Happy Nice Mall

too small too late

In the scorched areas of Zimbabwe, some farmers have struggled to cope and stay put. They have returned to planting traditional drought-tolerant grains such as finger millet, pearl millet, and sorghum. Others have given up watering their crops. flooding all areas using systems that drip only the required amount of water right next to each plant.

And some, including Blessing Zimunya, a farmer in Chitora, tried to collect rainwater for irrigation and other uses. Zimunya uses a 5,000-liter container to collect water from its roof and a 100,000-liter tank to collect runoff from the ground. It complements these systems with water from a nearby river.

Managing Director, Natalie Watson, Bopoma VillagesRainwater harvesting has great potential to make a difference, says a nonprofit that runs a clean water and hygiene project. It talks about a well-known Zimbabwean farmer named Zephaniah Phiri MasekoBefore he died, he transformed dry land into lush fields using the methods Watson’s organization now teaches.

Its program currently focuses on the Zaka region in southern Zimbabwe, where hundreds of farmers are involved. Some in the nearby Midlands province have also begun rainwater harvesting trials.

AP PHOTO/TSWANGIRI MUKWAZHI

Still, the total number of farmers starting the practice in Zimbabwe is still very low. Of the more than 7 million small farmers nationwide, only a few thousand have tried it in the driest provinces. Despite the efforts of organizations like Watson’s, most farmers do not have the money to build large tanks to store water. Many still do not know what rainwater harvesting is or how to get started.

Other non-profit programs are in place to help farmers adapt by learning new practices for conserving soil moisture and finding ways to diversify their incomes beyond agriculture. And last year, the Zimbabwe government announced a plan To create 760,000 new “green” jobs in four years in areas such as solar, hydropower, energy efficiency and sustainable agriculture. However, these efforts are still in their infancy.

Gift Sanyanga of Haarlem Mutare City Link—Twin city arrangement deployed between Haarlem, Netherlands, and Mutare, Zimbabwe 2019 report About climate migration in the Eastern Highlands (and that same year he paid me to go to Haarlem to talk) – he says adaptation measures have largely failed and for many farmers the only practical option left is to migrate.