Where are you: Home News March 1998


March 1998 Newsletter

Endevours of Triangle Ltd on Environmental Issues

The production of sugar involves the exclusive cultivation of sugar cane year after year.  This potentially has adverse impacts on the environment (e.g. pest build up).  To this end Triangle Ltd has established a comprehensive environmental monitoring system covering water and land issues.  A second problem is that of emissions into the atmosphere (e.g. from burning the crop residues).  In order to meet potentially stringent environmental trade barriers, Triangle is keen to implement a “cleaner production” approach.

News in brief from Chikombedzi (Southern Zimbabwe)

As the old people say, “there has never been a better year in this area.  We live on hope, but it is all gone.”  The quotation, or rather the saying does not differ froms tatistics which show that people only harvest at most four times in 15 years.  Even if they do harvest, the harvests are never enough to feed even the smallest families.  So, to say there is a drought in Chikombedzi is nothing short of a tautology.  Out last visit to Chikombedzi was marked by devastating sights of bare fields at a time when most communal areas in Zimbabwe are experiencing zhezha (eating green mealies, melons, pumpkins etc).  And here we are in Sabkuku Batiti’s village.  It is a hot afternoon (something not unusual) and the “widows” (as wives of young migrant labourers prefer to call themselves) are seated under the lonely mupane tree.  The visitors, whose unsatiable appetite to save on their daily allowances can hardly be satisfied, meet their day’s fate being offered marula fruits for lunch.  Their fate is not worse than for the tiny babies who have to spend most of time in water buckets and dishes in order to hid from the seemingly unsympathetic sun.  This is just part of life in Chikombedzi  At least by now everybody has lost hope to get anything from the fields.  Next year perhaps.  As everyone knows, border jumping by BJs, as they call themselves, is central to survival in this otherwise forgotten area.  An with them they bring back crime, bundu-bikes and a few rands.

Workshop on Communicating the Environment in Zimbabwe:  The Media and the Environment

IES in conjuction with IUCN held a workshop on communicating the environment.  The objectives of the workshop were.

The workshop was aimed at the media and information officers as well as extension officers.  The workshop was officially opened by the Honourable Minister of Mines, Environment and Tourism.

Environmental Consultative Group for Mozambique

IES in conjuction with the Ministry of Environment of Mozambique is preparing a proposal as the starting point for a consulting group which shall be working closely with the University of Eduardo Mondlane.  The function of the group will be to look at various environmental issues.  The co-ordinator is Takawira Mubvami, Chairman of the Rural and Urban Planning Department.

Proposal Writing Course

A course on writing proposals will be conducted over three days on April 28, May 18 and June 8 1998.  By the end of the course participants will have developed a proposal that has been reviewed and which is ready for submission to the donor.

As an incentive four grants of $100 000 each will be disbursed to participants on a competitive basis at the conclusion of the course.  IES believes that fifty percent of participatnts will be successful in their applications using the proposals developed during the course.  The resource persons on this course will have themselves brought in grants worth more than $10 million in the last two years.  The cost of attending the course is $1,500 per person. For details contact F.Nengomasha at IES.

Study of Ilala Palm in Zimbabwe

IES is holding a short course as follows entitled:  The Economic Analysis of Stakeholder Incentives in Participatory Forest Management – A Case Study of Ilala palmin Zimbabwe.  The objectives of the course are to develop and evaluate economic tools for assessing the feasibility of participatory forestry initiatives.  These tools once they have been assessed will be used in a feasibility study aimed at enhancing marketing systems for palm products and palm management options.

The course will feature guest lecturers, Participatory Rural Appraisal Activities in the field and compiling the results into a report.  The venue is Gonarezhou National Park and the course shall run from the 13th to the 25th of September 1998.

Graduate Student Work at the University of Alberta

The University of Zimbawe and the University of Alberta have a joint project entitled Agroforestry Southern Africa (AFSA), which has funds for MSc training for SADC citizens at the University of Alberta.  The thesis work could cover economic, agricultural, ecological or socio-economic aspects of agroforestry.  Only persons with at least upper second class first degrees need apply.

Applications consisting of a letter of interest, a two paged research idea for a thesis and a CV, should be sent to the Institute of Environmental Studies, Box MP167, Mount Pleasant HARARE by 30 April 1998.  The accepted student(s) is expected to begin training in September 1998.  This activity is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Training Opportunities for Agroforesters

The University of Zimbabwe and the University of Alberta have a joint project, entitled Agroforestry Souther Africa (AFSA), which has funds for Zimbabwean academics and professionals to travel to the University of Alberta.  The funds can fully cover (2-6 weeks), or can provide partial support for longer visits. Such visits should benefit AFSA, thus an exchange fellow would receive terms of reference from the management committee of the project.

Exchange fellows could work on developing curricula materials for agroforestry courses,  or could conduct specific research, on topics deemed of a priority nature by the management committee.  Travel benefits would be dictated by the rules and regulations of the Canadian International Developemtn Agency (CIDA), the funding agency for this project.

Interested persons should send their CVs, a letter of interest (not longer than one page) and a proposal (no more than 2 pages) for work they hope to conduct.  This should be sent to IES by 30th April 1998.

IES Training in Environmental Issues – 1998

Environmental Impact Assessment Course
Gwanda, April 20-24 1998
Harare, August 3-7 1998

How to Write Research Proposals
Harare, April 28, 1998, May 18 and June 8, 1998

The Ecology of Kariba Environs
Kariba, June 20-21 1998

Coordinating Environmental and Development Activities at the District Level
Masvingo, April 21-23 1998

Agroforestry short course:  the Economic Analysis of Stakeholders Incentives inParticipatory Forest Management
Chiredzi, September 15 – 27 1998

For further information on the courses, contact Mrs G.Funda at the Institute of Environmental Studies on 302603

Lunch Time Seminar

May 4th:  Local Institutions in Transition by Dr B Makamuri

RSCV:  Felisitie on 302603 or 303211 ext 1937