The Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE) launched a five-year strategy in Harare that centers community-led ecosystem restoration, nature-based enterprises, and local governance to address land degradation and livelihoods in Zimbabwe.
SAFIRE aims to restore 50,000 hectares, plant 1 million trees and engage 90,000 community participants between 2026 and 2030.
Three pillars: sustainable livelihoods, ecological restoration, and natural resource governance, with concrete subtargets for wetlands, agroforestry and enterprise development.
Success depends on translating the plan into on-the-ground results across districts and wards and on partnerships with government, donors, academia and the private sector.
# Overview
SAFIRE launched its Strategic Plan 2026–2030 in Harare, describing a program that places communities at the center of conservation and livelihood interventions. The plan sets specific, measurable targets for land restoration, tree planting, wetlands protection and enterprise development tied to household income goals.
# Quantified targets
The plan's headline targets are clear: restore 50,000 hectares of degraded land and plant one million trees. Other measurable goals include reaching 90,000 community participants, empowering 25,000 farmers, protecting 45 wetlands, and establishing 30,000 hectares under afforestation and reforestation.
Under agricultural and restoration activities, SAFIRE targets:
# Sustainable livelihoods and enterprise targets
SAFIRE plans to strengthen 1,000 nature-based entrepreneurs, with specific equity targets: 500 women and 200 youth among those entrepreneurs. The strategy seeks to establish 20 community enterprises and connect 20 enterprises to formal finance and buyers. Each supported enterprise is expected to reach a minimum annual revenue target of US$24,000, and participating households are targeted to earn an additional US$100 per month.
Products named for market development include honey, baobab and mopane worm. These market linkages are central to SAFIRE's theory that direct community benefits increase local protection of natural resources.
# Governance and geographic scope
The governance pillar aims to strengthen natural resource management across 15 districts and 80 wards by building ward-level institutions, district bodies and community governance structures. SAFIRE emphasizes translating plans into action at community level rather than remaining a policy document.
# Funding and resourcing
SAFIRE estimates a total budget of about US$5 million for 2026–2030. The breakdown includes approximately US$1.75 million for ecological restoration, US$1.4 million for nature-based enterprises, US$1.1 million for institutional capacity and US$750,000 for strengthening local institutions. For 2026 SAFIRE reports about US$789,000 secured and a funding gap of around US$411,000 for the year. The organisation seeks roughly US$3.67 million more across the five years.
# Institutional context and remarks at launch
# What to watch next
SAFIRE is calling on development partners, academia, research institutions and the private sector to invest in projects and the organisation's long-term capacity. The plan frames community economic benefit as the mechanism to improve natural resource stewardship across Zimbabwe.
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 Comm
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