Women and Permaculture: Towards Resilient Peri-urban Communities in Kutama, Zimbabwe

This article explores a women-led permaculture intervention known as Mapfihwa to reinforce peri-urban resilience in Kutama, Zimbabwe. The intervention falls at the intersection between permaculture and women’s empowerment. The aim was to determine the effectiveness of the permaculture approach. The objectives were to explore the micro-level dynamics and resilience parameters of the Mapfihwa Project in Kutama, Zimbabwe. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the project review targeted women participants in the Mapfihwa Project, underpinned by a quasi-experimental approach. Qualitative data captured micro-level dynamics of permaculture, while quantitative data provided descriptive data on resilience parameters such as yield per area, income from the produce, asset base change, and household social mobility. Resilience was further measured through livelihood enhancement amidst socio-ecological challenges faced in the community. The findings suggest that women-led permaculture interventions improve community resilience by reducing food insecurity, revitalizing ecosystems, empowering women, and enhancing sustainable livelihoods in peri-urban Zimbabwe. The article concludes that undertaking women-led permaculture interventions in peri-urban settings improves resilience. The study provides a scalable and replicable community-based permaculture model tailored to the needs of vulnerable women in Zimbabwe.