SustainZim - Issue 08

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QUARTER 04 ISSUE 08 / 17 COP23 CLIMATE CHANGE

AWARD

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SustainZim named Best Upcoming Community Newspaper

INNOVATION

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Unicef Green Innovations Hub Phase II Launch

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Livestock Production in the Face of Climate Change

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Summary of the2017 United Nations Climate Change Negotiations (COP23)

F E AT U R E

Enhancing food security through solar-powered irrigation in Matabeleland Page 4

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AWA R D

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QUARTER 04 ISSUE 08 / 17 COP23 CLIMATE CHANGE

AWARD

SustainZim named Best

Upcoming Community 02 Newspaper

INNOVATION

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Unicef Green Innovations Hub Phase II Launch

Livestock Production in

the Face of 06 Climate Change

Summary of the2017 United Nations Climate

Change Negotiations 08 (COP23)

Sustainzim Wins Award

By Archie Mathibela, POVOAfrika Trust

F E AT U R E

Enhancing food security through solar-powered irrigation in Matabeleland Page 4

SustainZim is a publication that promotes a green culture within Zimbabwean homes, schools, work places and everyday lives. It aims to step up the fight against Global Warming and Climate Change by raising awareness about the need to reduce our carbon footprint and a push towards sustainable development.

It will showcase green initiatives already being done by government, civil society groups, companies and individuals.

PARTNERING We are available to work as implementing partners for projects in Zimbabwe. Get in touch if you would like to partner with us sustainzim@povoafrika.org PUBLISHERS POVOAfrika Trust (MA0001023/2015) ZIM - Harare +263 77 228 3186 / +263 77 291 8810, 1 Verona Gardens, 70 Livingstone Ave RSA - Johannesburg +27 72 600 5283 / +27 760999770 210 Klein Drakenstein, 31 Snipe Street, Horizon, 1724, Roodepoort CONTRIBUTE contribute@sustainzim.org ADVERTISING A rate sheet is available on request ZIM +263 77 291 8810 / +263 77 228 3186 RSA +27 72 600 5283 / +27 760999770 Email: advertise@sustainzim.org Limited Space Available!

KEY PERSONNEL EDITOR Archibald Mathibela PROJECT COORDINATOR Raymond Muwaniri DESIGN AND LAYOUT Baynham Goredema FINANCE DIRECTOR Rodrick Longwe CARTOONIST Tafadzwa Tarumbwa DISCLAIMER SustainZim is published by POVOAfrika Trust. The information, opinions and views set out in this journal are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of POVOAfrika Trust nor any of their partners.

Neither POVOAfrika Trust nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. Neither are they responsible for siting references within articles, stated facts or credits to photos supplied, this is the responsibility of the contributor. Rights to the photographs and articles remain with the photographers and with the authors respectively.

Contact them respectively for reproduction. While all care has been taken during proofing, errors and omissions may slip through and we sincerely apologise for these.

SustainZim named Best Upcoming Community Newspaper at the 2017 Youth Voice Journalist Honours awards.

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OVOAfrika Trust, the evergreen team behind the quarterly SustainZim newspaper were last week named ‘Best Upcoming Community newspaper ’ at the 2017 Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) Youth Voice Journalist Honours awards. The ceremony came after a nationwide call for entries from various youth advocacy organizations, shining a light on youth led initiatives as the panacea to modern challenges. In the two years of the tabloid’s existence, SustainZim has churned out 8 editions with a total print run of 60 0000 with support from developmental partners and internal resources. Speaking recently at the award ceremony hosted at a local hotel, the YETT Grants Programmes Lead, Samantha Moyo said,’ awards were awarded in recognition of publications that recognise and reflect youths as positive drivers of social change’.

According to Moyo, the Youth Voice Journalist Honours awards began in 2013 and have been held every year since to celebrate ‘journalists who have been consistent, have produced original high quality youthful content that creatively expresses youth as positive drivers of social change in their communities’. The awards, feature three categories - Print Journalism, comprising of articles published in newspapers and online newspaper publications on contemporary issues; Community Journalism for publications on contemporary youth issues in the community as well as online Journalism featuring online blogs on contemporary youth issues.

YE T T i s a youth ne tworki ng organization advocating for the participation of young people in sustainable development through advocacy and capacity building of youth organizations. Other Journalists honoured on the same night were: - Hazvinei Mwanaka - Best Print Journalist (Daily News), Kudzai Mpangi - Best Print Journalist (Sunday News), Nyasha Musambasi - Best Community Journalist (The Mirror), New Comer Best Online Publication (TellZim Masvingo).

