Rural community meetings, such as one held recently in Mpudzi Resettlement Scheme south of Mutare, are usually placid affairs dealing with mundane matters. Not any more.

by Andrew Mambondiyani

In the province, known for its highlands, good rains and rich soils, the meetings have increasingly taken on a belligerent edge, due to the influx of land invaders settling upstream and clogging water sources.

This is largely the consequence of climate change-induced migration as new settlers leave their low-lying dry regions for areas with better rains and prospects for agriculture.

The Mpudzi meeting almost degenerated into a mass brawl, as villagers accused local traditional leaders of illegally settling newcomers in undesignated areas and threatening the livelihoods of the original communities. Some of the illegal settlers have been irregularly resettled or allocated themselves land on areas set aside for grazing.

Choked with silt

“We no longer have pastures for our livestock and most of the rivers around here are now drying up halfway through the dry season. These rivers used to be perennial but these people are choking them with silt,” one visibly angry village elder, Nekias Mkwindidza said.

But Hamudi Munyama, a former assistant to Village Head Gwaku in Mpudzi Resettlement Scheme, who was fingered in the illegal land deals, defended himself saying that traditional leaders had the authority to resettle people in the area.

“What we did was above board. We were given the authority to resettle some of these people,” he said, but stopped short of saying who granted the authority, only choosing to cite ‘top people’. It did emerge that some of these illegal allocations of land happened just before the 2013 general elections with the blessings of local political leaders.

Munyama has since been relieved of his duties as a representative of the village head.

Major drivers

The conflict in Mpudzi Resettlement scheme is symptomatic of an emerging, climate change-induced problem, according to a 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which identifies environmental degradation and climate change as major drivers in both forced and voluntary migration.

Climate change threatens to cause one of the biggest refugee crises of all time, though various figures have been bandied about, climate change experts have warned that up to 200 million people would be forced to abandon their homes over the course of the century the world over.

And in an interview with this reporter recently, renowned USA-based climate change expert and author, Ross Gelbspan weighed in, warning that: “As we experience more crop failures, water shortages and uncontrolled migrations by people whose lands become less able to support them, that governments will become more totalitarian in their efforts to keep order in the face of chaos. So it's really the political and economic aspects that I've been thinking about.”

Farmer’s dream

Owning a piece of land where there is perennial water supply, rich soils and reliable rainfall is every farmer’s dream. As such, Lloyd Gweshe, 30, a settler at Ndorwe area in the eastern highlands of Manicaland province, has every right to blow his own trumpet. His piece of land is every farmer’s dream. It has perennial water supply from various streams and rivers which originate from the area and the soils are good.

The Eastern Highlands, which stretch from Nyanga in the north through Vumba down to Chimanimani in the south, prides itself for having some of the best weather conditions in the country. These include high rainfall, low level cloud and heavy mists and dew as moisture moves inland from the Indian Ocean. Many streams and rivers begin from these mountains, which form the watershed between the Zambezi and Save River systems.

But as the climate is changing, the area has become a target for thousands of illegal settlers from lower and hotter areas. The mass movement of people has brewed conflict as the illegal and legal settlers fight over pastures, water and other resources. Timber plantations and national parks have not been spared either.

“I now own a rich piece of land, a wife and a bouncing baby,” Gweshe crows to anyone who cares to listen to him, mostly at traditional beer drinking spots. But what he seldom reveals is that he is one of the many people who have of late invaded the eastern highlands in search of water and good soils. The local people call these new comers ‘squatters’, a disparaging term which the new settlers detest.

Not a squatter

“I am not a squatter,” Gweshe defends himself when the subject of illegal settlers in the area is raised. “How can I be a squatter in my country of birth?” he asks sarcastically, much to the chagrin of the people who were legally resettled in the area by the government during the land reform programme. “And I will not leave this place,” he vows.

Many of the illegal settlers have invaded Nyamakari and Nyamataka river sources, wetlands and banks of Chitora, Mushaamhuru and Murare rivers, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people living downstream who depend on the rivers for irrigation.

And the future of the rich banana farming belt in Burma Valley looks bleak as water sources are diminishing, particularly during the dry season as Manyera, Zonwe and Musapa dams have been heavily silted. There are growing fears that the new wave of mass movement of people from lower dry areas to the rich highlands might trigger serious clashes.

A banana farmer in Burma Valley, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the illegal settlers, said the ‘squatters’ were threatening the viability of agricultural activities in the rich farming area.

No water

“These illegal settlers have invaded sources of water for the banana plantations, and our future as farmers is under threat. Water is no longer available for us to sustain a good banana crop. Despite efforts by the government to remove them they have remained defiant. They have been evicted about four times and they have returned in bigger numbers,” the farmer revealed.

However, even with the conflict, the illegal settlers have vowed to stay as they argue that they have nowhere else to go, with some claiming that it was their ancestral land from which they were evicted back in the 1940s by the colonial administration.

They say the low-lying areas in Manicaland, such as Marange and Buhera, have been receiving erratic rainfall since the devastating drought of 1992. Crop yields have been poor, farmers have lost their livestock and water sources have dried up, hence the new wave of migration in search of greener pastures.

by Brenna Matendere Munyati

A $15,000 market gardening project was formally initiated by British Ambassador Deborah Bronnert last week.

The Gwemombe Women’s Group Initiative is located in the southern part of Shurugwi and aims to help women support their families as many have lost their husbands to disease or migration. Women living with HIV are also targeted beneficiaries.

So far, 45 families have started engaging in bee-keeping, fruit and vegetable farming. Fencing, watering mechanisms and harvesting infrastructure has been put in place with donor funding.

The National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (NANGO) regional coordinator Vimbai Nhutsve-Musengi said it has been difficult to find partners who could help the women, and hailed the British intervention as a milestone achievement in fighting gender imbalance.

She urged the women to work hard, saying “The project should succeed in becoming a food breadbasket for the district and surrounding areas. If its success story reaches a level where mines in the area, like Anglo-Platinum Unki Mines, and local boarding schools start to depend on its produce, then it could be an encouragement for other organisations to come and start other projects.”

Findings have shown that women mired in poverty are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence, immoral behaviour and manipulation by unscrupulous politicians. Economic empowerment of the women in the district goes a long way to setting them free from these ills.

Bronnert applauded Zimbabwe’s new constitution for addressing gender equality and said the objectives of the project were to support income generating initiatives by educating women on economic and business issues while also helping them achieve food security.

Small holder farmers have criticised the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) for ripping them off by levying the water they are harvesting from mountains using their own resources.

Disgruntled villagers told The Zimbabwean that the water utility was a stumbling block to the development of irrigation schemes in the area.

They said it defied logic for Zinwa to levy them for flowing water, which they harvesting using their own equipment. They said the water, if not utilised, would just flow into Mozambique.

Sacrificed

“We have sacrificed our resources to buy pumps to draw water from the Mountains. But we are surprised that Zinwa is penalising us. We are poor and we can`t pay for the water. Water is a natural resource that we should use to empower ourselves,” said Clever Sakupwanya, a small-scale farmer from Gaerezi.

Farmers called on government to intervene to save the situation, saying the levy fee should be scrapped to allow farmers to recover from the economic meltdown.

“Foreign currency is scarce this side and where do these people expect us to get the money to pay for free water? It’s unheard of in this world. They are not offering us any service so why should we pay?” said another villager.

Threat

Other farmers said Zinwa’s water pricing system had become a threat to sustainable agricultural productivity for both small-scale and commercial irrigation farming communities.

Zinwa, which is mandated by the government to distribute raw water to irrigation farms, has recently come under scrutiny regarding how it charges for the resource.

Farmers argue that the authority’s system is negatively impacting on agricultural production with most complaining the resource is way too expensive.

Nyanga South legislator Supa Mandiwanzira, who is also Deputy Information minister, last week said it did not make sense for Zinwa to levy small scale farmers who would have dug deep into their own pockets to raise funds to procure water pumps to improve their farming activities.

“Zinwa should not levy small-scale farmers who would have pulled their resources to buy equipment to harvest water from the mountains to irrigate their crops,” Mandiwanzira said.

