By Conrad Mwanawashe, recently in Chivi
COLLABORATING with local traditional leaders will help government to reach marginalised groups in rural communities under the Presidential Community Fisheries Scheme, which aims to enable rural communities to exploit water resources to create a self-sufficient and food surplus economy, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Davis Marapira has said.
Deputy Minister Marapira was officiating at the Fisheries pond stocking programme at Chief Madamombe homestead, Chivi District, Masvingo Province, Tuesday. The event was attended by Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources Production Department (FARD), Director, Mr Milton Makumbe, local leaders and other senior government officials.
“Collaboration with local traditional leaders is at the core of this project. By empowering them to lead in aquaculture production, we inspire community members to join in and drive this initiative forward,” Deputy Minister Marapira said.
“This programme assists marginalised communities and groups in rural areas, people with disabilities, youth and women. We have distributed fingerlings to these groups in other provinces around the country. The model also includes distribution of fingerlings to traditional chiefs, which feeds into the Zunde ramambo concept. It capacitates chiefs to assist poor people in their communities,” he added.
Zunde ramambo is a traditional social welfare system that involves communities working together to grow food.
Mr Marapira said the Presidential Community Fisheries Scheme was not just about “farming fish—it’s about changing lives, ensuring sustainability, and embracing a brighter future”.
“Chivi District, known for its arid landscapes, presents an exciting challenge and opportunity. Through community-managed fish ponds, we are pioneering a sustainable alternative livelihood. This means more jobs, better nutrition, and a stronger community. We’re equipping every village with essential resources—gardens, fish ponds, and boreholes—to foster sustainable development and uplift lives,” the Deputy Minister added.
The Presidential Community Fisheries Scheme aims to decentralise fingerling production, (re)stock dams, construct and rehabilitate ponds, capacitate farmers through robust extension services, develop markets, formulate low-cost feed, promote research and development, promote regulation of the sector through development of standards for quality production, and investment in cold chain development.
The program is set to increase the participation of local communities in artisanal fisheries. This will be done through:
- Re(stocking) community dams
- Improving operational conditions and accessibility of communities to the permit system
- Increased organisation of communities into cooperatives for ease of operations.
- Creation and strengthening of dam level management committees for sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources.
- Incorporating regional monitoring and management policies for sustainable capture fisheries on shared waters.
FARD Director Mr Makumbe said his department had distributed 4,000 fingerlings to Chief Madamombe with a further 4,000 fingerlings distributed to Chief Madzivire.
“Chief Madamombe is one of the traditional leaders championing fisheries in their local communities. This is part of the Presidential Communities Fisheries Scheme which seeks to set up two ponds with a carrying capacity of 2,000 fish each in every village. The scheme also envisages that all the 9,600 schools around the country construct two fish ponds each. This is expected to help FARD to achieve the US$1 Billion economy by 2030,” Mr Makumbe said.
Chief Madamombe hailed the scheme saying that it will assist marginalised groups in the communities around the country.
