PORET – Agroecology Project

The “Participatory Organic Research and Extension Training Trust” (PORET) has grown since 1996 thanks to the great personal commitment of Julious Piti and his wife Taurai Mutembedzi, initially on 14 hectares of dry land in the Chimanimani mountains on the border with Mozambique. This region is increasingly disadvantaged ecologically by drought or by too much rain, which washes everything away in the mountains. Slash-and-burn clearing, overgrazing and a lack of soil conservation in farming have also intensified the effects of climate change.

There, PORET used agroecology and permaculture to transform the arid land into a small green paradise. At the heart of agroecology, organic fertiliser is made from locally available resources; it nourishes the soil and provides the basis for trees, fruit trees and nitrogen-fixing legumes. The idea behind PORET is to work with nature, not against it.
It is impressive, for example, how simple methods such as digging trenches and planting native trees along their edges can capture water and retain and store it in the long term.

The region’s poor smallholder farmers developed a keen interest in permaculture methods. Regular contact led to the founding of the “Chaseyama Permaculture Club”, which since 2006 has developed and run various training programmes with smallholders in the region.
Together, the farmers decide how to manage their natural resources while stabilising the ecosystem. In this way they secure their food production sustainably and counteract both climate change and the migration of young people in particular to the cities.
For young people, who are particularly affected by Zimbabwe’s high unemployment rate, PORET has developed a course in which they are trained in permaculture and then apply and put their knowledge into practice in their communities. PORET places great importance on working with smallholders, drawing on their traditional knowledge and supporting long-term learning processes.

Chaseyama has become PORET’s small centre. It has simple accommodation, which can also be rented by visitors, a basic kitchen and a covered training room.

The DSG e.V. supports PORET by promoting visits and overnight stays by guests, with small grants towards building the kitchen and by arranging workcamps for German participants.

More information about PORET: https://www.poret.org/

Workcamps at PORET

Since 2022, together with its Zimbabwean partner ZWA, the DSG e.V. has been able to offer workcamps at PORET to anyone interested.

Workcamp participants get a good impression of how PORET and the smallholder farmers work together, and they become part of this community-based agroecology. Their reports show how lively and interesting this cooperation is and how it shapes intercultural exchange. The report by the two most recent participants, Sina Knecht and Michel Schwank, shows the opportunities for intercultural learning in solidarity that PORET offers. Below, they describe the activities that they remember most from their stay at PORET.

Highlights from Sina Knecht and Michel Schwank

The first evening around the campfire with Amos, Shedreck, Talent and Heaven, joking together and getting to know each other
Learning a few phrases in Shona was great fun, and all the staff kindly helped us
Eating the traditional dish, sadza, together with everyone else
The freedom of having no fixed schedule and being allowed to look into every area of work
Hiking in the mountains with Talent and Takudzwa and getting to know the village of Chayamiti
Learning how to cook sadza with Joyleen and other kitchen staff
Trying and making the typical sweet tea with milk and lots of sugar with Courage – which we will probably keep drinking at home
A guided tour of the PORET grounds with Blessing, with explanations of all the measures and projects
Spending the night in a traditional hut was a unique experience
Our interest in the staff’s work was well received, and they answered all our questions in detail
Unlike in other parts of the country, the water here is safe to drink because it comes from a borehole
Access to the internet and electricity when the solar system is running – definitely not something to take for granted in the bush
Being taken to and picked up from the main road, thanks to Amos, Heaven and Shedreck
Watering the garden with Talent, which taught us a lot about native plants and how to look after them
Planning the future of ecotourism at PORET with Julious
An excursion to one of PORET’s projects with Blessing
Shooting and editing a video with Amos
A trip to Bridal Veil Falls with Amos and Takudzwa
Exploring the mountains and caves of Chimanimani National Park with Eddie
Designing the flyer for the seed and food festival with Amos
Getting to know Takudzwa and spending so much time with him at PORET and even in the Bvumba mountains and in Mutare
Cultural exchange with Shedreck, Talent and all the villagers at the workshop
Learning from Shedreck about managing water reservoirs
Shooting a video about ecotourism with Shedreck and Julious
Hiking to the village of Jinga with Blessing
Helping to build a kraal fence in the village of Jinga with Virginia
Enjoying the beautiful sunset from the lookout tower, which also serves as a water tank
Learning how to slaughter and prepare a chicken with Talent
Repairing broken-down cars with Shedreck and Talent

A farewell message

“Dear PORET team, thank you so much for making this experience so extraordinary! We have many more memories in our heads – there were simply too many to write them all down. We will definitely come back and visit you again. Each and every one of you contributed in your own way. Stay as you are and keep working for a better future.”

Report by Karla Barello and Nico Wendker

We arrived at the project site in Chaseyama on Thursday evening and began our time there with a delicious meal in good company. The Piti family, the founders of PORET, gave us a warm welcome. After a restful night in our huts, we took part in a field day to see how local farmers share their challenges and successes in applying agroecological methods. Two PORET staff members, Heaven and Virginia, were there to advise the farmers on their problems and help them. Whenever the organisation’s staff are on site to support the members of the respective CPC (Chaseyama Permaculture Club), they share their experiences and try to help one another.

At the weekend we used the time to explore the large site and the surrounding mountains with Amos, Mr and Mrs Piti’s son. We also talked to Judith, a volunteer who had arrived six weeks before us. She told us about the projects she had started and the opportunities to get involved. That really helped us get an overview and see what was possible.

Our first working week began with a team meeting in the morning. We were introduced to the whole team and told that we could join in any activity.

We could even start our own projects if we wanted to. That sounded very tempting, but first we wanted to get to know all the tasks of the regular staff.

Here we learned at first hand about methods for improving soil fertility and harvesting water. We dug double trenches, loosened the soil, helped with planting and more. Phillip had done a lot of work in his garden and showed us everything he knew and how it works. At first we watched to learn how it was done, but afterwards we were able to do it ourselves. It was great fun to acquire knowledge by using our hands rather than, for a change, taking the information from a book.

However, as we weren’t used to working in the sun for hours, we did office work during the hottest hours of the day. We designed a map and a leaflet for future visitors to help them find their way around the area. This is important for PORET, because it wants to become an official holiday destination and cover all the centre’s costs with the income generated by tourists.

Another field day was also on the programme. We spent our weekend with some of our new friends: we drove to the Bvumba valley and went to church in Mutare with the Piti family. These personal contacts were very important to us in gaining an insight into the lives, challenges and solutions of the people in Chaseyama and the surrounding villages.

People both inside and outside the organisation were welcoming and open and told us about their view of the world and the problems they face. Many people asked questions about our lives, and we were able to exchange experiences from different parts of the world.

If you would like to support this work, please donate with the reference: PORET