In common with many other semi-arid regions the ancestral agricultural system in Mazvihwa was not based on extensive dryland farming but instead focused around the intensive use of natural wetlands – makuvi or dambos in the hills and majeke riverbank gardens in the plains. Elaborate systems of trenches and furrows were dug by hand with …
Interview with Emmanuel Sigauke, author of Mukoma’s Marriage & Other Stories
This historic film is from one of the pioneers of video for development in Southern Africa, Dan Ticehurst, and was made at Mr Phiri’s farm in 1988/89, and recently in 2014 generously rediscovered and shared by him.
The first Phiri Award ceremony was held on October 24th, 2014 at the Baraza Pavilion in Harare, in the presence of its Patron, Mr. Zephaniah Phiri, his wife Constance and eighty guests. The day went admirably – ably MC’d by Tsitsi Choruma – with guest of honor, distinguished rural development thinker Rev. Peter Baka Nyoni, …
Emmanuel Sigauke, Advisor to the Friends of Muonde, and luminary writer from Mazvihwa has finally published his Mukoma’s Marriage and Other Stories (Booklove Press, available on Amazon here) that are set in the beloved Mhototi villages of Mazvihwa of the 1970s (where he grew up) and ultimately in Glen View Harare where so many of …
Stone Walling written and photographed by Alice Ndlovu and the Muonde Team The stone wall journey started in Madzoke valley, a community which is surrounded by mountains and hills. This community has a very great access to stones because it is situated between mountains. However, the same mountains prey a lot of animals which destroys …
Mr. Zephaniah Phiri’s Lifetime of Planting Water: a Record of Achievement Invitation to the Lifetime Achievement Award (PDF) Program for Mr. Phiri Lifetime Achievement Award (PDF) Chapter 1: The Man and His Awards [pl_accordion name=”accordion”] [pl_accordioncontent name=”accordion” number=”1″ heading=”Overview & Introduction by Ken Wilson” open=”no”] Dr. K.B. Wilson On the Occasion of his Life Time …
The following text was extracted from the justification of the Phiri Award by the Phiri Award for Food and Farm Innovators Trust because it speaks in an interesting way about the importance of innovation in the context of food sovereignty. The Role of Farm and Food Innovators All the time everywhere, small scale farmers and …
Advancing Indigenous Innovation and Food Sovereignty in Zimbabwe Read More »
In Emmanuel Sigauke’s words: Enabling Innovation through Art “I am glad that Muonde values the role of art in innovation, and I feel honored to be part of this initiative. Art in all its forms, and especially through writing, helps people understand their lives, and hence their role in the world; it affirms a sense …
Below, Frank Loewen describes the making of his film, The Rainwater Harvester. Mr Phiri’s experience in Improving Dryland Management, featuring Zephaniah Phiri Maseko, Cleopas Banda, and Julious Piti “With a background in forestry, I have been working for many years in rural development projects dealing with environmental restoration and the promotion of integrated natural resource …