“That should be an incentive to encourage farmers to venture into irrigation projects to boost food security. The water could have been let to flow into Mozambique but locals are utilising it to their own advantage.”

Water for free

The deputy minister said the water utility should only levy for water in dams. He promised to take the matter up with the relevant authorities.

Joseph Chinotimba, the Buhera South Member of Parliament (MP) last week queried why Zinwa was charging for water that it gets from the Zambezi River’s catchment area for free.

Contributing to debate on government’s policy on agricultural financing, Chinotimba said Zinwa had no right to charge for water it obtained from a shared river basin.

“Let us take an example of the water in the Zambezi River that originates from DRC,” Chinotimba said.

“Zinwa expects us to pay for water that is coming from DRC and yet it is not their water. We do not pay a single cent to DRC, where the water is coming from,” he said.

“We are not saying that we should not pay, but we are saying charges should be minimal,” he said. Most irrigation schemes in Manicaland province are lying idle as Zinwa has either disconnected supplies or levied exorbitant charges in situations where the farmers draw water straight from rivers or boreholes.

Capacity building and agro-business training programmes spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Development Democracy Trust (ZDDT) have brought hope to some residents in Bulawayo’s high-density suburbs.

by Pamenus Tuso

While aid organisations have been working hard to help people in rural communities, town- and city-dwellers have often been neglected.

ZDDT is working closely with Bulawayo, Victoria Falls, Gwanda and Gweru local authorities in a bid to empower local people through self-help projects, while also raising awareness of the importance of preserving the environment.

ZDDT is also running a pilot project in Machecheni area in Gwanda North.

“ZDDT has been able to restore ownership of the communities to people in most of the urban areas where we are operating,” said Simon Spooner, ZDDT’s national development officer. “We have also helped residents become more confident by facilitating neighbourhood restoration projects in urban areas. In all our projects, we have involved local authorities in those areas.”

Since its inception in 2009, ZDDT has been providing leadership, lifeskills and team building training to councillors, local authorities and communities in Bulawayo.

“We are currently supporting four wards in Bulawayo with projects such as nutrition gardens and leadership skills training. In all this, we try as much as possible to link development democracy with wealth creation and prosperity, which will eventually lead to a fully-fledged democracy in the country,” said Spooner.

One of the positive outcomes has been the setting up of voluntary and vibrant community action teams in the wards. “In some wards, residents, through the leadership of action teams, have restored dilapidated social amenities and sports grounds. Some wards, like Nketa, have planted trees. Some wards have also been involved in clean-up campaigns in their wards,” added Spooner.

Elly Msipa is one of the ward 16 community action team members. She

is also one of the founders of Kirimova nutritional garden, which has received support from ZDDT.

“I can only say that had it not been for the constant support of ZDDT and its team, including their agricultural extension officer, our lives would have been miserable. We’ve been educated in better ways of farming,” said Msipa.

“Since ZDDT came to our rescue, our crop yields have been tremendous.

We are now selling some of our produce to the market and can raise school fees for our children.”

Rosemary Tshuma described ZDDT as an architect of hope.

“We are a group of 20 widows who have been struggling to make a living. ZDDT has brought us hope by helping us to effectively run and manage our garden. We are now able to pay school fees and also buy mealie meal from cash we realise from selling our produce from the garden,” she said.

Spooner stressed that, unlike other organisations that gave out food and money to beneficiaries, ZDDT promoted a culture of entrepreneurship, volunteering and team spirit among communities.

“We believe in patriotic activism that promotes development and democracy. We see communities freed from the bonds of patronage, united in their commitment to a culture of service delivery and accountable leadership. We also value celebration of successes,” said Spooner.

An innovative food bank in Mutiusinazita in Buhera district is providing poor families with access to maize during the hunger season, reports reports CLAYTON MASEKESA.

The Hozi (Granary) Food Bank, established in 2008, is managed exclusively by women. The scheme is improving nutrition, keeping families together and accruing interest in the form of grain stores in the warehouses.

The women who manage Hozi work with the Chief and his traditional subjects, Arex officials and a local councillor. The bank stores crops immediately after harvest and is able to lend grain to devastated families during the hunger season when crops fail.

According to local councillor, Samson Chiteme, the women have excelled. “Each week during the rainy season, the women involved in the project organise the collection and distribution of available cereals. This is significant because here in Buhera women have traditionally had little or no control over decision-making,” said Chiteme.

“This approach gives us three main results. First, we have been able to set up a local system at village level to prevent and manage food crises with a strong focus on poor families,” he explained. “Secondly, it has enabled women in the villages to become actively involved in this enterprise with the support of their husbands, and this in turn, has led to the creation new, dynamic women’s organisations in the villages. And thirdly, the project is able to work with these organisations to develop activities that focus on issues such as health, child nutrition, HIV and other challenges.”

Exchange

The chairperson of Hozi Food Bank, Miriam Mabikwa – who is a respected community leader, said the bank was lending food to farmers during the planting period to help them get through the pre-harvest hunger season, which runs from mid-July to early November, a time when family maize reserves are almost empty.

“During these months, families usually eat only one meal a day.” Mabikwa said. “It is also the time when farmers are planting seeds and need strength to work.” She explained: “The Hozi Food Bank concept is based on exchange. Every week, poor families receive maize as a credit. The families through their subsistence farming then pay back the loan – not with money, but with the maize, once their own crops are harvested. They add 25 per cent interest to replace the stock and cover the cost of storage and maintenance.” She added that first preference was given to women who were regarded as responsible and had proved to be honest.

“Hozi has sustained many households in the village through recurring food crises caused by persistent drought, which has seen cereal production drop by nearly a third in successive years,” she said.

The droughts in Buhera in 2008 created a famine. Hardship was aggravated by intense political pressure from Zanu (PF), which forced various NGOs supplying food donations to pull out. Most villagers faced acute food shortages.

Crop failure

An Arex Official in the area, Robson Masaiti, last week said even some of the crops that were suitable for the area had failed to thrive over the years. He predicted that the same conditions were likely to persist in the forthcoming season. “From the look of the things right now, our water sources are inadequate and the pastures insufficient. Very soon live-stock will be under siege in this district," said Masaiti. The drought that began in 2008 and persisted during subsequent years has forced most rural families to sell tools, seed, herds and flocks to buy what little food was available.

“I have been harvesting an average of only four sacks of maize in my four-hectare field over the years,” said Keresenzia Munyavi, a villager. “So even before the planting season, we were left without maize for the household. My husband went to work on other people’s fields to make money to buy maize. I had already sold my goat to get through the drought and I was left with nothing else to sell, but now I am happy that I have managed to feed my family, using the maize loan I got from Hozi,” said Munyavi.

Rosaline Gadzikwa, who became one of the maize bank’s clients in 2009, said there were two main benefits from having the Hozi close by. “Last month I had 56 kilograms of maize that helped us cope for one month and gave us something to eat other than just leafy vegetables. Without the maize, many heads of households would have had to leave the village,” she said.

Her neighbour Juliet Samushonga agreed: “If we didn’t have the Hozi, our alternative strategies would have been to borrow from our neighbours in Wedza and Chivhu or to send our husbands away in search of jobs,” she added.

Survival

Farmers benefiting from the scheme have been able to continue working in their fields, instead of being forced to seek jobs elsewhere and neglect their own cultivations.

Lucia Chipindura, another beneficiary, said, “In April this year we barely had anything left from what we had harvested. With seven people to feed and my husband having to work in a neighbouring village, I had to sell one of my goats to buy additional maize to ensure the survival of the household.

“My husband came back for the rainy season but had to work on other people’s plots in Chivhu to earn some money. With the little money he could make with that seasonal work, we could have two meals a day combined with vegetables.” Chipundura said she borrowed 30 kilograms of maize last month.

“My husband no longer needs to work on others’ fields four times a week. He can now concentrate on our own field. The Hozi is a good initiative. Today as women in the villages are able to participate in meetings with the agreement and support of our husbands, so we know more about what is going on outside our homes. We could hardly do that in the past. We now want the stock in the Hozi to increase so that it covers a much longer period of the pre-harvest season,” she added.

Becoming a member of the Mountain of Hope, a community garden project in Wedza, Mashonaland East is not only bringing financial benefits for Tracy Simango, 46.

