The story of Masoka, Dibindi, Alpha, and Mupamhiri Community Nutrition Gardens
With climate change intensifying and the global population growing, water is increasingly becoming a critical, contested and highly valuable resource.
Like most smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe, farmers in Nyaminyami, Hurungwe and Mbire districts face a lot of water challenges which severely affect the performance of their key source of livelihood (agriculture). The government of Zimbabwe and other development partners like DanChurchAid are putting collaborative efforts to ensure both urban and rural people get improved access to water.
Being driven by the urgency to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 (ensuring).and the goals of the National Development Strategy before reaching 2030, the government of Zimbabwe is rolling out numerous strategic rural water infrastructure development programmes such as the Integrated Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (IRWSSP) and the Community-Managed Piped Water Schemes (CMPWS) programme.
DanChurchAid (DCA) Zimbabwe as a development partner is complementing the efforts of the government to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. Through the Utariri and Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) programmes, DCA Zimbabwe established several water access points in Nyaminyami, Hurungwe, and Mbire.
However, there are a few other community nutrition gardens who due to lowering water levels, and unequal distribution (governance issues at community level) have not been getting ‘enough’ water to start gardening. Masoka community nutrition garden in Mbire, Dibindi community nutrition garden in Nyaminyami, Alpha and Mupamhiri gardens, which are all in Hurungwe, are some of the gardens that had halted gardening operations due to lack of ‘adequate’ water. But much like money, water is never enough, yet those who carefully manage it can thrive with very little of it.
Through some cheap and easy to do integrated land designs to retain moisture in the soil, these community gardens have managed to revive and continue production again. Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre rolled out some agroecology training programmes across the mentioned districts, promoting minimum water usage and maximum utilisation.
Farmers digging fertility trench beds
Usually, the general assumption is that the success of agriculture hinges on abundant water supply. More water equals flourishing crops, just as more money promises financial stability.
On the contrary, just like a wise spender stretches every dollar that he/she gets, a wise farmer can stretch every drop of water that he/she gets towards its highest utilisation.
Through the training programmes, the farmers have mastered the art of mulching to insulate the soil and digging fertility trench beds to trap moisture
Farmer preparing plant basins at Masoka community nutrition garden in Mbire.
Water harnessing plant basins
After using these approaches, the Masoka (Mbire), Dibindi (Nyaminyami), Alpha and Mupamhiri (Hurungwe) village nutrition gardens are now flourishing with lush green vegetables. Their mulched fertility trench beds are helping them retain enough moisture to cater for the growth of their plants.
Mupamhiri community garden, Hurungwe
Farmers at Alpha community garden, Hurungwe
Masoka community garden, Mbire
Ranger Siantumbu from Dibindi community garden mulching his kitchen garden
Other garden members who have seen the effectiveness of these approaches have started small kitchen gardens at home. Ranger Siantumbu from Dibindi Village Business Unit, ward 4, Nyaminyami district says, “I trust that with a well mulched fertility trench bed, my home garden can strive with little water because I have seen it work at our community garden. I noticed that our bean crop (at the community garden) managed to withstand the intense water shortages that we have been facing after our borehole broke down some time ago”.
Well mulched Dibindi community garden, Nyaminyami
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Agriculture extension officer for Mola ward 4, Mr. Simbarashe Kashiri said, “I have seen the importance of mulching, especially in nutrition gardening. The bean crop that you see was last irrigated more than four weeks ago because we currently do not have enough water for irrigation. I do not think that without this mulch, it would have been looking good like this”.
Farmers harvesting beans at Dibindi community garden
These farmers serve as a powerful reminder and testament that survival is not about waiting for abundance—or waiting for the Jojo tanks to first fill up to the brim for gardening to resume. It is about maximising what is available. Just as we do when dealing with money, it is not necessarily a matter of how much we earn, but how well we manage even the little that we get.
A windfall is never guaranteed, but the mindset of prudent resourcefulness ensures stability even in scarcity. With agroecology, arid areas can gradually be turned to green belts.
Field Officer for Hurungwe, Mr. Crispen Dungeni said, “I want to urge all the farmers who want to start their own nutrition gardens in places where water is scarce, that they should follow the examples of Masoka, Dibindi, Alpha, and Mupamhiri gardens. Make sure no drop of water is wasted by digging fertility trench beds, and ensure your ground is covered all the time with dead or live mulch”.
DanChurchAid and Fambidzanai are planning to extensively roll out more water and moisture retention programmes to the farmers. These will include wicking beds, and other rainwater harvesting infrastructure like ferro-cement tanks.
