TRÓCAIRE

DONATIONS TO TRÓCAIRE SUPPORTING ZIMBABWEANS AS THE RAINS FAIL

Fenita with seeds from the seed bank. Photos: Barnaby Jaco Skinner Hleziphi with the finished packaged ‘Mopane worm’ product

BELFAST MAN DAVID O’HARE, TRÓCAIRE’S COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, RECENTLY VISITED ZIMBABWE WHERE HE SAW THE DEVASTATING IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND COVID-19 ON COMMUNITIES

BY DAVID O’HARE

Life is a daily struggle for mother-of-two, Thandekile, and her community in the Bulawayo region in southwest Zimbabwe.

The community was already struggling to provide for their families because of the disastrous effects of climate change and the challenges of COVID-19. But the situation has become much worse. Most of the people in the region depend on rain-fed agriculture to feed their families. The latest rains have failed. Instead of fields full of maize and other crops ready to be harvested, when I was there, there were vast swathes of stunted or dead plants.

“It’s going to be a very difficult year ahead,” the 32-year-old widow told me when I met her on my visit to the southern African country. “I was given some land by my late husband’s uncle and I was growing groundnuts, sorghum, millet, maize and melons. Now it looks like I will only harvest two or three bags of the grains and some melons. I would usually be expecting a yield of twelve bags,” Thandekile told me.

I saw at first hand the challenges facing people and the supports Trócaire and our partners are providing to help overcome these challenges.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of an impending food crisis in the country after global and regional food prices spiked upwards following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And according to the Zimbabwe National Vulnerability Assessment Report, chronic malnutrition is already endemic throughout the country. An estimated 60 per cent of Zimbabweans – or 7.5 million people – face acute food insecurity. Basic food prices keep increasing to such an extent that most urban residents cannot afford to buy food.

With donations made in Ireland, north and south, Trócaire is working with Thandekile’s community and many others in Zimbabwe to try to ensure that they are able to survive these latest shocks.

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Thandekile’s community benefits from a community garden which has been funded by Trócaire and sees each family able to cultivate four beds each. We have installed a solar pump that ensures the garden is kept irrigated despite the lack of rain. Thandekile said that she has been able to grow kale, spinach, beetroot, tomatoes and carrots.

“This means that the children are able to eat a more balanced diet and I even have some produce left over to sell. If we didn’t have the garden, things would be even more difficult for us,” she told me.

Several other projects can be seen in the

David interviews Thandekile The amazing Mopane worm

village. Hleziphi Nkomo (43), a farmer in Bidi, explains the ‘Mopane worm’ initiative. “Mopane worms are actually the large edible caterpillars of a species of emperor moth that feed on the leaves of the Mopane tree in this area. They are seen as a delicacy and fetch good money in the capital Harare. They are also a good source of protein here. We have an ongoing project supported by Trócaire that has enabled us to make the most of this natural resource.

“We are able to harvest the worms from the Mopane trees twice a year. Once they are cooked and dried we have been supported to package them and sell them direct to markets which means we are able to make more money for ourselves rather than it going to a middle-man. The money we make is so important as it means we have money to buy essentials for our families like cooking oil, salt, grains and schoolbooks for the children.”

SEED BANK

Another initiative in Bidi is the village seed bank. Farmers have been able to sell any extra seeds they had to the ‘bank’ since it opened in 2019. It is managed by a committee made up of community members. The advantages of the seed bank are that the seeds are properly stored and so can last a lot longer compared with storing them in inadequate containers at home. There is a quality control system in place and the seeds at the seed bank have received organic accreditation.

Fenita Mangwiro (57) is a single mother with six children and a member of the management committee, and she says the seed bank has made a huge difference. “A lot of the seeds are indigenous drought-resistant varieties. We have millet, sorghum, cow peas and many other varieties. Farmers who need seeds can come to the seed bank and know they are buying high quality seeds. The fact that the bank is here in the village means there are no transport costs and hence the price can be kept low. This is extremely important when farmers have lost crops because of the weather and have no seeds of their own to replant.”

Trócaire has also supported agricultural training in the village through a learning centre and savings and loan schemes. Lead farmers have been trained and provided with bicycles so they can travel around the local farms and pass on their knowledge.

There is no doubt that the coming months will be extremely difficult for the people of Thandekile’s community but without the initiatives funded by donations from Ireland, north and south, the people of the village say the outlook would be so much worse.

“Now it looks like I will only harvest two or three bags of the grains and some melons. I would usually be expecting a yield of twelve bags.”

FIND OUT MORE

To find out more about Trócaire’s work visit www.trocaire.org