For Simango, the greatest achievement is that the project had become the backbone of the provision of food security for her family and the community.

The mother of four believes that because of the benefits that come with practicing organic farming, ‘poor farmers’ from her community are embracing the practice because it guaranteed their participation and ability to venture into sustainable agricultural practices.

“Organic farming ensures that even those farmers who cannot afford the high costs of inputs are able to plant their crops and harvest good yields,” said Simango.

She said since the project started in 2011, the Mountain of Hope project had been successfully contributing to the members’ household food security through the provision of a rich variety of vegetables while boosting the financial status of its members.

Richer

“We use liquid manure for our crops and instead of using fertilisers, we prepare composts using locally available resources such as grass, tree bark and cow dung among others,” said Simango, adding that this had also improved the fertility of their soils.

“The soil is now richer and we are optimistic that through the expertise that we have been taught on how to effectively engage in organic farming practices, we are going to be getting even higher yields in the near future.”

According to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), a membership-based business association for the organic industry in North America whose mission is to promote and protect organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public, and the economy, organic farming reduces pollutants in groundwater and creates richer soil that aids plant growth while reducing erosion.

However, for the community gardening project which started in 2011,facilitated by the Fambidzanai Permaculture Training Centre (FPTC) and the Zimbabwe Organic Producers Association (ZOPPA), members of Mountain of Hope members were not aware of this until they ventured into organic farming.

Boosting of a membership of 21 people, members of Mountain of Hope said they were grateful for the environmental benefits of organic farming.

Divided into three clusters, the northern, southern and central wings, the project aims at promoting sustainable organic farming practices and ensuring that communities have a sense of ownership over the production of safe, quality agricultural produce.

“When we started this project, we were allocated 20 by 20 metres of land per household and we were trained by ZOPPA and FPTC on sustainable organic agricultural practices,” said Simango.

Determined

She said although the families did not realise big yields from the crops that they planted in 2011 at the start of the project, they continued receiving training on how to maximise their yields and they did not lose heart.

Simango said since the initiation of the project, the farmers have been growing among other crops tomatoes, peas, carrots and babymarrows whose market is mostly in Harare.

“Initially, we relied on rain water because we did not have the capacity to plant our crops all year since we did not have any irrigation pipes,” said Simango.

“Our expenses have decreased over the years because each member managed to buy its own set of irrigation equipment from the proceeds that we got from the farming activities that we have done since 2011.”

Simango said expectations for an even higher yield are high considering that project members had set up green houses.

“Last year, we supplied over 6, 000 pallets of baby marrows to some of our suppliers including Interfresh and Favco,” said Simango, adding that the farmers' products were highly marketable especially in Harare and among boarding schools in and around Mashonaland East.

She said unlike most farmers who do not add value to their farm produce, project members of Mountain of Hope packaged their farm produce to ensure that they realised a higher market value.

“Our products are marketable because most people appreciate them and we ensure that when we are supplying them, they are clearly marked and labelled as organic farm produce,” she said.

Pro- poor

Simango added that of the 21 Mountain of Hope members, 14 were women.

“This project is generating a lot of income for us as women because it is cost effective and sensitive to the plight of the poor,” she said.

Fortunate Nyakanda, the Director for ZOPPA said her organisation had established that in most farmer communities that their organisation worked in, women were willing to participate more in organic farming practices.

“When it came to the land, women were in most instances allocated the poorest patches from the family land as the best land and inputs will be for the cash crops usually managed by the male head of the family.”

Investment

Nyakanda said as custodians of health in the family, women embraced organic farming systems more because of the benefits associated with the health of the family.

“The health of the family burdens the woman more than the men and they embrace the practice because they want to invest in the health of their families,” said Nyakanda, adding that as custodians of food within the family setup, organic farming was important to them considering that it gave them an opportunity to provide for their families a diversity of crops and food.

Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control.

Safe

Crops grown using organic farming are generally grown without synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, irradiation (a form of radiation used to kill bacteria), or biotechnology.

According to the Hartman Group, a market research firm, the organic-food business is booming. The organisation stated that close to 70 percent of Americans buy organic food occasionally while nearly one quarter of the whole population bought it weekly.

A report by the National Academy of Sciences, organic foods may have higher nutritional value than conventional food, a development believed to emanate from the absence of pesticides and fertilizers.

Some studies have linked pesticides in food to everything from headaches to cancer to birth defects — but many experts maintain that the levels in conventional food are safe for most healthy adults.

Impoverished A1 farmers are in panic mode following reports that Zanu (PF)’s December congress is planning to sub-divide their land into plots and allocate them to party youths.

A1 farmers in Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East Provinces told The Zimbabwean they had been warned that congress would resolve to “sub-divide our small six hectare plots”.

“Though we are not against the intended sharing of land, what we do not understand is why farmers with vast tracts of land like the first family would be spared,” said a Mashonaland Central farmer who could not be identified for security reasons.

The farmer, who is a war veteran and holds a senior position in the party, said a “big fish” was stalling the land audit to spare the larger A2 farms, most of which are occupied by top Zanu (PF) officials, security chiefs and some government officials.

Zanu (PF) youth who converged at a national congress in August demanded that they be allocated idle land as they had not benefited from the land “reform” exercise as they were too young when it started in 2000.

According to the source, the youths indicated that the majority of them were too young to participate in the agrarian programme when it started.

“Government should speed up the land audit so that youths can be allocated idle land … they should institute a system that fast tracks the land audit, while enabling access to underutilised land by youths for agricultural and residential purposes,” reads part of their demands.

When asked about the criteria used to decide to sub-divide A1 plots while sparing large idle A2 farms, Paddy Zhanda, the co-deputy minister for lands said: “The right person to comment is the minister for lands, Douglas Mombeshora.”

Zhanda indicated that the minister was out of the country and would only be accessible next week.

Despite many A2 farms lying idle, they have been spared while defenceless A1 farmers, whose land is already insufficient, have been targeted for re-distribution.

The first family is a multiple farm owner and recently the Grace Mugabe evicted poor families to extend her already sprawling estate in Mazowe.

Grace described the struggling families as gold panners destroying the vegetation and deserving the eviction.

“I applied for the land from the Mashonaland Central leadership and was duly allocated the farm,” said Grace,

who boasted of being given an offer letter by the Ministry of Lands after “applying for ownership of a conservancy owned by some whites.”

Oppah Muchinguri, the outgoing chairperson of the Zanu (PF) Women’s League, told party supporters at Grace’s Mazowe farm that a few party leaders had grabbed land at the expense of youth.

“President (Mugabe) is saying give farms to youths yet some people are busy giving the land to their own children. The thieves that the President has nursed have stolen mines and farms,” said Muchinguri, without mentioning names.

When asked if the country still had land to allocate the youths and those left out of the redistribution, Rugare Gumbo, Zanu (PF) spokesperson said: “The issue is being dealt with by the Ministry of Lands which knows how best to handle it.”

If Zanu (PF) goes ahead and partitions A1 farms while sparing the large A2 farms owned by the big fish, there are fears that thousands of struggling small scale farmers would pushed to the edge.

Nestled in the foothills of the scenic Chimanimani Mountains, bordering the national park and Mozambique, lies a field of pineapples managed by a group of dedicated women from Chikukwa village.

Group leader Roselyn Chipunza says that the group was forced to re-evaluate their rural roots and concentrate on community based agriculture due to the collapse of the economy due to massive inflation in 2007 and economic problems that resulted from that.

Since then, life has become a lot sweeter for eight rural women who decided to grow organic pineapples as a business. “We were in a deep crisis. The state of the economy drove us to experiment and we found pineapple farming to be our solution,” said Chipunza.

UNDP support

Since receiving funds and support from UNDP and with help from the Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO), the ‘ pineapple experiment’ has indeed become key to poverty relief in Chikukwa village.

Over the years, the group’s pineapple production has been transformed through the introduction of strategies for economic and environmentally responsible production.

“Pineapples have changed our lives. Besides the local market, export markets have increased. Currently 1 kg of pineapples sells for about $12 on the export market. We get double that price on the local market. For pulped pineapple, the price quadruples,” explained Chipunza.

