Locadia Mavhudzi, Zimbabwe
It was all smiles as
Bertha Chibhememe of Sangwe communal area in Chiredzi, south eastern Zimbabwe,
showed off her traditional seed varieties at a seed fair. A 45-year-old
smallholder in Zimbabwe’s lowveld region, Chibhememe told how her “nzara
yapera” maize variety is thriving in a changing climate.
The name means “hunger
is gone” and is traditionally peculiar to the Shangani people, explained
Chibhememe, a widow who looks after eight school-going children. It allows her
to protect her family from starvation in a region where it can seem impossible
to survive without food aid or donations.
Many people are now
shunning traditional seeds in favour of modern genetic hybrid varieties, but
Chibhememe said nzara yapera grew better in dry conditions.
“That is my secret,”
she added. “This traditional short season maize variety together with other
traditional small grains like sorghum, millet and rapoko are the best in this
area. They secure our future food and nutrition for our families. We receive
low rainfall and frequent flash floods and extreme temperatures.”
Bertha’s example has
invigorated community members to adapt to shifting weather patterns as the
planet warms. Through traditional seed fairs and workshops, farmers have a
platform to share best farming practices.
A recent study by Care
International-Zimbabwe found that female farmers were more receptive to these
ideas than their male counterparts. But they could not always use such
information to their advantage due to a culture of male dominance of the
household. Women did not get to decide what crops to grow and when.
This is proving to be
a setback in the quest to embrace climate change adaptation techniques. But it
is slowly changing, as the Zimbabwean government has started issuing land
rights to women smallholders, previously a taboo.
Records show that
Zimbabwe is already feeling the effects of climate change, notably with more
variable rainfall and extreme weather. Barnabas Mawire, country director for
regional organisation Environment Africa described the situation as worrisome.
“These conditions,
combined with warming trends, are expected to render land increasingly marginal
for agriculture, which poses a major threat to the economy and the livelihoods
of the people,” said Mawire.
Zimbabwe depends
heavily on rain-fed agriculture and climate sensitive resources. Farmers, who
make up 62% of the population, are expected to feel the effects.
Yields from rain-fed
farming in Africa could halve by 2020, according to a recent report from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Semi-arid and arid areas will be
worse affected, raising the risk of malnutrition and hunger.
Micro community
initiatives can help, however. A water harvesting system in the Zvishavane,
Mberengwa and Chivi districts, some of the hottest and driest in Zimbabwe, is
one. It is as simple as digging pits to capture water in the rainy season and
save it for drier periods.
A communal farmer in
Zvishavane, Akwenziwe Maseko, said water conservation was essential to get
strong crop yields. Farmers had been able to keep vegetable gardens going for
more of the year and have more secure food supplies.
Zephaniah Phiri, a
local conservationist who championed the water harvesting idea, stressed the
importance of sustainable ways of managing and exploiting natural resources.
Measures like planting vativa grass for windbreaks and sand traps were “very
crucial,” he said.
Environmental
Management Agency midlands manager Benson Bhasera added there was a link
between sustainable farming practices and environmental preservation.
“Farmers who yield
highly in their fields actively implement environmental education and awareness
information,” said Bhasera.
With rainfall
forecasts for the 2015/2016 farming season anticipated to be below normal,
there is no time to lose.
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