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Andile Tshuma, [email protected]

In the heart of Nketa 9, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, a community garden stands as a beacon of hope for its members. 

Manondwane Community Garden, a lush oasis in a region ravaged by high temperatures and a poor 2023-24 rainy season, supports 50 families, including elderly, widows, widowers, orphans and people with disabilities. However, this lifeline is under threat.

A severe drought, exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon, has caused the water table to drop alarmingly. The garden’s submersible pump can no longer access water, jeopardising the livelihoods of its members. This is not just a local issue; it’s a symptom of a global crisis.

The El nino, as well as the climate crisis, are threatening livelihoods in both rural and urban areas.

According to the Metereological Services Department, Zimbabwe is experiencing a five percent decline in rainfall over the past century, with the past rain season being one of the driest on record. Temperatures are rising and the consequences are devastating.

According to the World Food Programme, about 7 million people require food assistance due to the drought.

The United Nations Development Programme has noted a  50 percent increase in climate-related disasters over the past decade. 

More than 143 million people are projected to be displaced globally by 2050 due to naturally occurring disasters, according to the World Bank. The bank further notes that around three percent of the population across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia could be forced to move within their own countries. Vulnerable households are set to feel the heat, literally. 

For the beneficiaries of Manondwane Community Garden, the plot of land is more than just a source of fresh produce — it’s a lifeline. 

“The garden has enabled me to send my kids to school.  I sell surplus vegetables at the market and use the proceeds to buy uniforms and pay school fees and also provide their bus fare. It is very unsettling now that we are facing this water challenge threatening the life of our garden. It feels like our source of hope is being snatched away from us,” said Julian Moyo, a 59 year old widow. 

Some beneficiaries had been using the garden as a springboard for entrepreneurship and the thought of life without the garden spells misery. 

“I sell some fresh produce to my neighbours and use the money to buy groceries for my family,” says Mr Micah Mutungura, a pensioner. “The garden has given me a sense of purpose and independence. We work together well in this plot of land and we have become one big family. Whenever equipment breaks down, we all contribute or take from our fund, for it to be fixed and running,” he said.

The community has also started stokvels, a type of savings club, with a local shop, Musarurwa, serving as their store of value. 

For 73 year old Simon Mayanga, the garden is more than just a source of livelihood, it’s a safe haven for his thoughts, where being in the company of fellow men and women who have also lost spouses is therapeutic for him. However, watching some beds of leafy greens wither away due to moisture stress as there just isn’t enough water anymore, makes him uncomfortable as he sees his safe haven under threat. 

“When I’m here, I focus my energy on tilling the soil, nurturing my crops and also on the daily conversations with my colleagues. It helps me to unwind and reduce my stress levels as well as my loneliness following the loss of my beloved wife,’ said Mr Mayanga. 

“We pool our resources and buy groceries in bulk. This way, we can get discounts and stretch our budgets further. The spirit of community is good.” 

They have a welfare fund to help members when sick, or when they get injured while working in the garden. 

But the garden’s impact goes beyond just its members. They also offer fresh produce to bereaved families, even those who are not part of the scheme, as long as they are residents of the same ward.

 “We believe in supporting each other,” says Mrs Loveness Mlilo, the community garden chairperson. “The garden has taught us the value of community and solidarity. As pensioners, we are old but are still providing for some of our unemployed children, their wives and also our grandchildren. Not having to worry about relish relives us of some of the biggest burdens that a mother, a woman has to bear every single day, the question of ‘what to cook?’

They also contribute to a funeral fund for the bigger community, uZibuthe,  providing financial support to families in times of need. A bereaved family receives $300, which is then replenished when residents contribute $1 each to keep the fund available for the next beneficiary. 

A programmes officer in a One Health project run by the Centre for Health Communication in Zimbabwe and the environmental policy and advocacy network, Mr Fortune Muzarabani said urgent efforts were needed to ensure communities were empowered with knowledge to survive the climate crisis with very limited access to water in some communities.

“The drought extends beyond a climate crisis; it imperils food systems, compromising nutrition and health. This dual threat exacerbates the vulnerability of women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities. In rural areas, scarce resources must be shared with livestock and wildlife, intensifying human-wildlife conflict,” said Mr Muzarabani.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, as global temperatures rise due to climate change, water scarcity is expected to worsen, with unpredictable water availability becoming a growing concern worldwide. Droughts in certain regions are intensifying water scarcity, posing significant threats to human health, productivity and sustainable development, as well as contributing to biodiversity loss. 