The group sells pineapples to local individuals and at various markets in Mutare and Harare. “We have customers who make bulk purchases from us, including buyers from South Africa and Mozambique. At the moment the market is good,” she added.

Bank account

The lives of women in the group have been transformed. “We are now all able to look after ourselves. Our life styles have changed since we receive an income to sustain our lives,” said Vaida Muza, one of the members.

“Besides now having a bank and a savings account, I have managed to extend my house and upgrade my homestead. I am now able to pay school fees. A homestead is incomplete without a goat and I now have 24 goats. I am looking forward to saving more money and to starting other income generating projects,” Muza added.

Another member, Nyaradzai Kachere, said “Due to the success of the project I now have a monthly income that is keeping me and my family going. I am even able to send my son to university. We have wonderful harvests and turnover is good.”

Goats eat pulp

Kachere said the pineapple dollars have also allowed her to diversify into livestock breeding. “I feed my goats pineapple pulp, and use the manure to fertilise the pineapples in line with organic principles, which prohibit the use of chemical fertilisers. Pineapples as a cover crop also keep the soil from eroding.”

Chipunza said the group was planning to buy more land to expand the pineapple project from 20,000 to 50,000 plants. “We are also looking at diversifying, so that we do not rely solely on pineapples,” she said.

Because pineapples are perishable the group is looking at means of adding value to gain more from the produce. “We are looking at setting up a wine and juice processing plant and are in the process of negotiating with donors and partners who would assist us with machinery,” said Chipunza. To kick-start the project they are looking at three solar dryers, a blender and a pulp machine that extracts juice. “Fortunately, I have already received training on how to process and package pineapple juice and wine,” she said.

According to the programme coordinator, Chengetai Magadu, the network, established in 2007, links local women farmers and shop owners. In a recent interview Magadu explained that they had engaged fertiliser and seed distribution companies to partner with shopkeepers and help supply the women with inputs and advice.

“There are poor soils in this area, which is one of the major reasons why the women are failing to produce enough food to supply the people in their communities who suffer from hunger and malnutrition,” she said. “Reducing hunger must begin with addressing our severely depleted soils. Improving agriculture is a priority under NEPAD.”

Vision

The programme is being run in partnership with the UK’s Department of International Development (DFID), which manages Britain's aid to poor countries like Zimbabwe, and NEPAD - the New Partnership for Africa’s Development - an African Union strategic framework for pan-African socio-economic development. It is both a vision and a policy framework for Africa in the 21st century.

With funding from DFID, the Agro-dealer Network programme has helped shop owners near the farmers to add agricultural products such as fertiliser, seeds, small tools and pesticides to their shelves.

“If farmers do not have supplies, they cannot do anything with their knowledge, so through this programme we seek innovative ways to boost rural incomes by empowering farmers and entrepreneurs,” Magadu said.

Cut costs

“We have found out that the distance the farmers travel to buy seeds, fertilisers and other supplies is a big handicap. We started training storekeepers, giving them the means to procure products so farmers can get what they need at their doorstep and cut down on travel costs and time,” she explained.

The programme has also facilitated credit guarantees for farmers, which are paramount to shop owners who cannot access bank loans.

On a small farming plot not far from her grocery store, Annah Machongwe, a businesswoman is one of a new breed of agro-dealers who not only sell fertilisers, but is certified to advise customers on how to best use them.

Demo plots

“We don’t want them to just buy, but we want them to know the best fertiliser to use for their needs and how to use it. You cannot just use chemicals any way you want. Most are fatal. As trained agro-dealers, we have demonstration plots. Because I help them with some tips for free, the farmers return to buy my supplies. So it is advertising, as well as helping people. We are improving farming methods as well food security and economic welfare. Everybody benefits in the end,” explained Machongwe.

Things are looking up so much that she now employs four people.

“In my shop I now have two cashiers and two men to guard the store. I am confident and enthusiastic about my future,” she said. She also bought a vehicle and has renovated her home, and neighbours say she is hardly recognisable as the same woman who thought her world had come to a standstill seven years ago when her husband died.

Machongwe opened the shop soon after the death of her husband after to help with income to care for her six children. Her hope now is to open at least two more shops.

Poor soils

Agness Chimwaza is one of the farmers who has benefited from the Agro-dealer Network programme. She grows maize, groundnuts and vegetables near Machongwe’s store.

“The soil here is very poor. Without feeding it with fertiliser, you get little out of it. This is why I am happy the store sells everything we need right here in our village. It saves us extra money and time. We do not have to go to the city. With the credit guarantee, shop owners give me fertiliser on credit,” explained Chimwaza.

“In all, l have managed to pay 30, 60 and 90 days credit facilities with DFID as a guarantor. I always pay on time. In the end they gave me even more than what they could guarantee and this has worked wonders for me as I am now producing surplus and selling more to the local community.”

Magadu said the Dora Village Agro-dealer network programme has illustrated one of the actions NEPAD is trying to promote.

“We have seen women improving their incomes. We have seen one of the best agro-dealers which is helping farmers get fertiliser. This is an example of exactly what we are working to achieve all over Zimbabwe,” she said.

The traditional way of cattle ranching, in which animals are kept as a sign of wealth, is now a thing of the past in the Chilonga communal lands in Chiredzi district.

by Regerai Tukutuku

Sugar milling giant Tongaat Hulett has helped the local community set up a cattle feedlot at a cost of $ 150,000 that is set to transform cattle production in the area.

As part of the company’s social responsibility to empower the communities in which it operates , the feedlot can accommodate 200 cattle and will also act as a breeding centre where scientific methods of cattle production like artificial insemination will be undertaken. Modern bulls have been provided by the company and community members have been equipped with skills in livestock production and management.

Naison Mushavi’s dream of producing cattle for sale has finally come to be true following the establishment of the feed lot. Like most rural cattle producers, Mushavi had been keeping his 20head of cattle for prestige with very little benefits.

Eye opener

He used them for draught power but never used to sell any of his livestock for income – even when his children were being turned away from school for failing to pay school fees.

“This is an eye opener, “said Mushavi. “We are now able to feed our cattle and sell them for income. Our children are n able to go for classes undisturbed because we are now able to pay school fees from the proceeds realised for the sale of these cattle. We used to keep livestock for prestige and as an indicator of wealth. We never had been made aware of commercial livestock production.”

He said despite having a good number of cattle they never used to slaughter any for family consumption but only when they were sick or very old. “With this feedlot we are now producing cattle for sale and to us it is like a form of employment where we are realising income monthly and even weekly,” he said.

A well-fed beast can fetch as much as $2,000 or more.

Butchery

The Chilonga cattle fattening project is set to benefit thousands of women, most of them widows, who are now bread winners in their families.

Monica Mugudu, 67, actually wept for joy when the feedlot was officially handed over to the community. A widow, she cares for over 10 children including her grandchildren. Her husband died 10 years ago, but left her over 30 head of cattle.

“I am now able to feed my grandchildren and if all goes well I am thinking of establishing a butchery in the next two months where I will specialise in selling beef. Every month on average I get between $1,000- $1,500,”she said.

“Apart from cattle feeding we are also into cattle breeding and now I boast of a herd of 55 cattle, but 10 of them are calves. My husband left behind 30 cattle but then I was not benefitting much from the livestock apart from draught power and meat if any of them got sick or died. We never slaughtered cattle to just eat,” she said.

Tongaat Hulett managing director Sydney Mutsambiwa said the project was set to transform the Chilonga communal lands into a cattle breeding zone. “We realised the importance of commercial cattle production and how villagers could be assisted to see the importance of cattle production,” he said. “Our role was to provide funding for the construction of the feedlot and the provision of skills to farmers on how to produce and manage livestock.”

Paddy Zhanda the deputy minister of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation development responsible for livestock said the community should fully utilise the feedlot. “We would want to see cattle producers leading by example slaughtering for consumption the fattest cattle and also selling the livestock to earn a living,” he said.

The minister attacked cattle buyers who he said were always short-changing farmers. Zhanda cited private abattoirs in particular, which he said were reaping where they did not sow by abusing livestock producers.

Auction system

He called for a cattle auction system to be introduced to ensure that farmers got maximum benefits from their livestock.

