Project Detail

CHITATE INTERGRATED CATCHMENT PROTECTION PROJECT TO REVERSE LAND DEGRADATION IN WARD 8 OF MUREWA DISTRICT.

Chitate village has an estimated total population of 480 people drawn from 56 households. The area has a mountainous terrain and is located 8.3 km from Muhume Business centre. Within Chitate, one of the major problems that was identified is extensive land degradation manifested by the presence of deep gullies. To date not much work has been done to avert the situation to the extent that the gullies have become a hazard not only for the livestock but are also threatening some fields and households. The community therefore requested for funds to reclaim two of the major gullies.

PROJECT GOAL
Reversal of land degradation through gully rehabilitation and protection for the betterment of Chitate community.

OBJECTIVES
1) To raise awareness on proper ways of catchment protection in an effort to reduce gully formation
2) To strengthen the leadership structures through leadership training in order to build their capacity to manage
3) To reclaim and rehabilitate two deep gullies in Chitate village which have now become a health hazard to people and livestock
4) To improve the livelihoods and food security in Chitate village through production of various fruits and forestry products of economic value in the rehabilitated gullies

ACTIVITIES
1) Community mobilization for action, planning, implementation and monitoring of project activities.
2) Conduct leadership training workshops in order to strengthen leadership committees on project management, proper record keeping and financial management
3) Reclaim and rehabilitate 2 gullies in Chitate village
4) Improve agronomic practices for increased production by promoting appropriate and sustainable techniques
5) Conduct baseline survey to establish the current environmental, socioeconomic and cultural aspects of Chitate village.
6) Monitor, evaluate and document project activities.

OUTPUTS
1) A total of 6 workshops held and level of awareness on total catchment protection raised in Chitate village through training of 40 village network members with at least 60 % of them being women
2) 3 leadership workshops held and the village management committee capacity to manage strengthened
3) A total of 2 deep gullies in Chitate reclaimed in an effort to reduce gulley formation
4) Food security in Chitate village improved through production of fruits, sugar cane and forestry products of economic value.

OUTCOMES
-Increased environmental awareness and knowledge among community members on the rehabilitation and protection of gullies and how they can be sustainably managed to improve community livelihoods.
- Decrease in soil erosion in Chitate village through gulley reclamation
- District strategies and plans to reduce land degradation in place
-Community and government partnerships established for environmental rehabilitation

IMPACT
Chitate village and Murewa district capable of implementing proper gully stabilization methodologies as a strategy for reducing land degradation for livelihood improvement.

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Project Snapshot

Grantee:

CHITATE PROJECT

Country:

Zimbabwe

Area Of Work:

Land Degradation

Operational Phase:

Phase 3

Grant Amount:

US$ 30,934.67

Co-Financing Cash:

US$ 3,000.00

Co-Financing in-Kind:

US$ 26,488.86

Project Number:

ZIM/SGP/OP3/Y1/CORE/2005/03

Start Date:

9/2005

End Date:

12/2007

Status:

Satisfactorily Completed

Project Characteristics and Results

Notable Community Participation

Chitate community has already been mobilized for action and have actively participated in planning and documentation of the project. They have realised that they have not been doing any catchment protection and this has led to the formation of these gullies.Besides participating in planning, they are going to contribute in kind by proving the localllyn available materials like stones. They are also going to contribute their labour.

Emphasis on Sustainable Livelihoods

Chitate community has realized that after rehabilitating the gullies, they can derive an economic benefit from them. One of the gullies falls on a natural water course and extends for about a kilometre and is more than 8 metres deep. It is stable and water flows during the wet season. The group plans to subdivide the gully and allocate portions for different households to grow various fruit trees and forestry products of economic value. Some of the crops to be grown include bananas, sugar-cane, mango trees, grasses that include vertiva, star grass and reeds.

Inovative Financial Mechanisms

Chitate group plan to engage in fruit tree growing not only for household consumtion but also for sale. This will help them generate income to improve their livelihoods.

Linkages gef projects

N/A

Significant Participation of Indigenous Peoples

The area is mostly comprised of the Shona people who are the inhabitants of this area. No ther groups found.

Capacity - Building Component

The area of gulley reclamation and integrated catchment protection is still quite a huge challenge. This project seeks to train and capacitate Chitate community in rehabiliating the gullies in a sustanable way together with equipping them on how to utilize the rehabilitated areas for agrigultural production.

Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment

The land degradation focal area is still a new area and this is one of the projects to be funded. To this end, the project seeks to raise awreness on the land degradation focal area and to come up with ways and techniques of managing the gullies which have become rampant in most of the communal areas.

