THE GREENEST PART OF ZIMBABWE | Mutarazi Falls | Honde Valley | Banana Farming vs The Environment

Honde Valley is where my mother is from. On school holidays my parents would send us there to visit our grandparents and help out on the farm. Honde Valley is very close to my heart, I have seen all the changes over the years.

A lot of habitat has been lost to banana farming. Honde Valley has always been a prime area for agriculture. Along with bananas, coffee and tea are grown commercially, also maize, paprika, chilli and beans. There has been an increase in the demand of bananas in the cities. In my opinion, due to unemployment and very low incomes, bananas have become a substitute to have for lunch. They are full of starch, filling and very cheap, therefore increasing the demand for them in urban areas.

Only 4 areas in Zimbabwe have the right conditions to grow bananas commercially. Honde Valley, Chipinge, Burma Valley and Chimanimani. These areas are under pressure as demand is high, more land is being cleared for bananas. Almost every local has turned to banana farming. This has put a lot of pressure on the environment. Habitat loss, farming on wetlands and up the mountains, disturbing the water systems, too much fertilizers being used, which end up in the rivers, killing aquatic life, biodiversity and other environmental devastation.

Not everyone in the valley has to be a banana farmer. Honde Valley has so much more to offer. Ecotourism for example, more should be invested in it to boost the local economy. I can see people travelling from Harare and all over Zimbabwe for a weekend in Honde Valley. This will boost the local tourism, on top of international tourists. There is a lot to offer tourists; paragliding, water rafting and kayaking, camping, hiking, hill walking, heritage sites etc. Mutarazi Fallas is such a great attraction for the area, it should be used more effectively to attract tourists.

More effort need to be made to monitor what is happening in the water ways. A balance needs to be reached between the farmers and protecting the different and unique species of plants and animals found in Honde Valley.

It is truly a Blessed Land!