Soil and Water Conservation, Zimbabwe

Organization: Vulindhlebe Soil and Water Conservation Project (VSWCP);
Zvishavane Water Project
Project Leader: Zepheniah (Phiri) Maseko
Geographic Area: Southern Africa
Link:
http://www.changemakers.net/journal/00march/zaidman.cfm
http://www.iirr.org/saem/page106-109.htm

In Zimbabwe, poor soil conservation practices have led to massive soil erosion. The World Bank reports that only 20% of the land is suitable for agriculture, and only 10 percent of that is irrigated. But 70 percent of Zimbabweans rely on agriculture for a living, forcing many farmers into subsistence level conditions. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has long been inflamed by massive civil and political tumult; much of it sparked by land disputes.

In the mid-sixties, Phiri started developing an oasis filled with sweet potatoes, beans, paprika, carrots, tomatoes, onions, pumpkins, and cabbages. Using an intricate combination of terraces, pits, sand traps, ponds, and tanks, Phiri managed run-off much more effectively, raised the water table beneath his farm, and tripled harvests.

But he soon realized that neighboring farmers didn't have a similar sense of stewardship about the land, degrading it with unsustainable practices. So he decided to turn his farm into a living university by sharing his strategies with locals, and by bringing farmers from Zambia, Uganda, and Malawi, to "get their hands dirty" with innovative water and soil management techniques.

To extend the reach of his living university further, Phiri has attempted to foster relationships with government agencies and local councils. Unfortunately, much of the enabling environment needed for flourishing partnerships is ablaze with violence and corruption. Zimbabwe's infernal political climate continues to be a wet-blanket impeding the expansion of Phiri's oasis.