Su st ai nZi m came tops i n the Community journalism category ahead of popular local print media as the only one of its kind newspaper exclusively focused on sustainable development and climate change issues in Zimbabwe and the Southern African region. The quarterly newspaper promotes green projects on sustainable development and climate change throughout Zimbabwe and the region in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The mainstreaming of climate change and sustainable development issues on the global stage makes them a topical issue in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa as a whole. SustainZim bridges the gap as a platform where practitioners, policy makers, stakeholders and the general public can share ideas on project financing, implementation, general human interest stories and best practices to create positive impact in communities. A Showcase of some of the work done by Government,

civil society, private sector and the public in general, stimulates action by raising awareness around the most topical issues of our time through interrogation and documentation to encourage partnerships and resource sharing amongst stakeholders.

Archie Mathibela is the Editor of the SustainZim newspaper and POVO magazine. He writes in his capacity as the Public Relations & Marketing Manager for POVOAfrika Trust. The writer is also the Senior Public Relations Consultant for Junechild Corporate Communications.

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E D I TOR I A L

Keeping the Message Alive

By Raymond Muwaniri, POVOAfrika Trust

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In this edition of SustainZim our feature article is by Martha Munyoro Katsi from Practical Action. She discusses ‘increasing food security through solar powered irrigation’. In a project in Gwanda, 6 community gardens were installed with solar powered irrigation systems.

he 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.

review and ratchet their commitments to cut carbon according to the framework. A ‘Paris Rule Book’ is being completed, this book will contain implementation guidelines for nations to follow to fulfil their obligation to reduce emissions.

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 living from.

The SustainZim team would like to thank all its partners, contributors and readers for continuing to support the publication. 2017 has been a successful 2nd year for the paper with its own drawbacks. Issues 7 & 8 had to be cut from 16 pages previously to 8 pages because of lack of content. In 2017, we did not receive as much content to keep up with the demand for the paper. We look forward to 2018 and encourage more contributors to send in content of any sustainable development ventures in the country.

We at POVO Afrika intend on targeting more content from the 2nd and 3rd level educational institutions around Zimbabwe.

Since the youth are the future it is the right thing to do, to give them a platform to speak on their behalf. Subject to funding, SustainZim Issues for 2018 will not be available in print but will continue to be published online at www.sustainzim.org . If there are any organisations that are willing to fund the printing of the publication please get in touch with us at contribute@sustainzim.org . 2018 promises to be a good year in terms of moving Zimbabwe towards a greener future,

Joy Mlambo from UNDP discusses, ‘livestock production in the face of climate change’ in Ward 30, Buhera. Due to climate change some regions are now classified as drought stricken areas and communities are being affected negatively. Small holder farmers are losing out, they are putting in the hard work physically and financially, but their staple maize is failing. Joy explains the need to turn to livestock production as a climate change adaption strategy. To add to this, as showcased in SustainZim Issue 7 local farmers can also turn to small grain crops which are more drought resistant.

The final article is by Washington Zhakata from the Ministry of Water Resources Development and Climate. It is a summary report on the 2017 COP23 negotiations in Bonn, Germany. According to Washington a few points were discussed; developing countries worried that developed countries will not meet their 2020 obligations to reduce their emissions. Another point of discussion was the 100 billion pledged yearly by developed countries to finance climate change activities in developing countries. Coal continues to be a hot topic of discussion with the rest of the world taking the decision to cut down on its usage, except the current US government. It was decided at COP23 that countries should

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with the new government and increasing world pressure to go green, SustainZim will be there to report and showcase the progress we are making as a country. SustainZim continues to be popular amongst the readers and the team will continue to bring you green news from around the country. Information from SustainZim is used nationwide in; universities and colleges, government departments, civils society organisations, communities and by individuals. SustainZim recently won an award for ‘best upcoming community newspaper’ at the 2017 Youth Voice Journalist Honours Awards. We at POVO Afrika would like to thank the Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) and our readers for rewarding us with this award. Our work is not going unnoticed and we have realised that we are achieving 1 of our goals to inform and educate Zimbabweans on all aspects of Sustainable Development. SustainZim intends to keep the message of Sustainable Development alive for the future of Zimbabwe depends on it.

