ICRISAT Archival Report 2006 - The seedlings of success in the ...

Key problem Key manifestations Effects
Drying up & siltation of wetlands: Numerous wetlands have
been negatively affected by cattle trampling and overgrazing,
whilst others have been poorly utilized without protection. Most
of these wetlands have lost their functions and are now dissected
with gullies that are covered with sand and silt eroded from
catchment areas. Water tables are lower, and ponds and pools
have disappeared together with all life forms associated with
such ecosystems. The habitat changes have also affected
wetland plant and animal species that benefited communities by
providing medicines, fruits, materials for craft, thatch, animal
feed, protein, etc. Wetlands (Dambos) provided natural water
harvesting systems on which soil moisture remains for longer
periods long after rains and this formed strategic food
production zones even in droughty seasons.
Socioeconomic
conditions
Policy,
Environment
Poor soils: The pilot area in Chivi has sandy loams that are
inherently poor. These soils have been cultivated for decades
and have not been allowed time for regeneration. Lack of
fertility management technologies have resulted in soil mining,
further reducing the productivity potential of the soils. Lack of
protection of the soils through construction of conservation
structures (contours) has further reduced the productivity of the
soils as most of the arable plots are located on sloppy valley
sides. Although the soils and the erratic rainfall regimes are not
suitable for maize production, farmers insist on production of
the staple maize crop despite poor yields.
Limited livelihoods options: Rural livelihoods in the pilot areas
are dependent on agriculture and natural resources. There are
limited options for farmers outside agriculture and natural
resources. There is however room for improvement through
value addition and venturing into agro-processing of the locally
available produce and resources.
Community capacity: Communities have limited financial,
technical and management capacity to drive local development.
Farmers’ access to agricultural inputs: Agricultural inputs are a
major challenge to farmers. These include appropriate seeds
(especially high yielding small grains and legumes) and
fertilizers for cropping purposes. In the livestock sector, there
are challenges with the availability of dry season feed resources
such as manufactured feed supplements, vaccines and other
medicines for disease control.
Farmers’ access to markets: Farmers’ access to competitive
markets is a major challenge. Where households produce excess
crops, their access to markets is limited, resulting in farmers
selling to middlemen who offer lower prices for the products,
especially livestock, Mopane worms and some cash crops.
Poor knowledge of existing policies: Local level institutions and
farmer groups have poor knowledge and understanding of the
current policy environment. This leads to lack of the
communities’ use of policies meant to guarantee their access to
resources and the related benefits. This is particularly so in
relation to wildlife resources in Matobo and Tsholotsho.
Current: Drying up of wetlands
means lack of surface water in the
dry season, and this means reduced
capacity of households to produce
crops in the dry season, and loss of
dry season grazing as some of the
wetlands were used as key dry season
feed sources. Domestic water
supplies, animal watering, game
hunting, fruit gathering, etc have also
been lost and thereby increasing food
insecurity, poverty and alternative
livelihoods options.
Current: Low yield levels production
per hectare due to poor soils and
mid-season droughts, leading to poor
food security at household level year
after year.
Future: Degradation (soil loss,
decreasing soil fertility, acidity, etc)
continues and livelihood decline will
ensue if not
attended to.
Current: Household incomes remain
low as excess produce in its raw
form, leading to low beneficiation by
the farmers compared to the
potentials associated with value
addition.
Current: Potential benefits are not
being received by the communities,
especially on the control and use of
resources such as grazing, wildlife
and wetlands.
Future: As poverty increases so will
degradation of natural resources
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