Agroforestry for women empowerment
My name is Sylvia Chikwamba I’m a 57 year old small scale farmer from Mvere village in ward 19 of Mutasa District. I am the sole bread winner for my family of 4. Working in my small field for years I noticed a significant decline in my harvest resulting in us not having enough food for the household.
DAPP through the Sign of Hope Project came to my rescue. I was enrolled in the project where we were introduced us to Agroforestry as a means of making an income and environmental protection. I, like many other villagers used to cut trees for firewood and for domestic use as well as for selling to generate income but now I am in the forefront of educating others of the benefits of adopting Agroforestry
Through lessons conducted by DAPP we established tree nurseries and we are sell seedlings as well as conducting budding and grafting. I am proud to say that each month I generate between USD 20.00 to USD30.00 from selling trees from my nursery. I have also established a woodlot with 100 fruit trees which I expect to generate income from selling fruits as well as improve nutrition for my children in the near future.
Armed with the skills and knowledge of growing trees to replace those that are cut down we are playing our part in fighting climate change.
Furthermore, I’m now a proud empowered woman who is now capacitated in conservative smart agriculture and also in leadership skills. I look forward in educating my fellow community members with the skills I now have thanks to DAPP and Sign of Hope