A few years ago an agroforestry researcher worked with the Zvimba community to improve the quality of fruit trees in the community. This was part of his PhD study focusing on the five big fruits of Zvimba, namely mango, guava, mazhanje, matamba and mazumwi. At the end of his PhD, the community, including local agricultural extension officers, had grafted all these fruit trees leading to improved yield and quality.
A significant proportion of mango trees were grafted with fibreless mangoes whose economic value is much higher since they can be processed into juices and other products. Many varieties of matamba, mazumwi, mazhanje and guava were identified, characterised and improved. After completing his PhD, the researcher never came back to find out what the community was now doing with both the trees and fruits.
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