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TOP

Most read

10

articles on our website

1. How can mining become more environmentally sustainable (Environmental Management Agency)

2. Chipendeke MicroHydropower Scheme Raymond Muwaniri ( POVOAfrika Trust)

3.Sustainability key in aquaculture development in Zimbabwe Julius Sadi

4.Young Africa Zimbabwe offers Solar Technology Courses Maloon Dahwa

5.Sustainable Development Goals – Zimbabwe Sustain Staff

6.Sustainable Energy for Rural Communities Martha Munyoro Katsi Practical Action

7.Climate change and Zimbabwe, impacts and action Anna Brazier

8. Using The Climate Smart Village Approach To Build Climate Resilience In Chiredzi Joy Mlambo (UNV – UNDP/EM)

9. Developing climate change mitigation and adaptation responses through climate smart agriculture in Zimbabwe Desire Nemashakwe

10. Winners of the 2015/16 Green Innovations Hub Sustain Staff

Read More articles at www.sustainzim.org

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F E AT U R E

Enhancing food security through solarpowered irrigation in Matabeleland Martha Munyoro Katsi, Practical Action

Introduction

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he climate in Gwanda is referred to as a local steppe type of weather.

During the year there is little rainfall averaging 477mm, with an average annual temperature of 19.9 °C. Such climatic conditions have affected the food security for most smallholder farmers in this area as they rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Due to lack of water, most farmers were using watering buckets to irrigate their gardens. Typically done by the women in the community, this tiring task involved carrying of the buckets on head tops from down the river to the uplands where the crop gardens are located. Quite labour intensive and energy demanding. Furthermore, manual watering is no only a labor-intensive practice but wastefull as the water tends to be poured on the crop beds in an unprecise manner. This, is also reduces productivity as crop performance tends to be low since pouring washes away some critical nutrients from the crop vicinity . This has a negative bearing on the overal profitability. Using these methods also force women to travel long distances to fetch water.

Intervention In 2014 Practical Action with funding from UKAid through Trócaire introduced a project code-named “Increasing Food Security and Resilience to Climate Shocks” in Gwanda, Matabeleland province of Zimbabwe. Practical Action and Trocaire identified existing gardens managed by women, who relied on traditional, as well as inefficient flood irrigation methods to irrigate their crops.

With a tune of £201 043.00 funding, the project installed a solar-powered irrigation system for six community gardens.

The technology includes a solar pump, 100Watts 36volts panels, 10 000 liter tanks complete with tank stands and drip kits. A solar-powered submersible pump submerged in the river bed pumps water into a big tank. The farmers then irrigate their crops using water from the storage tank. When water levels are at their peak, they normally pump for 3 hours to fill the 10 000 litre tank. So it means the systems could pump more if there were more storage facilities because much of the time the system will be switched off. It takes up to 6 hours during the drier months of a dry year for example around October 2016, while in a wet year such as 2017 it still takes 3 hours to fill the tanks as the water table will be high. These systems were installed to support averages of 1ha gardens per given site. Thus each garden was equipped with a drip irrigation system for 0.5 ha and tape system to supply surface water through drag hose system.

The gardens are community owned and each household owns 4 beds measuring

1m by 12m long. The community members provided labour for trenching and excavation into the silted river bed. Project garden committees were trained to do basic maintenance to ensure sustainability of the project. Members also pay a maintenance fee each month and this varies from garden to garden.

Food security The project enhanced food security for 180 HH translating to 720 smallholder farmers in the area. The project is also fighting malnutrition. Farmers in Gwanda are now producing crops throughout the year. During the 2015/16 agriculture season, highly characterised by severe drought, farmers managed to produce and sell vegetables.

This enhanced their resilience to the food shortages that prevailed as these producers could afford to buy grain from garden sales.

The use of solar powered irrigation has maximised use of available water.

“I have never had such harvest in all my farming life. I never thought we could have a greenbelt in this area, I am so grateful this solar technology has indeed transformed our lives”, said Ester Gadzikwa a farmer in ward 8.

Increased income and nutrition The project has also provided significant source of income for farmers. “Failing to earn

a dollar a day is sinning against yourself, thanks to the project. The income I am getting from selling produce from the garden has transformed my life and that of my family” said Nyaradzai Khumalo.

Farmers are now able to produce green vegetables and meet the market demand.

This has increased their incomes. On average, most farmers earn US$100-150. To effectively manage their gardens as business units, the farmers received intensive business management trainings which included aspects of financial management and market engagements. Farmers have organised marketing committees which have been trained in financial literacy and markets engagement.

Lessons learned Throughout the project, there was active and continual engagement of stakeholders at the district level. Farmers acknowledged receiving farming inputs such as seeds as a start-up capital. In addition, they also received training and knowledge from Practical Action on agronomic practices (such as crop rotation, drip irrigation, use of organic matter and manure) related to the crops above and this enabled the community to work together in the project. The use of solar for pumping helped in reducing drudgery amongst the plot holders while the use of drip came as a handy option for saving the scarce commodity for the region “water”, and at the same time reducing

the labour to convey water to the crop fields .