“The current cattle selling system is disorderly and does not favour the farmer,” said Zhanda. “We have to introduce the cattle auction system where the farmer has good bargaining power because different cattle buyers would be brought together.”

The deputy minister said Masvingo province alone had over 1 million cattle and admitted that government was just paying lip service to cattle production, which was a critical component of the economy.

The Chilonga feedlot has inspired other villagers in Chiredzi and plans are underway to establish similar projects at Rupangwana, Chikombedzi and Chingele - all in the semi-arid region.

Because the area falls under agricultural region five where there is little rainfall, crop farming has proved to be a failure for over the years. This has left cattle farming as the only viable agricultural activity in the area, in addition to horticulture – which requires high input costs.

Chiredzi central Member of Parliament Denford Masiya said cattle production remains a potentially big business in the area. “Every homestead in this constituency has some cattle but our challenge had been how to use the livestock to get income,”he said.

“Several people here still keep cattle as a sign of wealth but with the establishment of feedlots in different parts of the area I am sure that Chiredzi is soon going to be the cattle producing and breeding hub of the country,” he said.

Mavis Karenyi desperately tried one treatment after another, but her cattle kept dying and she watched helplessly as her family’s symbol of livelihood dwindled.

She and other affected villagers realised that their cattle had started showing symptoms of the unknown illness in 2011, after diamond mining started in Chiadzwa.

Together with traditional leaders they linked the source of the illness to the Odzani River, the water point for livestock in the area. They discovered that the river was being contaminated by substances discharged by mines operated by Anjin Investments and Marange Resources.

Their suspicions were confirmed by research done by the Environment Management Agency (EMA). Mines operated by Marange were subsequently fined for polluting the Singwizi, Save and Odzi Rivers.

Well-off

Karenyi, 61, was previously regarded well-off in her community. She had over 60 head of cattle, but now she has lost 55 animals to the illness.

“All the cattle died in a similar fashion. They first became clumsy, then grew enormous bellies and were eventually unable to walk before dying. We also noticed that the illness affected cows more because they all had still births,” she said. Her son, Obey, who is at university, added that their last live birth took place in 2011.

Karenyi, who lost her husband in 2002, said it was difficult to fend for her family now that she has only five cattle. She raised six sons and a daughter by breeding and selling livestock. “Right now I am struggling to pay my son’s university fees because I no longer have enough cattle to sell,” she lamented.

The community has engaged with the veterinary department on several occasions.

“I engaged the Chimanimani veterinary department, but was referred us to the provincial department. I contacted a Dr Guri on September 14 and two days later, a Dr Tapondo came to examine my dead cattle. We have not been advised of the findings, despite numerous requests,” she said.

Can of worms

Karenyi believes that the veterinary department are reluctant to divulge the results as it would open a can of worms and confirm that diamond mining pollutants are the cause of the illness and may negatively affect diamond mining operations.

Ward 5 councillor, Reuben Bvurume, 68, says he used to have more than 21 cattle and seven calves, but now only three are left. “Ask everyone in this community, they will affirm that I was a well to do person. I had cattle, sheep and goats, but now I have nothing to my name. Cattle, our greatest source of wealth, is a thing of the past.

“It all started in 2009. At first we were naïve and didn’t know what was causing the deaths. We spent a fortune seeking treatment until we realised that it was the water of the Odzi River that our livestock were drinking from,” he said,adding that even fish that used to be abundant, were now gone.

Bvurume says that they tried on numerous occasions to engage the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the veterinary department to provide answers, but to no avail.

No reply

Save/Odzi Community Development Trust secretary Gibson Muhwahwa, said they had written to the veterinary department requesting that they hand over the results of the samples taken from dead cattle, but had not received a reply.

He advised that one of the veterinary officers simply advised that members of the community should sell cattle that drink from the Odzi River.

Save/Odzi trust treasurer Tichaenzana Chibuwe says that over 264 cattle died before he assumed office in July 2013 and that more than 200 have died since. Wards 5 and 20 are two of the affected communities in Chimanimani West.

The scenario is similar in the Buhera South constituency where between 300 and 400 cattle have been reported dead in Mangwadza village (Ward 28) alone. According to Headman Mangwadza Ward 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 are also affected.

He added that actual figures of dead cattle are probably much higher than estimated as the figure doesn’t include calves and that many deaths were not reported.

The constituency gets its water supply from the Singwizi and Save Rivers, which is being polluted by Diamond Mining Company (DMC). Others claim that Mbada Diamonds is also discharging pollutants.

The Zimbabwean understands that only the villagers in Marange area receive $150 as compensation for each dead cow – a clear admission that there are responsible for the pollution and subsequent death of livestock.

Cattle from Buhera stray into Marange’s area and subsequently die there, forcing DMC to deploy security guards along the Buhera-Marange demarcation to chase off stray cattle. This occurred because villagers from Marange were claiming compensation for stray cattle that died in the area.

The diamond mining firms, Anjin, Mbada, DMC and Marange Resources in Chiadzwa use river water, add chemicals, clean the diamonds and then discharge the polluted water back into the rivers.

It is reported that Anjin and Marange Resources contaminate the Odzi River while DMC discharges its waste into the Singwizi River, which later joins the Save.

However, Mbada employees from Mangwadza claim the giant diamond firm is the main culprit. “Mbada is the root cause. The water flows from their mining concession and by the time it passes through DMC, it is already contaminated. DMC’s waste is discharged into the Singwizi together with that from Mbada. So both companies are guilty. I work for Mbada Diamonds and I know what happens there,” said a villager who requested anonymity for fear of victimisation.

Sensitive issue

A DMC senior security officer who identified himself as Mangena, confronted this reporter at the boundary of the mining company’s concessions area. He down-played water contamination when questioned. “The pollution is not from the mine, it’s just mud swept up by the force of the water from the river banks,” he said.

Quizzed further, the same official said commenting on river pollution was a sensitive issue that could cost him his job. “I can’t comment officially. Mungazondipinza patight (you will get me into trouble),” he said adding that he was alerted by his junior that there were people near the mine boundary before he confronted the reporter.

However, EMA provincial manager, Kingston Chitotombe is on record confirming that diamond companies Anjin and Marange Resources used to pollute the Save, but claimed that this is no longer the case.

“Our problem is with DMC. They still discharge harmful substances into the Save and we have intervened. They installed and aim to operate a device that separates solids and water, but it is not working yet and I don’t know when it will which means that they are still polluting rivers,” he said.

Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association head of research Shamiso Mtisi went on record saying that the three diamond firms were still defying the environmental laws of the country.

“DMC, Anjin and Marange Resources are the major culprits. They fail to respect and adhere to the environmental laws of the country merely because they have political backing,” he said.

Legal action

ZELA took the DMC, Anjin and Marange Resources to the High Court in 2012, following a petition by villagers. Legal officer Veronica Zano lamented the fact that the court case has been stalled by unprecedented challenges, but hastened to add that they are seeking to take the matter to the constitutional court.

“We have a legal case at the High Courts that was instituted in 2012, but unfortunately the legal system is very slow and in 2012, we did not have a constitution that included the right to clean water. In 2013 the new constitution enshrined this clause and we are now in the process of instituting a constitution case regarding the water pollution issue,” said Zano.

by Regerai Tukutuku

The government says it has finished constructing the giant Tokwe Mukosi dam in Chivi district in Masvingo province at a cost over half a billion dollars, bringing joy to farmers in the lowveld.

The completion of the dam comes amid concerns of flooding along the dam basin as dozens of people who were displaced by floods last year have reinvaded the area.

“There are a few touches that have to be done but in actual fact we can say the dam is complete,” said Masvingo provincial administrator Felix Chikovo last week.

Hundreds of workers employed by the Italian contractor Saline Impregilo have been ordered not to report for work. “We have been ordered to go home as the dam is complete,” a site worker told The Zimbabwean.

Billed as the country largest inland water body, the dam has the capacity to turn large tracts of Chivi district into a green belt where farmers are grow crops round the clock through irrigation.

A series of work stoppages had affected the completion of the dam as the government ran out of funds to pay the contractor.

