BIODIVERSITY is often framed as a distant global concern measured in reports, debated in conferences, and discussed in scientific jargon.
Yet for farmers across Zimbabwe, biodiversity is neither abstract nor optional. It is practical, lived, and deeply connected to daily survival.
From the choice of seed to the way crops are arranged in a field, biodiversity underpins food security, climate resilience, and rural livelihoods.
Sustainable farming practices are proving that protecting biodiversity is not only compatible with agricultural production but essential to it.
Zimbabwe’s agrifood systems, like those across much of Africa, have historically relied on a rich diversity of crops and livestock.
Smallholder farmers cultivated sorghum, millet, cowpeas, groundnuts, pumpkins, and a wide range of indigenous vegetables, often intercropped in the same fields.
Livestock systems depended on hardy local breeds adapted to drought and disease.
These systems were biodiversity rich by design, spreading risk and ensuring that if one crop failed, others could still sustain households.
However, decades of policy emphasis on monocropping, hybrid seeds, and chemical inputs have narrowed this diversity, making farming systems more vulnerable to shocks.
Today, the consequences of biodiversity loss are increasingly visible. Climate change has intensified droughts, erratic rainfall, and pest outbreaks, exposing the fragility of uniform farming systems.
Over-reliance on a few crop varieties has reduced genetic diversity, leaving farmers with limited options when conditions change.
At the same time, the decline of pollinators and beneficial insects driven by habitat loss and pesticide use has directly affected yields, particularly for fruits, legumes, and oilseeds.
In this context, sustainable farming practices that restore and enhance biodiversity are no longer a luxury; they are a necessity.
One of the most powerful tools for rebuilding biodiversity in Zimbabwean fields is the use of indigenous and locally adapted seeds.
Traditional varieties of sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, and cowpeas are more tolerant to drought and poor soils than many commercial hybrids.
They mature at different times, spreading harvest risk, and often require fewer external inputs.
By saving, exchanging, and replanting these seeds, farmers maintain genetic diversity that is crucial for long-term resilience.
This seed sovereignty also reduces dependence on expensive seed markets, improving household incomes and autonomy.
Intercropping and agroforestry further demonstrate how biodiversity can be actively designed into farming systems.
Combining crops such as maize with legumes improves soil fertility through natural nitrogen fixation, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers.
Integrating perennial crops like fruit trees or banana plants into fields provides shade, improves soil structure, and creates habitats for birds and insects.
While coffee-banana systems are often cited in other regions, similar principles apply in Zimbabwe through the integration of trees like Faidherbia albida, which sheds leaves during the cropping season, enriching soils without competing with crops.
These diversified systems are more productive over time and better able to withstand climatic stress.
Restoring pollinator populations is another concrete example of biodiversity delivering direct benefits.
Bees, butterflies, and other pollinators play a critical role in food production, yet their populations have declined due to habitat destruction and chemical use.
Sustainable practices such as maintaining flowering field margins, reducing pesticide application, and protecting natural vegetation create safe spaces for pollinators to thrive.
The result is improved crop yields, especially for horticultural crops that many farmers rely on for cash income. In this way, biodiversity conservation directly translates into economic gains.
Beyond the farm gate, biodiversity-rich agriculture strengthens rural livelihoods and local economies.
Diversified production means households can consume a wider range of nutritious foods, improving dietary diversity and reducing malnutrition.
Surplus produce such as indigenous vegetables, small grains, honey, or fruits can be sold in local markets, creating multiple income streams.
This contrasts sharply with monocropping systems, where income depends on a single harvest and a single buyer, often exposing farmers to price volatility and debt.
Importantly, sustainable farming practices rooted in biodiversity also align with environmental protection.
Healthy soils rich in organic matter store more carbon, contributing to climate change mitigation.
Diverse landscapes reduce erosion, protect water sources, and support wildlife beyond farm boundaries.
In a country where agriculture is closely linked to natural ecosystems, these environmental benefits are inseparable from long-term agricultural productivity.
However, scaling up biodiversity friendly farming in Zimbabwe requires supportive policies and institutions.
Extension services must prioritise agroecological knowledge, indigenous crops, and farmer led innovation rather than promoting one size-fits-all input packages.
Research institutions should work with farmers to improve local seed varieties rather than replacing them.
Markets and public procurement systems such as school feeding programmes can create demand for diverse, locally produced foods.
Without such systemic support, the burden of conserving biodiversity falls unfairly on farmers who already face significant economic pressures.
Ultimately, sustainable farming practices show that biodiversity is not in conflict with development.
On the contrary, it is a foundation for resilient agrifood systems that can feed a growing population under changing climatic conditions.
Zimbabwe’s farmers are already demonstrating this reality through their daily choices: saving seeds, diversifying crops, protecting pollinators, and working with nature rather than against it.
Recognising, supporting, and scaling these practices is not just an environmental imperative it is a pathway to secure livelihoods, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future for the country.
In protecting biodiversity in fields, Zimbabwe is protecting its food systems, its rural economy, and its capacity to adapt in an uncertain world.
The lesson is clear: the future of farming lies not in simplification, but in diversity.
*Gary Gerald Mtombeni is a Harare based journalist. He writes here in his personal capacity. For feedback Email garymtombeni@gmail.com/ call — +263778861608