The project was a good opportunity to increase food security in Gwanda.

Unfortunately achieving 100% increase on food security was disturbed when some of the solar panels and pumps were destroyed by heavy rains. Another key lesson learned following the declining water table experienced during the period October – November 2016. was that there is need to consider use of solar-powered boreholes as sources of water in the country`s driest areas.

Conclusion This project has helped communities to fight climate change. It has also managed to reduce labour requirements for watering, thus, allowing women to do other household chores. Smallholder farmers in the area especially women are now fully engaged in horticulture value chains which have quick turnaround enabling them quick access to cash to address urgent needs. Drip irrigation enhances water use efficiency; therefore, allowing crop production throughout the year. The technology has proved to be cheaper for small-scale women farmers in the long run as there are no monthly electricity or fuels costs.

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I N N OVAT I ON

Unicef Green Innovations Hub Phase II Launch Talent Chinyamutangira, The BOOST Fellowship, Enactus Zimbabwe

Green Innovations HUB (GiHUB) Phase II is an incubation space which seeks to unlock the potential of young people in contributing to sustainable development through novel ideas around smart and sustainable energy. It’s a unique opportunity to address the dual challenge of climate change and youth unemployment in the country. GiHUB Phase II is UNICEF’s Concept program funded by SIDA and has 3 components- Green Schools, Green Jobs and Green Innovations which are implemented by partners Action 24, The Boost Fellowship and SNV Zimbabwe respectively.

Green Jobs

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he internship project creates internship opportunities and possibly long term employment for university students with a strong interest in environmental sustainability issues. The project places students who are carrying out their academic work related learning in companies and organisations that have a commitment towards harnessing Sustainable Development Goals for resource efficient and low carbon industrial development.

For a period of 10-12 months the intern implements a green project that contributes to the organisation’s production efficiency. The long term view of this program is that it would create an excitement about developing more vibrant green economy as well as widen the knowledge base for young people and organisation about green innovations.

The green economy is defined as an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities that aim for sustainable development without degrading the environment.

GiHUB Phase II Launch On the 8th of December, 2017 the second phase of the Green Innovations Hub kicked off in Harare with implementers pledging to simultaneously tackle the challenges of climate change and youth unemployment. This second phase of the project which began in 2015, will be implemented with funding from the Embassy of Sweden in partnership with UNICEF. “Young people have a vital role to play as they are key to contributing to sustainable development: they are the present and the future and therefore young people must be equipped to safeguard the environment for generations to come,” said UNICEF Representative, Dr. Mohamed Ayoya. “By tapping into their creativity and knowledge for ideas there is greater opportunity to harness their ideas for sustainable solutions.” “ The Ministry of women and Youth Affairs stands ready to participate in the GiHUB phase II project having already developed a framework to harness the country’s youth demographic dividend and directing it towards the national broader development and economic growth agenda,” said Ministry of Women and Youth Affairs Permanent Secretary,

Winners of Gihub Phase 1

Dr. Desire Mutize-Sibanda. “The Ministry is in the process of establishing an ecosystem within which innovative, enterprising and resilient young entrepreneurs can participate through various measures including skills development, market linkages, value chain development and financial inclusion.“ The long term vision for this programme is to create excitement about developing more environmentally sustainable programmes that will make Zimbabwe a global leader in establishing a vibrant green economy while creating a new generation of environmentally conscious social entrepreneurs.

The Green Innovations Hub (GiHUB)

21

mins

Full documentary of Phase 1 DRI in Partnership with Unicef Zimbabwe. Includes interviews with reps from partnering organisations https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stONGxU7D60

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C L I M AT E C H A N G E

Livestock Production in the Face of Climate Change

By Joy Mlambo, UNV – UNDP/EMA

Sparsely distributed Mopani vegetation characterised by patches of grass can be noted when entering ward 30 of Buhera District. In some places, vast areas of bare soil with little or no sign of grass can be seen. Of particular note is the heat and dryness of the area. It is seen that the maize crop that people had planted has wilted and hope of attaining a harvest is dim.

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chicken selling like hot cakes such that the demand exceeds the supply. It is our vision that the Hazvikoreri Livestock Enterprise also deals with rearing of indigenous chicken breeds in addition to the broiler chickens as well as go as far as fish farming.

