12 July 2012: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) presented the results of a Small Grants Programme (SGP) project to promote organic farming practices for the elimination of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and biodiversity conservation in selected rural and urban communities in Zimbabwe.

The US$49,956 project was implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in two phases between 2006 and 2011 in various communities in Zimbabwe, in order to promote chemically clean food production, as well as environmentally sustainable alternatives to tobacco farming. The two project phases included training in organic farming, and establishing the exclusive use of organic farming practices on 450 hectares of land.

GEF reports that as a result of the project, various POPs and inorganic fertilizers have been eliminated from the community. Furthermore, communities have constructed 20 liquid manure plans to improve sustainable soil management. These results demonstrate how organic agriculture practices can improve the environmental health of a community and provide socio-economic benefits, GEF notes. [GEF Press Release]