Definition Ecovillage
An ecovillage is an evolved village community or living community established with a common purpose. Ecovillages are shaped through the conscious participation of all their inhabitants. An ecovillage helps not only protect but even regenerate the surrounding natural environment, and it improves the quality of people’s lives. The four dimensions of sustainability – ecology, economy, social and worldview – are integrated into a holistic approach.
Why an Ecovillage?
Zimbabwe is currently one of the poorest economies in the world, characterized primarily by very high unemployment, low gross domestic product, foreign exchange shortages, investment and energy shortages, and many sectors of the economy lying idle. In January 2016, Zimbabwe declared a state of emergency. Only a quarter of the usual rainfall had fallen during the recent rainy season. The UN secretary-general also warned of famine. The division of the country by the colonial power in 1930 into white and black settlement areas laid the foundation for today’s problems of the black rural population, as they were pushed into low-yield areas with poor soil in the then Rhodesia. It is therefore clear to the scattered settlement of Mubaya that it must regain its food sovereignty, also in order to counter the rural exodus. It hopes to achieve this through permaculture.