Policy Impact

This project helps to bring to the limelight especially the land degradation focal area and how it can lead to desertification if not controlled or monitored. This will help decision makers to recommend strategies that help in redressing land degradation.

Project sustainability

What this group has done will continue to work for the. The neighbouring community is very keen to participated, however,we cannot put any mre sgp funds here.Will help to look for funds elsewhere.

Gender Focus

Women constitute 75% of the project participants. They are actively invloved in the decision-making process and are part of the management committee. The project also seeks to support the women who are invloved in looking after the Aids orphans. At the moment there are 45 orphans and some of the proceeds like the fruit will help in improving the livelihoods of the orphans who are mostly being looked after or under the care of the women.

Planning non gef grant

Yes

Replication of project activities

limitation of funds has hindered it

Policy Influence

new policies that govern the use of natural resources such as land, water and trees were enacted. it is the responsiblity o every individual within the community to report and watch out for those who go against the established governance laws

Planning gef grant

Project Results

PROJECT STATUS

This project could have had better results but was greatly affected by drought and the economic situation of Zim in general, however the project was satisfactorily completed and project objectives were met in partial.

Project activities completed under each objective

objective 1; to raise awareness on proper ways of catchment protection in an effort to reduce gulley reclamation

1. community mobilisation
the activity was completed at project start up in 2005 and the village head played a key role in this activity. five mobilisation sessions were undertaken in the village.
2. conducting the awareness workshop
the activity was undertaken in june 2006. 58 women and 46 men attended the workshop. the project members knowledge levels on the project goals, objectives and outputs were enhanced.
3. awareness raising on the environment.
this is an ongoing activity and project mebers continue to be encouraged to conserve their antural resources. benefits of environmental reviews are now visible as fruit trees planted are now established.

objective 2; to stregthen the leadership structures through leadership training in order to build their capacity to manage

1. leadership training
the activity was successfully undertaken. the benefits of this activity are the enhanced capacity of the committee to lead, plan and implement project activities with minimal outside interefence and in cooperation with other stakeholders.
2. record keeping
training on record keeping was successful as afterwards sequential records of the project were kept. the project committee also has clear financial, minutes, work register and project source documents such as proposals, baseline study, progress reports and the MOA well filed. an inventory of tools and materials is also kept.
3. nursery management
40 participants attended the training session on nursery management. 23 wre women and 17 male. agronomic practices of nursery managemnt were imparted and paracticed. vegetable nurseries were established as a result of the training.
4. beekeeping and management training
the training was faciliated by representatives from forestry commission.ten hives were constructed and placed in key positions.the workshop participants also produced a report.
5. tree planting and demonstartion training.
the training had 45 participants 26 male and 19 female. a detailed report from the training was submitted to GEFSGP.
6. soil and water conseravtion
60 people attended the training sessions. 32 women and 28 female. a nreport was produced after the training.

objective 3; to reclaim and mange two deep gullies in chitate village which have now become a health hazard to people and livestock

1. planting gulley stabilisers
large amounts of sisal were planted to stabilise soil loss. some vertiver grass was obtained fromAREX and were plante in the gulleys. the community donated napier fodder wich was also palnted in the gulley. fruit trees like guavas and banana were also planted and are now established in the gullies.
2. rock checks
several rock checks on gulley 1 constructed. wire neeting on the gulley 2 installed.
3. storm drain construction
a storm drain stretching 300m across the 2 gullyes was constructed succesfully from agricultural engineering.

objective 4; to improve the livelihoods of the chitate villagers

1. soil and water conservation
good sustainble practices were adopted and implemented by the members.
2. income generating activities
a total income of ZIM$7,2 million was raised from the sale of vegetables that was planted on 1.5 acres. some 1580 citrus palnts were planted and of these 30 were palnted in the project garden, 30 given to the school, 10 donated to the clinic to benefit the sick,1500 ditributed to project members each receiving 10 plants. 70 moring trees were also given to some project me,bers.

OVERALL ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO INDICATORS
1. a total of 3900m2 of land was rehabilitated on gulley 1 and 7500m2 on gulley 2
2. policies thae prohibit cutting down of wood were enacted
3. a total monetay value of ZIM$7000000 was produced as from 02/07-04/07
4.80 women participated in the project

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Indicators

Empowerment

Number of CBOs / NGOs participated / involved in SGP project 2

Empowerment

Number of women participated / involved in SGP project 288

Empowerment

Number of indigenous people participated/involved in SGP project 480

Empowerment

Innovative financial mechanisms put in place through SGP project 480

Biophysical

Number of local policies informed in land degradation focal area 90

Livehood

Number of households who have benefited* from SGP project 486

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