Meanwhile, scores of people displaced by the floods last year have reinvaded the dam basin to reclaim their land, saying they were unhappy with the way they were treated by the government when they were moved to Chingwizi transit camp in Mwenezi district about 150 km away.

Chikovo said they would be removed and reiterated that government was seeking financial assistance to compensate all the flood victims - most of whom have been settled in the Nuanetsi ranch.

It never rains but pours for Tokwe Mukosi flood victims who were displaced last year following heavy flooding along the dam basin. They have failed this year to till their land or plant any crops due to shortage of draught power and farming inputs.

The villagers said their cattle died during the relocation exercise to Nuanetsi ranch in Mwenezi in the country’s agricultural region five, which is mostly suitable for cattle ranching and not crop farming.

“I lost my entire entire herd during relocation and I was told that I Would get compensation but nothing has materialised,” said Taurai Munashe. “The cattle were my sole source of draught power.”

He said the flood victims would continue to require relief food aid from government for years because of shortage of draught power and farming inputs – “unless government gives us our compensation”.

Vimbai Mukova, 60, said she lost 20 cattle in an accident while her goods were being relocated to Chingwizi transit camp and no compensation has been given to her by the government.

As a result she failed to plant any crops because the area they were relocated to is virgin land and cannot be tilled using their bare hands.

“We had thought that the government would make available free farming inputs and tractors for draught power but it was just a dream,” said Mukova.

The villagers said that the much-talked-about presidential free farming inputs were not made available to them.

“We just hear of free farming inputs but they have never been distributed here,” said one of the villagers.

“We are just appealing to government to avail funds for compensation so that we start living normally like all other Zimbabweans.”

Acting Masvingo provincial administrator Godwin Chipika said government would continue giving relief food aid to the flood victims.

Access to markets has been the biggest obstacle to success for subsistence farmers. A project called Profit +, funded by USAID, has started to tackle this problem. Grace Bingandade, 52, widow, mother of five and subsistence farmer from Matika village in Mutare South, is one of the beneficiaries.

She is also the chairperson of the 13 member Matika Farmers’ Co-operative Society, one of 15 co-operatives working with USAID since in 2012. The project is aimed at improving market access and increasing household income for small-scale farmers – most of whom are women.

For Bingandade, who grows groundnuts, and fellow members who grow maize, sunflower and cow peas among other crops, the main constraint was their lack of access to markets.

In order to sell their produce, Bingandade and her fellow farmers previously had to transport their harvests over 30 km to Mutare city. Transport operators charged them exorbitant fees and they suffered losses due to theft.

**Frustrated*

When they eventually reached the markets, Bingandade and members of the group found themselves unqualified to negotiate for the best prices. Frustrated and demoralised they considered giving up farming altogether.

Then, in 2013 they heard about PROFIT+ who advised them to join together and sell their produce in bulk.

“This allowed them to gain access to bigger markets and exert leverage to negotiate higher prices. The project also facilitated market links to big buyers. We also gave the members of the group management training,” says project co-ordinator Danai Usanga.

“This is a successful project. We were very interested in the commodity-bulking initiative, especially since it facilitated sales. Besides being more convenient, it saved on transport costs, allowed for crop protection and afforded us the ability to negotiate prices. Through these market links and price negotiations some members now earn more than they have ever earned before,” says an elated Bingandade.

Saving money

“I want to thank PROFIT+ because this is the first time that I have ever sold my cow peas on my doorstep without incurring transport costs or loading charges,” says another beneficiary, Lucia Chibage.

With the money Bingandade earned, she was able to buy roofing sheets for her home and pay for school and examination fees for her children. She has also managed to pay off her debt and has started saving money.

“Before joining this project, I wasn't able to buy fertiliser, but now I am able to buy bags of fertilisers and chemicals for the next planting season, as well as household necessities,” she added.

“Things have changed for the better in my household because I now access markets near my home,” said Chibage.

From almost giving up on farming, these women now aim to produce even more in the coming seasons. They are now confident in their ability to access markets through co-operative commodity bulking.

by Clayton Masekesa

A local Non-Governmental Organisation scheme - the Heifer International Project - is providing heifers to women in an effort to fight poverty and reduce malnutrition amongst rural women and children.

The Heifer Scheme, launched in 2012 in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (Livestock Department) has benefitted 15 women in Gombakomba Village. Each of the women farmers, who are selected according to precise criteria, receives training in livestock management, before being given a cow in gestation. Some of the disadvantaged women selected to participate in the scheme are widows and single mothers.

“Impoverished women are selected for participation in the project, provided they are able to supply forage for their cow,” said Joel Gwaze, the project coordinator. He explained how the scheme works, “The first female calf born has to be passed on to another selected farmer as a way of repaying the gift. Subsequent calves born belong to the owner of the original heifer. This system has a multiplying effect. A couple of years after giving one cow to one beneficiary, we have many more beneficiaries.”

He said the farmers do not pass on the calf until it is about 10 months old. The original beneficiary has to rear the animal according to the nutrition, health and hygiene practices taught to the participants when selected for the programme. Male calves, he said, are usually sold for meat, thereby providing income to the farmers. So far the total number of cows has expanded to 178 through the pass-on-a-cow scheme.

“We have seen this project changing the lives of the poor rural women,” Gwaze maintained. He said that the majority of the cows were Holstein Friesland, which are superior in terms of milk production when compared with the traditional Mashona breed.

10 litres a day

Jasmine Ndamuka (42), a widow with three children, is one of the small farmers from Gombakomba Village who is benefitting from the project. She received her first cow in 2012. She said her cow produces about 10 litres of milk per day, depending on whether it is the dry or rainy season.

“Forage is limited during the dry season so the cows produce less milk. I and my children consume two litres of milk daily and I sell the rest.” She has also been able to sell meat from the male calves. The income gained from the project has enabled her to send her children to school, buy food and clothing for her family. She has also developed a small plot of land on which she grows maize, bananas and beans. She uses cow manure to fertilise the soil, and this has resulted in an increased crop yield.

Venencia Vhurandi (36) another beneficiary said: “This scheme has changed my life. When I lost my husband I felt hopeless. But the project has enabled me to fend for my family. I can see a significant difference in terms of my household’s wealth and self-esteem.” The cow she received has already given two female calves, the first born was passed on, and one male calf. “I have managed to pay school fees for my two sons and have also bought some household furniture, including a radio, a television set, and a satellite dish. I am now enjoying life just like people in the urban areas,” she said.

Integrated

Fambisai Nyakudya, from the Ministry of Agriculture (Livestock), who is also part of the coordination team, said the project did not stop at providing farmers with livestock, but also worked on many levels as part of an integrated agricultural system.

“The cows produce milk which is a source of nutrition for the family as well as income from the sale of surplus milk. The cows also generate organic manure used to fertilise and rehabilitate depleted soil,” he said.

Nyakudya added: “This project is unique. Starting with one cow per participant, the scheme provides an answer to the problems of nutrition, income generation, land fertility and crop yield improvement.”

Considered to be an economic asset, as well as a symbol of wealth and social status, the cows have become an important element of the households and livelihoods of the small-scale farmers in Gombakomba.

Communal farmers in dry Nkayi area are now growing previously unknown fodder crops in their fields in a bid to save their livestock from recurrent droughts.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in 2013 introduced nutritious cattle-feeding legumes to the farmers.

The new fodder crops have come as a major relief and boost to most farmers in the district as drought conditions have greatly reduced the availability of livestock forage - especially during the summer period.

“This year, I planted a hectare each of Mucyna and Sunhemp cattle feed crop. From my own calculations, this crop is enough to feed my cattle and goat herd throughout the year. In order to save the fodder, I mix it with other indigenous fodder species such as Kachnar and bamboo,” said Nqobizitha Masina, a farmer in ward 17, in a recent interview.

12-14 tonnes

Both the Sunhemp and Mucyna plants thrive on extremely dry conditions. Sunhemp is a rapidly growing plant which can produce 12 to 14 tonnes of dry above–ground biomass per hectare. The plant has got tall bright yellow flowers and roots that form numerous lobed nodules.