We want to diversify the animals we keep and sell.” Peter concludes.

mily Matingo, a climate change scientist in the Climate Change Management Department under the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate had this to say, “Due to climate change, some areas such as ward 30 in Buhera District are no longer conducive for cereal production such as the maize crop. In such areas, droughts have become frequent and mid-season dry spells have become prominent.”

To back this up, Peter (not his real name), a member of the community had the following to say; “We as a community have been greatly affected by the effects of climate change. Due to the frequent droughts that constantly affect us, our maize crops fail after having put in hard work and a lot of financial resources. Though we started intercropping with the introduction of crops such as groundnuts which do not require a lot of water, we at times lose on the groundnuts because mid-season dry spells are constantly experienced. This makes us lose heart as our efforts more often than not seem to go up in flames.”

Following the shift in climate, the community in ward 30, Buhera District through the support of the Oxfam-UNDP/ GEF supported Scaling Up Adaptation with a Focus on Rural Livelihoods Project (SCCA) managed to turn to livestock production as one of the many climate change adaptation strategies.

“When the Scaling up Adaptation Project came to introduce livestock rearing as an adaption strategy we were sceptical. This was so because as with the crops, our cattle used to also be affected by the droughts. We would lose a lot of cattle due to unavailability of feed and water shortages. But through the SCCA project, all our worries and doubts have been taken away as we have been shown how to climate proof our livelihoods, especially pertaining to livestock.” Peter expresses with confidence.

“The first step was in forming a community livestock producer group. Our group named Hazvikoreri Livestock Enterprise which I am Chairman, consists of 68 members.

The SCCA project through SAFIRE went on to empower us by encouraging us to rear a variety of livestock such as cattle, broiler chickens and goats so as to increase our resilience by diversifying the livestock options. We received training of how to take care of our livestock. I must confess, we did not know the importance of growing food

Livestock targeted for the pen fattening project.

for livestock but through the project, we have started growing fodder crops for our cattle in addition to planting trees that are nutritious for our cattle such as Mucuna. We have seen the benefits to this as cattle mortality has decreased and even if you look at them, they look healthier and stronger.” Peter adds on with excitement.

“Given the improvement of the health status of our cattle, we were encouraged through the project to monetise our livestock. As a result, a feedlot was constructed where we

have feeding lots and a solar powered borehole was also set up to provide access to water for our livestock. We now practice pen fattening and through the help of SAFIRE and our agriculture extension workers, we have been empowered to secure a market to sell our cattle. This has become our main source of income in addition to it becoming our main source of livelihood. For our pen fattening project, we starting with cattle, however plans are underway to set up another pen for goats. We also have a chicken project, with the

Pen fattening infrastructure. Also in picture the solar powered borehole that was set up to provide water for the facility

Esther (Not her real name), a member of the Livestock Enterprise, elaborated how happy she was to be part of the group, “Many of us were encouraged to join group even though we did not own any cattle. We were then capacitated to start a Village Lending and Savings Group where we saved some money to purchase chicks for the broiler project as the SCCA project provided a fowl run.

With our earning from bird sales, we formed groups in 4’s and managed to purchase a cow for each group. It is my hope that we can only go up from here until we each own our own livestock. This project has been extremely welcomed among women as it empowers even those with nothing to their name.

Others continue to join seeing the benefits we are getting from it and how it is changing our lives.”

Dr Unganai, the Project Manager for the SCCA project indicated that the success of the project was attributed to coordinated planning and implementation among the SCCA project team (OXFAM and SAFIRE), the community and government technical experts with support from the Scaling up Adaptation in Zimbabwe with a focus on Integrated Planning Systems Project. “It is very encouraging to see the community being self-motivated and selfmobilising. The idea to set up a second pen was an initiative from the community where they self-funded material for its construction. It is also encouraging to see various government departments such as AGRITEX, Livestock Production Department and the Department of Veterinary Services coming in a coordinated way to assist in the project through provision of training, engagement of markets, and even up to the selling of cattle and the signing of contracts so as to ensure the best interests of the farmers are met.”

The Initiative is being championed under the Scaling up Adaptation Project with a focus on Rural Livelihoods implemented by OXFAM through SAFIRE in Buhera and Chimanimani and through Plan International in Chiredzi; and under the Scaling up Adaptation in Zimbabwe through Strengthening Integrated Planning Systems Project implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate through EMA.

