Zimbabwe’s climate migration heralds the future

Too little too late

In the hot areas of Zimbabwe, some farmers tried to cope and stay in place. They have resumed planting traditional drought-resistant grains, such as finger millet, pearl millet and sorghum.Others have switched from irrigated crops Flood the entire field Use a system that only drops the necessary amount of water next to each plant.

Some people, including Chitora farmer Blessing Zimunya, tried to collect rainwater for irrigation and other purposes. Zimunya uses a 5,000-liter container to collect water from his roof and a 100,000-liter water tank to collect runoff from the ground. He supplemented these systems with water from nearby rivers.

Natalie Watson, Managing Director Popoma Village, An NGO that runs clean water and sanitation projects says rainwater harvesting has great potential to change the status quo.She quoted a famous Zimbabwean farmer Zephania Ferry MacekoBefore his death, he used the method now taught by the Watson Organization to turn dry land into dense fields.

Her plan is currently focused on the Zaka district in southern Zimbabwe, where hundreds of farmers participate. Some people in nearby Midland Province also started experimenting with rainwater harvesting.

However, the total number of farmers in Zimbabwe adopting this approach is still very small. Among the more than 7 million small farmers in the country, only a few thousand have tried it in the driest province. Despite the efforts of organizations like Watson, most farmers do not have the money to build large water tanks to store water. More people still don’t know what rainwater harvesting is or how to start.

Other non-profit programs are underway to help farmers adapt to areas other than agriculture by learning new ways to maintain soil moisture and finding ways to diversify farmers’ incomes.Last year, the government of Zimbabwe announced A plan Within four years, 760,000 new “green” jobs will be created in the fields of solar energy, hydropower, energy efficiency and sustainable agriculture. But these efforts are still in their infancy.

Sanyanga, a gift from Haarlem Mutare City Link-a twin city arrangement commissioned by Haarlem, the Netherlands and Mutare, Zimbabwe A report for 2019 Regarding climate migration in the Eastern Highlands (and paying for my lecture in Haarlem that same year)-said that adaptation measures have largely failed, and the only viable option for many farmers is migration.