According to ICRISAT’s field assistant in ward 17, Zenzo Dube, a total number of 60 villagers planted the fodder crop this season. Dube said his organisation had been at the forefront of training as well as encouraging farmers to plant the fodder in their fields in the area.

Ridiculous prices

“Droughts have been impacting negatively on livestock production in this area. Villagers have been either forced to dispose their beasts at ridiculous prices or relocate their animals in record numbers to other areas” said Dube.

Dube said a lot of farmers in the area had lost their animals due to poisoning by grazing stunted prussic acid-producing plants during drought periods.

Most farmers who spoke to The Zimbabwean said the fodder had improved the quality of their livestock because of its nutritional value.

“When there is drought, I feed my cattle each with one kilogram of mucyna after every two days. I mix this with other indigenous species. Farmers who feed their cattle with this supplementary fodder are now fetching lucrative prices for animals on the market,” said another farmer.

For too many years, farmers like Ivy Sibanda, from the Jambezi area in Hwange district of Matabeleland North, have toiled under the brutal sun every day without much success. Pamenus Tuso tells their story.

Every season produces only scorched maize fields with little or no returns despite all the effort and hard work.

Inconsistent rainfall patterns and arid conditions lead to the perennial flop of maize production in the area. Despite the evidently dismal performance of the maize crop, most farmers like Sibanda have, for years, ignored and fiercely resisted agricultural and climate change advice to them to plant small grains.

The perception of and attitude towards small grains has incredibly changed following the development and introduction of sorghum and pearl millet (SMIP) technology by the Institute of Crop In Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

ICRISAT, an international agricultural research organisation with headquarters in India, has developed the technology, research infrastructure development and trained several scientists under the SMIP programme.

Community transformed

The SMIP programme has transformed the poor Jambezi community from being a mere subsistence farming community to a commercially viable rural community, probably one of the first of its kind in this drought prone province.

“I regret all the wasted years when we deprived ourselves of income by ignoring small grains. Following ICRISAT’s intervention, my small grain yields have increased. I am now able to adequately feed my family as well as process the grains and sell to local villagers and others,” says Sibanda, who is expecting to harvest two tonnes of sorghum soon.

Kesi Nkosi, a farmer in Zhulandangalilo village, has planted two plots of pearl millet and macia seed.

Nkosi is part of a group of local farmers who have been trained in growing millet and sorghum seed for the local market. The group sells 1kg of sorghum seed for $1.

She is expecting to harvest about five tonnes of millet for both marketing and family consumption.

EU assists farmers

After harvesting, the farmers sell their small grains at the Jambezi Small Grain Processing (JASPRO) plant that was set up with assistance from the European Union. About 1 000 farmers contributed $3 each towards the construction of the plant while the rest of the money was provided by the European Union.

Farmers are already milling and selling small grain products such as flour and small grain meal.

JASPRO chairperson Dalarex Ncube says that most farmers in the area used to shun small grains because of the tedious traditional ways of processing the grains, but following the introduction of SMIP comprehensive technology, a lot more farmers are showing an interested in the crop.

“After harvesting, the farmers bring their grains to the plant for milling. A 5 kg pack of the meal sells for $3, 50. We sell to locals and as far as Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. A lot of farmers are now able to pay for school fees and uniforms,” advised Ncube.

Farmers share milling and packaging expenses among themselves.

No more hand-outs

Area Chief Shana Mangondo says that following the introduction of the programme, food security has improved in the area.

“Before the introduction of this project most villagers were dependent on food hand-outs from relief aid agencies. There is, however, a need for the government to provide more input and market outlets for the small grains farmers in the same way they do for maize farmers. Small grains are the only remedy for the perennial drought that we experience in this area,” he said.

The chief’s remarks were echoed by Davison Masendeke, the provincial agronomist for Matabeleland North province.

“As a result of climate change, the government is supporting and promoting small grains in various dry areas. We are working closely with stakeholders such as ICRISAT in achieving this goal. The government has also invested a lot of resources in educating extension workers to train farmers in small grain farming,” said Masendeke.

BRENNA MATENDERE reports on the success of a European Union-funded project that has seen thousands of families being given the chance to own and breed livestock.

Nomathemba Ngulube, a woman from Gambiza village, was born into a poor family 44 years ago. She married in the late 80's, but lost her late husband, Abel, eight years later. Ngulube’s life became a continuous, difficult journey of hardships. She never dreamt that she would own anything of value.

However, a new dawn has arrived for Ngulube. She is now a proud owner of 11 well-fed head of cattle, thanks to the European Union’s $2 million food security and poverty alleviation project.

This five-year project was kick-started in 2010 and implemented through local NGO, Heifer Project International, covering four districts in the Midlands, namely Chiundura, Lower Gweru, Mberengwa and Shurugwi.

“The EU’s fund has transformed at least 5,763 lives by passing the gift of hope to the needy, the vulnerable and the elderly. This was achieved through the distribution of cattle, goats and indigenous poultry. In some districts we also distributed orange tree seedlings. The programme dovetails with our mission to alleviate poverty and hunger. We are very grateful to the EU because their partnership with us has helped many needy people,” says Sibusisiwe Mbedza, national production manager of the Heifer Project International.

Ultimate goal

Mbedzi holds a BA in business administration, an executive diploma in general management, certificates in personnel management, bookkeeping and accounts, and has done several courses on development programmes facilitated by World Vision. He said the ultimate goal was to make beneficiaries of the project become donors themselves, a feat that is gradually being achieved.

“Besides passing on livestock, we also passed on knowledge. Beneficiaries received thorough training in business leadership, animal health and manure application among other things. The majority of them received veterinary starter packs that are consistently replenished by communities through a drug fund to which they contribute $1 each per month to meet the primary livestock health needs,” said the projects coordinator, Thomas Zinyoro.

A survey carried out by this reporter to ascertain the success of the programme, revealed that the majority of women who benefited from the scheme are no longer living in poverty. Some are proud owners of well-fed cattle breeds like Mashona, Tuli and Brahman, while others breed poultry.

Best thing since independence

Janet Ncube, 48, a farmer from Gambiza village who received 11 head of cattle, is now the proud owner of a large dam. This helps 90 other women as it is a perennial source of drinking water for livestock. The venture in the community is now known as the Gokomera Livestock Project.

Homesteads in the area have relatively big herds of well-fed animals. Ncube says that the programme is the best thing to have happened to women since Independence in 1980.

“Women involved in the project are doing well and because they now own cattle, a symbol of wealth, they are being touted as community leaders, village heads and kraal heads - positions usually occupied by men. It is a sign that women have social status,” she said.

“We have a permanent source of milk. We use cow dung as natural fertiliser for our thriving gardens that grow a variety of nutritious vegetables. Our children are healthy, and we no longer experience malnutrition,” said another beneficiary, Sithembile Ncube.

Widows help orphans

In Lower Gweru, the EU programme has seen other successes like the popular Matshina Orphans Cattle Project, started by a group of widows. They started in vegetable production and community savings. In 2010 they received assistance from Heifer via the EU programme. This marked a turning point for these widows who have since embarked on a project to help struggling orphans.

“Our geographical location is conducive to breeding livestock. Some of our members have ventured into the transport business, butcheries and grocery stores. Others have established orchards. We give thanks to Heifer International and the EU,” said Phathekile Nyoni, the group’s chairperson.

In Mberengwa, elderly women who received indigenous poultry are also doing well.

“We experience spells of drought and so we were given indigenous poultry. We are now being overwhelmed by demand from restaurants and food outlets situated in Zvishavane, Shurugwi, Gweru and Bulawayo who come to buy our chickens. Ours is a success story,” said Tarisai Mguni, 82, one of the 360 beneficiaries in the ward.

After the success of the EU project, Heifer International is now looking to the future with a target of lifting 98,000 families out of poverty by 2020. The organisation, formed in 1944 during the second World war, came to the country in 1984 and operates in over 120 countries throughout the world.

While mining and farming activities have been hailed for creating employment and bringing development to Zimbabwe, development is still being hampered by lack of access to clean and affordable water, a situation that is resulting in conflicts in some communities.

