Author: Raymond Muwaniri

This is the editorial for SustainZim Issue 11, with focus on food security, conservation and energy for those living in both rural and urban areas. Food security and nutrition is one of the major agendas of the government through ZimAsset. We have an article from Ian Kazingizi who discusses fish farming in Zimbabwe and its progression over the years. He attributes the increase in fish farming to companies like Agrimarines Solutions and the Development Reality Institute who train people. If our readers would like to know more about fish farming please refer to their websites, including Aquaculture who have been helping communities set up these projects. In the very first SustainZim edition of 2016 I wrote an article on the “Muunganirwa Fish Project” in Bindura district which can be found on the SustainZim website (www.sustainzim.org). Fish farming improves people’s livelihoods by meeting their dietary needs and providing a viable income. It also helps to preserve the wild stocks of fish which are under a lot of pressure from overfishing and water pollution. Food economy is the examination of the human and ecological cost of what we eat. Tanaka Tsikiri, an independent sustainable development consultant writes about the ’local food economy’, its production and transport, aka ‘food miles’. Tanaka explains the current crisis in Zimbabwe and links fuel shortages and sudden price hikes. He calls for an inadvertent shift towards...

With time passing and more effects of climate change being felt in Zimbabwe this is a call to step up our efforts. SustainZim is an outlet to educate Zimbabweans on the harm we are bringing to our own environment and eventual wellbeing. With time passing and more effects of climate change being felt in Zimbabwe this is a call to step up our efforts. SustainZim is an outlet to educate Zimbabweans on the harm we are bringing to our own environment and eventual wellbeing. In this first quarter edition we have very interesting articles which are worth a read and may change your opinion on certain topics. With that said, contained is a very interesting article on ‘hunting as a form of conservation’ by Johnny Whitfield. In his article Johnny talks about the benefits of hunting compared to poaching. He mentions the recent extinction of the northern white rhino due to poaching and how their southern cousins still have healthy numbers due to conservation from hunting proceeds. He further explains how keeping hunting alive pays for the protection of animals in the national parks. Johnny goes on to remind us that killing of animals is part of human nature, commercial faming kills millions of animals but we do not see the pictures of dead animals (as illustrated in the inserts) but rather trays of meat on our shelves. I...

Editorial – Issue 08 In this edition of SustainZim our feature article is by Martha Munyoro Katsi from Practical Action. She discusses ëincreasing food security through solar powered irrigationí. In a project in Gwanda, 6 community gardens were installed with solar powered irrigation systems. The project aimed to benefit 720 residents in the area and ensure food security. Producing crop can now be throughout the year, increasing income and improving livelihoods. Martha has previously contributed to SustainZim and her articles are very popular with the readers. Green Innovation HUB 2 was launched on the 8th of December by the Swedish Embassy and UNICEF Zimbabwe. GI HUB is an incubation space which seeks to unlock potential of young people in contributing to Sustainable Development through initiatives around smart and sustainable energy. GI HUB has 3 components; Green Schools, Green Jobs and Green Innovations. GI HUB 1 was completed in 2017, contestants sent in ideas to UNICEF and those chosen were given funds to make their ideas a reality. GI HUB 1 produced some unique ideas which can be found here;  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stONGxU7D60 . The aim of GI HUB is to tackle climate change and youth unemployment by tapping into their creativity and knowledge for ideas that can be harnessed into sustainable solutions. Youth have the chance to come up with ideas that can be turned into an enterprise to make a...