The Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE) has launched an ambitious US$5 million 2026-2030 strategic plan aimed at restoring at least 50,000 hectares of degraded land and strengthening climate resilience among rural communities across Zimbabwe.
Launched under the theme “Thriving Ecosystems, Resilient Communities”, the five-year programme will target 15 districts and 80 wards, engaging up to 90,000 community members in ecosystem restoration and expanding nature-based enterprises.
SAFIRE executive director Estella Toperesu said the strategy was shaped by the needs and aspirations of communities that have been at the centre of the organisation’s work for more than three decades.
“We recognise that the challenges facing rural communities today are more complex than ever. Climate change, economic instability, and increased pressure on natural resources demand new approaches, stronger partnerships, and a deeper commitment to innovation,” Toperesu said.
“This strategic plan lays out an ambitious but achievable path forward: to expand our nature-based enterprises, restore more than 50,000 hectares of land, and strengthen local institutions to become powerful drivers of change.”
The plan also seeks to establish 20 community nature-based enterprises, build entrepreneurial capacity among 1,000 people, with priority given to women and young people, protect at least 45 wetlands and place more than 1,000 hectares under farmer-managed natural regeneration.
SAFIRE board chairperson Edwin Farai Chitsa said delivering the plan would require substantial investment and strong partnerships.
“We recognise that these aspirations will require steadfast partnerships, significant investment, and continued innovation,” Chitsa said.
“The Board remains fully committed to providing strong governance, strategic oversight, and unwavering support to ensure that SAFIRE not only delivers on this plan but also adapts effectively to a rapidly changing context.”
The strategy comes as Zimbabwe faces mounting environmental pressures, with forest cover having declined significantly since 1990, while droughts and floods increasingly threaten rural livelihoods.
SAFIRE says its approach is based on giving communities a direct economic stake in protecting natural resources.
Since 2014, the organisation has established nature-based enterprises including baobab, honey, mopane worm and marula ventures, benefiting hundreds of enterprise-owning households and thousands of other community members.
One of its honey enterprises, Chapanduka Honey, produces about 500kg of processed honey a month, generating approximately US$2,000 in monthly revenue through honey and related products.
SAFIRE was established in 1994, evolving from the Fuelwood Crisis Consortium, which was formed in 1992 to address deforestation and environmental degradation around refugee camps in Zimbabwe.
The launch comes weeks after SAFIRE won the Environmental Stewardship and Social Impact Award at the 2026 Manicaland Province CSR, ESG and Responsible Business Awards, recognising its three decades of community-based conservation work.
The new strategy is aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (2026-2030) and the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (2024-2030), as well as the Parks and Wildlife Amendment Act No. 4 of 2025, which strengthens the legal basis for community participation in natural-resource management.