Notwithstanding economic empowerment efforts through land redistribution and the promotion of small-scale mining, communities in mining and farming areas are facing stiff challenges, risks and conflicts emanating from water shortage. Among those affected are people who have been relocated to pave way for diamond mining activities at Chiadzwa in eastern Zimbabwe, where livelihoods are being disrupted by a stringent water usage regime and pollution of water sources by mining firms.

In the case of Chiadzwa, diamond mining firms undertook to pay for and ensure a constant supply of water for use by relocated communities. However, the promise is not being fulfilled as the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) is demanding that communities pay for the use of water they are getting from rivers and other natural sources. Apart from the need for clean water for drinking and domestic use, the communities largely use the water for irrigating gardens and livestock rearing.

Situation desperate

With members of relocated communities failing to pay for the water, ZINWA is now barring them from using natural water sources for watering gardens. This ban is threatening the survival of these communities considering how they live in a drought-prone area where gardening is a major source of livelihood. As exposed through an investigative visit by this reporter, the situation is so desperate that villagers are resorting to watering their gardens at night to avoid being detected by ZINWA officials.

‘Water has become more expensive to access. We have been forced into an urban set up where we have to pay for access of water,’ said villager Peter Marange. In order for them to use community water sources for agricultural purposes, Marange and other peasant farmers have to pay ZINWA a monthly fee of between $5 and $7.This is impossible as the villagers depend on subsistence farming for survival.

But while villagers are barred from utilising the community’s natural water sources for watering their gardens, local companies use the water for mining purposes. This is contrary to practises in other countries such as South Africa, where community water sources are protected by policies and laws requiring mining companies to declare their sources of water before being granted operating licences.

Severely affected

In the absence of a policy framework that protects communities from unsustainable use of water by mining companies and other extractive industries, natural water sources in areas surrounding Chiadzwa have been severely affected by toxic substances being emitted from diamond mining activities and the production of ethanol by the Greenfuel company at Chisumbanje.

The pollution of natural water sources in Marange has been confirmed by the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association s (ZELA), which says that diamonds mining firms are releasing toxic affluent into the Save River and other water sources. As pointed out by ZELA, these toxic substances pose a serious health threat to villagers and livestock. ZELA blamed the pollution on big companies that have protection from powerful political figures. An Officer said ‘EMA’s hands are tied because of political interference in the operations of these companies’

Cattle drowning

Gladys Chiadzwa of Marange said that cattle were drowning in the muddy waters created by mining companies that release mud in the rivers. This was confirmed by a consultant environmentalist who said that none of the mining companies operating in Chiadzwa had systems in place to recycle water.

Pollution is also affecting underground water sources, worsening the problem of water scarcity for small-scale farming communities in Marange, Chisumbabnje and other surrounding areas.

Communities in the sugarcane producing areas of Chiredzi and Mkwasine are also reeling under the disempowering effects of inequitable water usage. Particularly pronounced during low rainfall periods, the struggle for water in this part of the lowveld pits villagers and small-scale farmers against the powerful sugarcane farmers.

Kyle, Manjirenji and Bangala dams that supply irrigation water often get overwhelmed during periods of low rainfall, with commercial plantations owned by corporates being prioritised at the expense of smallholder and communal farmers in terms of water supply.

Out of reach

Commercial farming considerations often take precedence over other uses of water putting poorer farmers and villagers in direct competition with corporate entities for water.

The $9.45 charge per one million litres of water drawn from dams operated by ZINWA in the area places water out of reach for smaller farmers and ordinary villagers. Water is allocated to farmers who hold permits and those that do not have permits often use water illegally for irrigation. ZINWA permits give farmers the legal rights to use water. Big farmers buy water in advance and in times of low rainfall and they are prioritised in allocation in case of shortages.

Communal farmers concentrating on other farming activities other than sugarcane production are particularly disadvantaged as they are often left with little or no water to sustain agricultural activity during periods of little or no rainfall.

This has contributed to the creation and perpetuation of monoculture system in which sugarcane production is prioritised at the expense of food crops such as maize and sorghum. This is severely compromising the food security and livelihoods of communal farmers who desperately need irrigation to sustain agricultural activities in Zimbabwe’s drought prone lowveld.

Unfair practices

Despite the water shortage and other challenges being presented by monoculture in the sugarcane producing lowveld, government has not intervened to protect small farmers from exploitative and unfair practices of the big companies that enjoy a monopoly in the industry.

The developments in these communities are contrary to the 2010 the United Nations declaration of access to clean water as a basic human right. This means that governments must ensure that their citizens have access to clean water that is free from pollution.

Activities in these communities have put the government’s commitment to providing access to clean water for its citizens into question. Questions are being asked whether the legislation that governs water affairs is adequate to protect vulnerable communities in areas where there is exploitation of natural resources such as mining.

Affordable water

With ZINWA failing to ensure that poor communities access water at affordable rates and EMA failing to ensure water sources are not polluted, the plight of villagers in these communities will continue.

‘If there are water conflicts in the communities it is because of two things, either the companies are using more water than they should or the regulating Authority ZINWA is simply not monitoring water usage by these companies,’ said ZELA. Internal ZINWA sources who asked not to be identified said they suspected that companies were using more water than they were authorised. Most of these companies query their water consumption when bills are sent to them and ZINWA has now installed meters to monitor water consumption - but still the issue persists.

With communities feeling disempowered to confront the big corporate companies about their inequitable water usage regimes, the villagers in Chiredzi and Chiadzwa now pin their hopes on government to rectify the situation.

When brave mother of three Annah Kashiri lost her husband 10 years ago, falling into despair was never an option for her.

CLAYTON MASEKESA REPORTS.

When her husband passed away 10 years ago, Annah Kashiri was determined to do whatever might be necessary to take care of and educate her three children.

With the help of the USAID’s Productive Agriculture Project gathered her strength and took over the running of the 10-hectare family farm that specialised in growing tobacco and maize.

The project was implemented by the Zimbabwe Rural Resources Centre (ZRRC) in 2012. The project manager, Farai Sithole, told this reporter that an important component of the organisation’s approach was and is to address the lack of access to financial services, a challenge many farmers face.

Financial resources “As part of our mechanisation and finance activity, the Productive Agriculture Project works with local farmers to connect them to financial resources. With support, smallholders gain a foothold and discover new ways of improving their farming practices and productivity, including the use of modern equipment like tractors,” said Sithole.

The project has so far provided grants to 10 male and female farmers in Mutare district for 25% percent of the tractor’s value. Sithole explained: “This project has helped farmers to access loans from regional micro finance institutions. The grant’s terms oblige farmers to pay 50% of the total cost and retain a minimum of 25% as a loan from a local bank.”

New tractor As a widow, Kashiri was faced with one challenge after another. The farm lacked good-quality agricultural machinery. Her husband had left an old malfunctioning tractor behind that was not powerful enough to plough an entire field. As a result she kept falling behind in the season.

But thanks to assistance from the project she was able to apply for the tractor grant, which supports farmers to obtain good-quality tractors. After a competitive selection process, Kashiri was awarded a project grant and in January 2013 bought a new tractor MTZ-82 for $15,800.

“The access to finance opened up a world of opportunity for me,” she said. Despite the time dedicated to raising her three children, she remains an active, hard-working farmer. With her success on the field she is described as the model of a woman who has overcome challenging rural conditions.

Since Kashiri purchased the tractor, life for her and her family has changed. She now efficiently ploughs entire fields on her farm and also provides services to her neighbours.

Better tobacco She hopes to increase the productivity of her own and nearby farms. “Things have changed greatly. I am now producing better quality tobacco and I want to give credit to the project that opened doors for better farming opportunities,” she said.

She also hires out the tractor to other farms, thereby earning additional income. “I know that other farmers, using my new tractor, will have a better harvest and better living conditions for their families,” said Kashiri.

Two years after the project began, the economic benefits to the community are evident. More arable land is being planted and higher tobacco and maize yields are being realised.

For Kashiri and others the tractor also provides much-needed transport for produce to local markets and raw materials like seeds, fertiliser and timber to homesteads.

The Agriculture Extension Office in the district, Claris Ndiweni, said the tractor was a real boon to farming and permanent agriculture in the area.

It has provided an important service to the surrounding farmers as well as they hire the tractor for a small fee to plough, harvest, fertilize or for transport.