Ensuring universal access to reliable water and sanitation services is a vital climate change mitigation strategy for the foreseeable future, essential for building resilience and safeguarding the well-being of communities and ecosystems.

“Therefore, communities need empowerment with strategies to withstand and prepare for climate shocks. Our One Health project educates communities about the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health. We advocate for a holistic approach to health, believing it will yield better human health outcomes, improved animal welfare and enhanced conservation efforts,” he added.

As the garden continues to face the challenges of the climate crisis, its members are calling for support to ensure their sustainability. Two critical needs have been identified; a solar backup system to augment electricity power cuts, which are affecting the garden’s irrigation system, threatening the survival of their crops and a deeper borehole. 

A solar backup system would provide a reliable source of energy, ensuring the garden’s continued productivity.

Their old borehole is struggling to yield water due to the dropping water table. Help is needed to sink the borehole deeper, securing a reliable source of water for the garden as well as the nearby residents who are also affected by the city’s water crisis.

Amid the Bulawayo water crisis, the garden members are taking action. They are digging trenches to install taps, providing water to the nearby Nketa community.

 This initiative demonstrates their commitment to supporting each other and their community.

“The need for external taps is an effort to ensure that residents have access to water around the clock, even during the times when the garden is closed,” said Mrs Mlilo. 

The project members, however, bemoaned lack of support and respect for property from some community members.

“ Vandalism is the order of the day, as some unscrupulous elements steal from  the garden or break locks to gain entry to access water. The Bulawayo City Council provides overnight security to the area. People want to do as they please here, especially young people, but this is a place for the vulnerable in the community,” said Mr Micah Mutungura (76).

Part of the project infrastructure was procured through the Constituency Development Fund after the Bulawayo City Council had already installed the electric powered borehole.

Government through the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme, is embarking on a countrywide borehole drilling programme with 2 890 having been drilled, as at May 2024. 

According to statistics from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, of the 2 890 boreholes, Manicaland has drilled 429, Mashonaland West 206, Mashonaland East 290, Midlands 300, Matabeleland South 172, Masvingo 535, Bulawayo 79, Harare Metropolitan 346, Matabeleland North 204 and Mashonaland Central 328.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, in terms of agricultural water use, farmers across the world, but particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, continue to rely heavily on rainfall for food production. More than 62 million hectares of crop and pasture-land experience high to very high water stress and drought, affecting about 300 million farm households.

Under such tough climatic conditions, women and children are often some of the most vulnerable. In May, Unicef made an appeal for US $84,9 million to respond to fund its emergency response in Zimbabwe through life saving interventions to 1,3 million Zimbabweans. 

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Six states that access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being. 

The demand for water has outpaced population growth and half the world’s population is already experiencing severe water scarcity at least one month a year. Water scarcity is projected to increase with the rise of global temperatures as a result of climate change.

The drop in groundwater levels can be attributed to the current El Nino-induced drought, which the country is experiencing. During the past rainy season, the country received largely below normal rains, especially in areas such as Bulawayo.

The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) highlights that such challenges are to be expected in drought years.

Zinwa head of communications and marketing, Mrs Marjorie Munyonga, said Bulawayo was one of the areas whose ground water levels were severely affected. 

“There exists a very strong link between rainfall patterns and groundwater levels since groundwater is recharged through surface run off, through water in rivers and dams and through flood plains. It therefore follows that when the country receives low rains, groundwater is also correspondingly affected,” she said. 

Mrs Munyonga said close monitoring of ground water use was underway to ensure sustainable use of the resource. 

“However, sub-catchment and catchment councils continue to closely monitor groundwater use by regulating its extraction to ensure sustainability. Those intending to tap into the groundwater resources are thus encouraged to approach their respective sub-catchment councils and obtain the relevant permissions to drill boreholes,” she said. 

As the world grapples with global warming, climate change and other issues on the international debate, for communities such as the Manondwane community garden, all that’s needed is enough water to ensure their next meal. — @andile_tshuma