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PA RT N E R S We would like to recognise and thank all organisations, government agencies and individuals who have supported SustainZim’s inaugrual year of publishing. A special thanks to Tafadzwa Tarumbwa for tirelessly creating our stunning cartoons which raise awareness for various issues. Contact him for animations, cartoons or book illustrations on +263 77 299 8187 or tafadzwa2d@gmail.com. We would love to hear your suggestions on how we can improve and add value to the paper in 2017. Contact us on contribute@sustainzim.org.

The Green Snippets

The Editor and POVOAfrika Trust Staff wish all our readers and contributors a merry Christmas and Prosperous 2017!

CLIMATE CHANGE

Zimbabwe: Climate Change a Threat to Food Security - Chitsiko

Empowered lives. Resilient nations.

UNDP Zimbabwe Tel: 04 338836-44 Email: registry.zw@undp.org Web Address: www.zw.undp.org

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Climate change has become one of the biggest constraints to achieving food and nutrition security, a Government official has said. Speaking at the 11th meeting of FAO subregional office for Southern Africa multidisciplinary team in Harare last week, Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Mr Ringson Chitsiko said climate change had resulted in Southern Africa facing several episodes of droughts.

[Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201710100283.html]

AQUACULTURE

Practical Action Southern Africa T:+263 776631-3 E: practicalaction@ practicalaction.org.zw www.practicalaction.org/southernafrica

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fish and feed the them? of the pond eat, How do you in the bottom the fish can till you harvest I put manure to grow which pellets. how long e algae t with fish the fish mature. to encourag when I also supplemen after 4 months I can harvest at all. to my expensive Yes, it’s not needed proteinan income. much some for sell The fish bring and I can my other project. this and you family’s diet Can I afford the benefits?

Let me show what are

1 Walterhill Avenue Eastlea, Harare Call: +263 8677 101 529 Email: info@boostfellowship.org https://www.facebook.com/BoostFellowship/ Twitter:@BOOSTFellowship

Manatsa, who is now a member of Dzingazhara Fish Co-operative, made up of 14 members, said the fish farming project has transformed their lives. Every morning she goes to inspect her fish ponds. She feeds the fish, and when it is harvest time, they prepare the fish for the market before taking some home for consumption.

[Source: https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/05/fish-farming-transformslivelihoods-rural-communities/]

I heard you

The BOOST Fellowship

Fish farming transforms livelihoods in rural communities

?!!!%$£

We are not benefiting the granite from rocks?

Only Sabhuku,

the

The mining companies

So our Black The only thing disappeari Diamond is companies the mining ng have gained and we community have done for the nothing? on Independeis to slaughter a cow and buy a nce and Hero’s day few drunk. Shamescuds to get us on them!!!

Maybe their remains to the museum have been taken in Harare?

What have you done with our money?

No one knows the remains what they did with of the miners our ancestors, don’t care.

Our children from malaria are dying How can you because our history throw away of those pits Vadzimu will and heritage, not bless you Sabhuku, Traitor!!!

Councillor Illegal mining are and the MP paying Liquid mercuryis destroying the you to keep are benefitting environment, Our cattle and livestockis being used to extract !!! it is causing us quiet are gold, therefore deforestation sometimes are accidentally those mining dying in contaminating and siltation is extracted death. Communities falling into illegal rivers. pits from their drinking mining pits causing severe water. People areas. Thereare not benefiting Some heritage from the seems to be injuries and natural resources sites (Mutoko) hold is being a lack of Corporate being about it. lost. Our tradition have not been officially Social Responsibility Sabhuku – Heads) andCommunity members and culture in Zimbabwe recognised, the .

Village Head engage their need to sit rich history down with is slowly being eroded local politicians and heritage Vadzimu – Corporate their local viable solutions Ancestors (MP’s, Social Responsibility leaders (Chiefs,and nothing is beingthey for everyone’sMinisters) to express Black Diamond done Councillors – approach delivering benefit including their grievances – Granite and Village that contributes economic, Rock the environment. and come up social and to Sustainable with environmenta Development l benefits by for all stakeholders.

Cartoon Illustrations A special thanks to Tafadzwa Tarumbwa for tirelessly creating our stunning cartoons which raise awareness for various issues.

For animations, cartoons or book illustrations on +263 77 299 8187 or tafadzwa2d@gmail.com.

A Joint Call To Action In Zimbabwe In a joint ‘Call to Action’, the Government of Zimbabwe, Private Sector and Civil Society Make Bold Commitments to Build the Distributed Renewable Energy Market and Accelerate Progress towards Universal Energy Access The Government of Zimbabwe, civil society and private sector have joined forces in a Call to Action on energy access. At the event in March, stakeholders made powerful commitments to undertake activities that will accelerate the growth of the distributed renewable energy (DRE) market.

