Savory Journeys’ recent tour to the Africa Centre for Holistic Management in Zimbabwe was an incredible experience with like-minded people coming together to learn and share the joy of travel, Holistic Management and regenerative agriculture.
The priority of the Africa Centre for Holistic Management (ACHM) is to train, equip, and empower communities to restore their land and wildlife. Our Journey focused on immersing guests in the projects, challenges and successes of the Africa Centre and creating connections with the land, livestock, wildlife, people and hospitality of this beautiful part of Africa.
During this immersive Journey, much of our time was spent with the locals seeing their work, learning and successes in connection to Holistic Management. We were privileged to spend time with the ACHM team, Allan Savory and Jody Butterfield and experience firsthand the exciting landscape transformations happening with the help of cattle, sheep and goats, herds of sable, kudu, and buffalo, and the lions that follow them.
We explored much of the ranch and participated in creative learning activities aimed at immersing participants in the ecosystem processes directly on the land. The group enjoyed spending time with the local herders and their mixed herd of cattle, sheep and goats. We were invited to spend an evening experiencing the animals returning to their night, predator proof kraals after a day of planned grazing and discussed the planning process and methods of low-stress livestock handling with the herders.
A valuable aspect of our Journey included time with local farmers and leaders on the 40,000-hectare Hwange Communal Lands. At these locally run community learning sites, forage production has increased four-fold or more, rivers are flowing again and wildlife and livestock are healthier and more productive. We discussed directly with the community about their close collaborations with ACHM and experienced the practical application of Holistic Management within this communal context. We walked crop fields benefiting from the high animal impact of nightly livestock enclosures and discussed communal planning and preparation for the record drought.
During our Journey, we enjoyed exploring the incredible local wildlife. From calm, clear evening walking safaris with the Centre’s game scout to drives through the grass and savanna of the ranch, we saw many elephant, buffalo, sable, giraffe, kudu, and various birds during our Journey.
We saw incredible wildlife including elephants, hippos, crocodiles and many others while in Chobe National Park in Botswana.
Throughout the Journey, there was plenty of time spent relaxing, eating wonderful food, playing darts, collaborating, and experiencing the beauty and culture of the area. The folks at the Centre’s Dimbangombe Safari Lodge housed us in the beautiful landscape of the savanna of northern Zimbabwe and our chef Emmanuel served excellent beef, pork, lamb, wild game, vegetables, and traditional foods, much directly from the ranch and the local area.
We also spent a day around the town of Victoria Falls experiencing the vast power of the falls and the local activities. We enjoyed an amazing sunset complete with sundowners and wildlife on our Zambezi River cruise and ended the day with a traditional drumming and dancing dinner in town.
From fun group activities on effective water cycles, direct experiences with local village leaders, discussions and livestock handling work with the herders, walking and driving through the tall grass over much of the Savory Hub’s 3200 hectares, this was truly a tangible experience in the application and education of Holistic Management. The journey facilitated quality collaboration and learning and created lasting friendships.
