is present at all times and commitment is easy to obtain.

The members rely on subsistence farming, and the crops grown are for household consumption. The project members are engaged in land management and rain water harvesting around their homesteads and this has produced gains in agricultural production, enhancing vegetative cover and water availability.The group received funding from GEF/SGP to protect a wetland and orchard for Agro-forestry and the group has achieved well in this project. The group is currently involved in land reclamation through closing gullies, forest management, and woodlot and wetland protection

?Relationship between CHIDA and Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA Committee:
Since the organization?s formation, Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA Committee has taken part in
Community developed programs aimed at promoting environmental, social and economic sustainability for household food security and sustainable livelihoods for its members and their families. The principal purpose of the organization is the development of the communitiesinthe irrespective wards through sustainable use and management of natural resources available in the area. Since the formation the organization, member communities have been involved in lobbying and advocacy to improve the living standards for a sustainable future. The organization core activities include promoting acceptable gender and traditional practices that benefit the community, informing and disseminating information on legal issues that affect the communities, promoting the conservation of biodiversity of the area and environmental management through formulation and enforcement of by-laws and raising awareness and dangers of HIV&AIDS as well as women and girl child rights.

1.3 PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED RESULTS
The project seeks to address the problem of land degradation on productive landscapes. The community lies on the steep slopes of the Nyangani Range leading to massive erosion of the fertile top soil reducing yields and promoting formation of gullies. The land is also degraded due to extensive rain floods experienced over the past few years due to climate change. Lack of alternative energy sources leaves the community with no alternative but to cut down trees for wood biomass for fuel wood and this leaves the land bare which results in soil erosion. The community lacks access to water sources thus resorting to stream bank cultivation which has resulted in river siltation and the livestock is driven over long distances in search of water and this has led to massive gulley formation on the paths followed by livestock to water sources. This massive erosion of top soil, extensive gully formation and river siltation has caused a great risk to biodiversity. Food production is threatened by unavailability of water for irrigation and stream bank cultivation is a threat to biodiversity as its leading to river siltation and soil erosion of the fertile soil needed in food production. The community of Nyahokwe-Sarutani faces the challenge of degraded environment which poses a great danger to biodiversity and the livelihood of the community.

OVERALL PROJECT GOAL/PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
To mitigate land degradation on productive landscapes through establishment woodlots, gully reclamation, wood saving stoves and agro forestry gardens for sustainable livelihoods.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
1. To adopt sustainable agriculture practices and minimizing land degradation through establishment of demonstration gardens, woodlots, gulley reclamation and promoting bee keeping for sustainable livelihoods
2. To build capacity on environment management, policy formulation and enforcement and community mobilization on the use of energy stoves.
3. To improve access and availability ofwater to households through water harvesting and conservation of water sources.

RATIONALE/JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROJECT
?Relevance of the project to international Environment Convention and Agreements project seeks to achieve
Zimbabwe is a signatory to a number of environment conventions including Ramsar Convention on wetlands protection.The project aims to complement government efforts to promote sustainable environment management and protection and utilization of biodiversity resources in the production of landscapes such as wetlands which can be used for the benefit of the community. The project aims to protect wetlands to replenish water bodies in the area.

?Relevance of the project to national environment priority areas.
According to the State of Environment Report (1998), the major environmental issues or areas of priority confronting Zimbabwe, though not in order of priority are as follows:
The project aims to reverse land degradation caused by both human activities and natural phenomena through woodlot protection, wetland protection and gulley reclamation. The project aims to address the continued loss of forests resulting from poor forest management, collection of firewood through adoption of energy saving stoves and woodlot protection. The project aims to reverse biodiversity loss that has led to several of its floral and faunal species becoming endangered and enhance the ecosystems approach in biodiversity conservation, management and sustainable use through wetland protection and adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.
The project aims to reduce the incidences and extent of veld fires to safeguard destruction of forest landscapes and rangelands through environmental management trainings. Promote sustainable management of rangelands and agricultural land through sustainable farming practices to reduce degradation of the landscapes and improve agricultural capacity and potential
The project aims to promote public participation and a sense of responsibility for the environment through environmental education and awareness and by promoting environmentally sustainable development projects. The project aims to maintain socio?cultural diversity of indigenous and local communities and ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of resources

? Relevance of the project to GEFSGP OP Objective(s) and thematic areas.
The project seeks to address GEFSGP Strategic objective number 2: Mainstream biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into production landscapes and sectors through community initiatives and actions. The objective is aimed at promoting conservation and organic farming that helps to rehabilitate degraded landscapes and improve the productivity capacity of the areas. Promotion of agro-forestry and ecological restoration of degraded pasture and farm lands resulting in increased agricultural and pasture production. Support community led (participatory research), inventories of forest biodiversity and documentation of traditional/indigenous knowledge. The project also addresses GEFSGP Objective number 5 Support the conservation and enhancement of carbon stocks through sustainable management and climate proofing of land use, land use change and forestry-Reduction of deforestation by offering alternatives in the energy sector. Forest rehabilitation through reforestation, raising tree seedlings and tree planting, enrichment planting, woodlots establishment, social forestry approaches, and agro-forestry approaches. Scaling up reforestation, wetlands restoration, and sustainable forestry management.Support local and national level policy to safeguard against extensive tree cutting

? Relevance of project proposed activities.
The project seeks to adopt use of wood saving stove to reduce massive deforestation and emission of carbon in the atmosphere. Wood saving stove reduces the amount of wood required for cooking, reduces carbon emission by about 50% and it lessens the burden of fetching firewood frequently. Protection of natural wetlands and springs provides livelihoods support as these are the main sources of water in Nyanga. Degradation of such natural resources affects the livelihood of Nyangacommunities severely. The project seeks to reclaim degraded land to reduce massive washing away of top soil by erosion. Gullies are caused by massive erosion and these in turn reduce agricultural land and case harm to livestock and wild life.