[Source: http://www.powerforall.org/blog/2017/4/19/news-release-ajoint-call-to-action-in-zimbabwe]

COP23

African youth fighting for climate action

Africa is harnessing the power of its emerging youth demographic to spearhead efforts to tackle climate change. By 2050, UNICEF estimates that approximately two out of every five children on our planet will be African. Africa’s rapidly burgeoning young generation is viewed by some as a precursor to a range of serious problems across the continent, ranging from unemployment to further migration crises.

[Source: http://www.dw.com/en/cop23-africanyouth-fighting-for-climate-action/a-41333083]

Let’s amplify African discource

The 23rd session United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference, COP23, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory, is according to their website “strategically organised to increase climate action and more sustainable development at all levels of society”. With 197 parties to the convention, Zimbabwe is part of the 169 that have ratified in adherence to the dictates of the Paris Climate Agreement, which is the closest the world has gotten into agreeing over goals to fight climate change since a united global attempt to fight the scourge.

[Source: https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2017/10/30/cop-23-letsamplify-african-discource/]

ENERGY

Renewable Energy Market Study

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Zimbabwe 2017 Zimbabwe is currently facing energy supply challenges. Less than a quarter of the population in the rural areas has access to clean energy. Electricity supplies cannot meet demand as the electricity grid is in a poor state due to inadequate investment in the sector, leading to erratic supplies. This has forced Zimbabwe to have to import expensive power from its neighbours, mainly South Africa and Mozambique. With an average access to electricity standing at 21% in the rural areas and 80% in urban areas, the need for alternative energy supplies to meet the energy supply deficit cannot be overemphasized. Yet the country has abundant renewable energy resources which are barely exploited.

[Source: https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2017/11/renewableenergy-market-study-zimbabwe-2017.pdf]

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COP23

Summary of the2017 United Nations Climate Change Negotiations (COP23)

By Washington Zhakata, Ministry of Water Resources Development and Climate

Introduction

T

he climate change talks ended in the morning of the 18th of November 2017 with a clear roadmap for finalization of the rulebook that will guide implementation of the Paris climate agreement. But these technical discussions took place against the backdrop of a larger battle about the failure of developed countries to meet their pre2020 obligations of reducing emission by 5.2% of their 1990 emissions as well as to mobilise $100 billion annually for climate change activities in developing countries.

Coal, oil and gas were amongst the issues discussed and however, being complicated by the US presidency which has divergent views as compared to the rest of the world which has agreed to cut on coal use.

One of the most important elements was the development of a process that would help countries to review and ratchet up their commitments to cut carbon within the framework of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The official talks themselves finished during the early hours of Saturday morning, following some last-minute wrangling over the ever-fraught issue of climate finance.

COP 23 Outcomes

Rule Book As was the case at COP22 in Marrakesh last year, negotiations in this session centred around attempts to make significant progress on developing the Paris “Rule Book” which contains technical rules and processes needed to fulfil the Paris Agreement’s ambition. The goal in the Bonn Conference was to create a draft of these implementation guidelines Some sticking issues that consumed considerable timeframes include the “Transparency” negotiations especially the issues of how compliance will be monitored, in line with the “enhanced transparency framework” set out by the Paris Agreement.

The final COP23 agreement recognises that an additional negotiating session may be needed in 2018 between the May intersessional and COP24 in December to ensure the Paris rulebook is finished on time. This is after Parties contributions constituted a 192-page document.

Pre-2020 Climate Action One key conflict to emerge in the early days of the conference, however, was pre-2020 climate action. This centred on developing countries concern that developed countries had not yet delivered the promised $100bn per year in climate finance by 2020 agreed in 2009 at Copenhagen; second, the Doha Amendment, a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol for the years leading up to 2020, had still not been ratified by enough countries to bring it into force for emission reductions by developed countries.

The pre - 2 0 2 0 a mbition a nd implementation formed a major part of the COP23 decision text that was agreed which includes an agreement to form additional stocktaking sessions in 2018 and 2019 to review progress on reducing emissions, as well as two assessments of climate finance to be published in 2018 and 2020. These submissions will then be pulled together in a synthesis report on pre-2020 ambition ahead of COP24, which takes place in December next year in Katowice, Poland.

Facilitative Dialogue Recalling that countries agreed two years ago in Paris that there should be a one-off moment in 2018 to“take stock” of how climate action was progressing. This information will be used to inform the next round of NDCs, due in 2020.

