By Pamenus Tuso
A pioneering pilot project aimed at transforming rural communities in the face of worsening climate change is underway in some districts in the drought-prone Matebeleland province.
The Circular Food Systems (CFS) project launched in late 2023 and running until June 2026 seeks to build climate resilience and strengthen local economies by promoting sustainable farming practices that reduce waste and dependence on external inputs.
Led in Zimbabwe by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), the project focuses in Silalatshani in Insiza as well as parts of Bubi and Inyathi using smallholder irrigation schemes as springboards to develop integrated agricultural ecosystems.
The project also operates in Mozambique and Tanzania and builds on the successes of the earlier Transforming Irrigation in Southern Africa (TISA) initiative.
“This is a pilot project testing a concept called circular food systems. We are integrating irrigation, rain-fed farming, livestock and local agri-businesses into one cohesive system that uses resources efficiently and builds community resilience to climate shocks,” said Thabani Dube, Senior Scientific Officer at ICRISAT in an interview with CITE.
According to Dube, the project promotes a closed-loop system where organic waste is reused within the local farming ecosystem.
Instead of discarding crop residues or relying heavily on synthetic fertilisers farmers are trained to recycle waste products as valuable inputs.
“For example, crop residues from irrigated and dryland plots are fed to livestock which in turn produce manure used to fertilise the next season’s crops,” Dube explained.
“We are trying to minimize the use of imported inputs, especially expensive synthetic fertilizers. With the same land, the same water, farmers can maintain or even increase productivity.”
One practice being promoted is the treatment of crops residues with urea, turning them into high-quality livestock feed.
A 150-kilogram bag of urea can treat up to a tonne of crop residue which significantly reduces the need for farmers to purchase commercial stock feed particularly during dry seasons.
“This is a huge help especially for low-income farmers who lose grazing areas after droughts. After the devastating drought from 2020 to 2023 many farmers were left without feed. Now, they are able to create their own.” said the Scientific Officer.
The project is also piloting insect farming including the use of black soldier fly larvae to convert kitchen and animal waste into protein-rich feed for poultry and fish.
“We have a few farmers now producing their own high-protein feed using waste from their pigs or chickens. It is cost-effective and sustainable. This way, we are turning problems like waste into solutions,” Dube noted.
In places like Nkosikazi in Bubi some farmers have started producing sunflower oil for home use. The by-product known as sunflower cake is then mixed with maize bran and other residues to make nutritious livestock feed.
“There is no waste in a circular system. If it is organic material it must find its way back into the system, either as feed, fertiliser, or energy,” he pointed out.
The project is also addressing the issue of farmers burning crop residues, an unsustainable practice that depletes nutrients and harms the environment.
Instead, CFS encourages nutritive enhancement of residues through urea treatment, offering farmers an affordable, climate-smart alternative.
But the vision for circular food systems goes beyond individual farmers. The project adopts a landscape or catchment-based approach involving everyone in and around the irrigation schemes.
“This is not just for irrigators,” Dube emphasised.
“It is about the entire community, rain-fed farmers, livestock keepers, local businesses like grinding mills and oil pressers. We want to create an ecosystem where everything and everyone is connected.”
To support this transformation, the project has identified 180 lead farmers who are directly trained in these technologies and practices. Each lead farmer mentors 15 to 20 peers, creating a ripple effect expected to reach over 3,000 farmers by the end of the pilot phase.
“The idea is not just to push numbers.We want these 180 to demonstrate real success and proof that these practices work. Once others see it, adoption will grow naturally.”
The CFS project is implemented in collaboration with key stakeholders including the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises, local councils and private and financial institutions. These partners help with training, community mobilization, policy engagement and technical support.
According to Dube, the bigger goal is to test whether rural development can be achieved without putting more pressure on natural resources.
“Can we grow rural economies without consuming more land, more water, or more energy? Can we break the link between development and environmental degradation? That is what circular food systems are about.”
Ultimately, the project aims to build self-sustaining, scalable models that influence national agricultural policy and are adopted across other semi-arid regions in Africa.
“We are in the middle of a climate crisis. But we also have an opportunity to rethink how we farm, how we live, and how we grow. Circular food systems offer a pathway to resilience, sustainability, and dignity for smallholder farmers. And that is something worth fighting for,” added Dube. The project is being supported by the Australia Centre for International Agriculture Research.
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