The rationale of the project centers on promoting positive livelihoods in curbing environmental degradation and protection of biodiversity to combat effects of climate change. The project aims to ensure sustainable environmental management and utilization of biodiversity resources through protection of wetlands, woodlots, gardens and orchards to rehabilitate degraded landscapes in the community. The project also aims to build the capacity of the community on environmental rehabilitation and management and facilitate the formation and enforcement of environmental policies for the community. The project also aims to promote the use of energy saving stoves to reduce deforestation at the same time to ease the burden of women as household chores like wood harvesting, cooking, washing dishes and cleaning are reduced and made easy because of the design of this energy saving stoves. The project also aims to harvest water from the communities main water source Nyarerwe to increase the access and availability of water for irrigation thus removing stream bank cultivation and increase availability of water at households to ease the burden on women.

The project aims to complement government efforts to promote sustainable environment management and protection and utilization of biodiversity resources in the production of landscapes such as wetlands which can be used for the benefit of the community. The project objectives all are closely linked to GEF/SGP Country Programme Strategy?s Focal areas of climate change, biodiversity, land degradation, demonstration and capacity building. The county?s Programme intends to address effects of climate change which has resulted in the decline of agro-biodiversity species, land degradation, floods and reduced livelihood for the communities. The Community of Nyahokwe-Sarutani CHIDA project Committee is working towards achieving its goal through
?Establishing wetlands, woodlots and orchards to improve vegetation cover and promote afforestation and wetlands will replenish water bodies.
?Capacity building on environmental degradation will curb land degradation and promote protection and maintenance of a sustainable environment.
?Water harvesting will move stream bank cultivation, as households will use the vast land at their residence and thus reduce siltation and promote protection of biodiversity in water sources.
?Orchards and gardens will be used to demonstrate sustainable agricultural practices and promote use of live wire poles for fencing to reduce deforestation and promote use of composts and natural fertilizers to protect biodiversity.

OBJECTIVE 1:To adopt sustainable agriculture practices and minimizing land degradation through establishment of demonstration gardens, woodlots, gulley reclamation and promoting bee keeping for sustainable livelihoods
OBJECTIVE 2: To build capacity on environment management, policy formulation and enforcement and community mobilization on the use of energy stoves.
OBJECTIVE 3: To improve access and availability of water through water harvesting and conservation of water sources
Activities relating to objective 1
1.1 Reclamation of degraded land
1.2 Protection of 2 Wetlands through fencing.
1.3 Conducting trainings workshop on Bee keeping, sitting and construction of 30 beehives
1.4 Establishment of 2 woodlots and protection of existing woodlands
1.5 Extension of Nyahokwe agro forestry garden
1.6 Conduct training on organic agriculture, agro forestry and seedling production.

Activities for Objective 2
2.1Conduct 3 Training workshops on Environmental management Workshops
2.2 Conducting 3 Talk shows on Policy Formulation
2.3 Conducting 2 Demonstration training workshop on wood saving construction and subsequent construction of 352 wood saving Stoves
2.4 Exchange visit on wood saving technologies

Activities for Objective 3
3.1 Surveying and Construction of one water weir.
3.2 Construction of 3 water tanks
3.3 Mobilizing and procurement of polythene pipes materials.
3.4 Digging trench routes linking homesteads and laying pipes

Outputs (0-6months of completed activity)
1.1 Gulley reclamation conducted
Indicator: 6 gullies reclaimed with vertiver grass and gabions-sisal and Jatropha trees planted in degraded lands. 100mx4m.
1.2 Two wetlands protected Wetlands
Indicator:2X100m x 100m wetlands protected through fencing.
1.3. Three training workshops conducted
Indicator.30 Beehives constructed and placed in different catching zones to harvest an estimated 1/2 tone

Outputs
1.4 two woodlots established
Indicator: two woodlots protected through fencing
1.5 Nyahokwe agro forestry garden extended
Indicator: garden extended by 1 hectare.
1.6 Two training workshops on organic agriculture, agro forestry and seedling production
2.1.3 Awareness raised during project implementation
Indicator: 3 Environmental Awareness workshops held.
2.2 Communities formulate policies to protect the environment
- Increased knowledge on efficient energy technologies
Indicator: 10 Policies formulated and enforced
2.3 Two training workshops on construction of wood saving stoves conducted and 352 wood saving stoves constructed
Indicator : 352wood saving/Chingwa stoves for each household
2.4 2 visits to homesteads in Bonde Project.
Indicator: 12 committee members visit BONDE project
3.1 Survey reports and weir plan produced
Indicator: 1 Water weir constructed.
3.2 Three water tanks constructed
Indicator: 1000cubicliterswater tanks to be constructed.
3.2 Polythene pipes and accessories mobilized and procured.
Indicator: 5600m polythene pipes procured
3.35,6 km trenches routes dug and pipes laid.
Indicator : water reaches homestead ;

Outcome
Increased protection of degraded lands.
1.2 Increased protection of water sources for sustainable livelihoods support.
1.3Improved livelihoods and food security through honey production
1.4 Increased protection of woodlands and restoration of natural forests
Increased production of agro forestry products
Increased knowledge on organic agriculture, agro forestry and seedling production.
2.1.3 improved environmental management and conservation
2.2 Adoption of energy Saving stoves and sustainable Environmental Policies.
2.3lncreased adoption and efficient use of biomass energy and increased adoption of the technology
2.4 Adoption of energy Saving stoves and sustainable Environmental Policies.