Originally called the “facilitative dialogue”, the name of this one-off process in 2018 was changed to “Talanoa dialogue” this year under the Fijian COP presidency. This was to reflect a traditional approach to discussions used in Fiji for an “inclusive, participatory and transparent” process.

It was agreed that the preparatory phase of the Talanoa dialogue will now begin over the coming year, ahead of the political phase conducted by ministers at COP24 in Poland. A key moment for the Talanoa dialogue will also be the publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 1.5C special report in September 2018.

Climate Finance Flows Last-minute tensions unfolded over the Paris Agreement’s Article 9.5, which asks developed countries to report on their flows of climate finance to developing countries.

The key point of Article 9.5 is to improve the predictability of financial flows to developing countries, thereby providing information to help them develop their climate plans.

However, as with the tensions over “pre-2020” discussed above, there was no formal space on COP23’s agenda to discuss how to develop the guidelines for it, with developed countries arguing that demands were beyond what was originally agreed.

In the end, negotiators settled on allowing extra time to discuss this issue at the intersessional meetings between now and COP24 in December.

The Adaptation Fund A second sticking point on finance was the Adaptation Fund, a relatively small but politically significant multilateral fund for small-scale projects. Parties had previously agreed in principle that it “should” serve under the Paris Agreement, without mention of how it would be operationalized.

The AF was initially set up to be run on a share of proceeds from the international carbon mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol. However, these have so far yielded little revenue. Most of its money, therefore, comes from voluntary contributions, with EU member states so far providing around 95%.

Late into the night on the final day of COP23, member countries of the Kyoto Protocol, which the fund currently serves, at last formally agreed that the fund “shall” serve the Paris Agreement.

The Adaptation Fund also received more than $90m (including $50m from Germany) in new pledges during the COP. The same amount was also pledged to the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF).

Separately, France pledged to cover any shortfall in funding for climate change following the US decision to pull its funding of the science body.

Loss and damage The Paris Agreement includes a section recognising the importance of averting – and addressing – the loss and damage caused by climate change. It also says parties should enhance “understanding, action and support” on this key topic, which has become somewhat of a bugbear at negotiations in recent years.

To some, it has now become the “third

pillar” of the climate action, alongside mitigation and adaptation. But unlike mitigation and adaptation – with their promised $100bn-a-year in climate finance – there are currently no sources of finance for loss and damage.

No significant progress was made on this issue. However, the Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) on Loss and Damage was tasked to bring forward any concrete plans on finance – the key difficulty in loss-and-damage discussions. A one-off “expert dialogue” was agreed for the May intersessional in 2018, which will inform the next review of the WIM in 2019.

Agriculture One notable, yet low-profile outcome from the conference this year was the end of a deadlock on agriculture which had lasted for years. Developed countries have always wanted to have agriculture discussed under the mitigation component looking at how emission reductions would be realised from the agriculture sector, whilst developing countries view agriculture as a climate change adaptation issue with mitigation co-benefits.

Parties agreed to work over the next few years on a series of issues linking climate change and agriculture. Countries have now been asked to submit their views on what should be included in the work programme by 31 March 2018, with options including how to improve soil carbon and fertility, how to assess adaptation and resilience and the creation of better livestock management systems.

Gender The Parties adopted the first-ever UNFCCC Gender Action Plan (GAP) at COP23 which seeks to advance the implementation of the multiple gender-related decisions adopted under the UNFCCC through capacity building of Parties to develop gender responsive climate policies and ensure that the travel funds support participation of grassroots and indigenous women. The GAP is a significant step forward in the efforts to bring gender equality into international climate process.

Road ahead in 2018 With the conclusion of COP23, the clock really begins to tick for the major deadlines and events in 2018. With the process for the Talanoa dialogue now essentially agreed, with it taking place throughout next year, there still remains much work to do before the Paris rulebook is agreed upon at COP24 in Poland.

Finally, Brazil has put in an official bid to host COP25 in 2019, which is scheduled to be hosted in Latin America and the Caribbean (Argentina and Jamaica were also said to be in the running). Brazil’s offer was officially “accepted with appreciation” suggesting it is now the frontrunner.

Conclusion The early entry into force of the Paris Agreement and the accelerated pace at which related negotiations are taking place means that Zimbabwe has to upscale its efforts aimed at getting prepared for the implementation of the agreement. This entails putting in place the necessary frameworks that will enable the domestication of the agreement in particular the nationally determined contributions. The wide ranging nature of discussions and numerous work streams of the climate change negotiations require a broadening of the countries delegation and availing of the requisite resources by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to enable the country to take full advantage of the opportunities arising from the new climate change discourse.

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