17 research outputs found
The relationship between HIV and AIDS and water scarcity and variability in the Nyamakate area, Zimbabwe : a political ecology approach.
No full textDoctor of Philosophy in Development Studies.There is a dearth of knowledge on how water scarcity and variability and HIV and AIDS concurrently impact on rural people’s livelihoods. Hence, this research seeks to understand the experiences, responses to, and interpretation of, the Nyamakate households to the complex relationship between HIV and AIDS and water scarcity and variability on their livelihoods and social well-being in the context of political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe.
The research was conceptualised within a post-structuralist political ecology framework. The study was carried out in the Nyamakate resettlement area, Zimbabwe. The study adopts a qualitative methodology, as it was deemed to be the best in understanding lived experiences and realities constructed by the social actors. The study conducted semi-structured interviews with: 40 households; 10 key community informants; 3 key stakeholder and 8 focus group interviews. The study also makes use of geographical information systems in mapping out households and the water points.
The preliminary results of the study indicate that no one is denied access to water resources in the Nyamakate area. All the respondents indicate that water resources in the Nyamakate area were declining hence complicating access to water. HIV and AIDS affected households had problems accessing water since much of their time was spent in caregiving. In the upland area, people had to travel long distances to fetch water which was a major problem to HIV and AIDS affected households who had to travel at night when the patient is asleep and other family members can help in caregiving. Some community members dislike people to wash linen used by an HIV and AIDS affected person at the water point.
As a coping mechanism to water scarcity, the people have set up water point committees that regulate water access and utilisation. The committees levy the community for any repair to water points (boreholes and wells) and this adds to the financial burden of HIV affected households. The Nyamakate community receives help from one non-governmental organisation which provides food to people on anti-retroviral program. Communities were asked by Mvura/Manzi Trust to dig wells (on a once-off basis) and the Trust provided cement to protect the wells. Some of the wells dug were dry due to poor siting by the community members, who used traditional methods of surveying for the water. The local council has provided the communities with borehole parts, but the communities have to transport these on their own. The council cannot provide adequate services to the community because it does not have the funds.
In conclusion, HIV complicates the ability of households to access water in Nyamakate and this has potential to exacerbate other opportunistic diseases, especially diarrheal diseases. Furthermore, water scarcity in the lowland is mainly a result of infrastructural problems
Understanding Socio-Economic Outcomes of Technological Innovations over Access, Use and Management of Natural Resources in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of Zungwi Vlei (Zvishavane District)
No full textThe role of modern technology in economic transformation and sustainable development of Africa has been a subject of debate particularly on communal agriculture. The debates
are now more complex as they are taking new dimensions as a result of rapid technological and scientific advancement, increased poverty, environmental concerns, climate change and socio-political factors. As a result, two schools of thought have
characterised the debates, namely: pro-modern technology and the other against. At the policy level scientific technologies are being recommended and implemented for community development. This study focuses on a technology known as the Broad-Ridge and Broad-Furrow system designed to curb degradation and promote higher yields. The technology was introduced on Zungwi vlei in 1999 with funding from Smallholder Dry Area Resources Management Project (SDAMP). The project was done as part of an experiment to test the effectiveness of Broad-Ridge and Broad-Furrow system in conserving vleis and increase agricultural production in Communal Areas. The study,
thus, sought to critically examine socio-economic outcomes of implementing Broad-Ridge and Broad-Furrow system on a key common pool resource, such as Zungwi vlei
UNDERSTANDING SOCIO-ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS OVER ACCESS, USE AND MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN ZIMBABWE: A CASE STUDY OF ZUNGWI VLEI (ZVISHAVANE DISTRICT)
No full textThe role of modern technology in economic transformation and sustainable development of Africa has been a subject of debate amongst theorists. Two dominant schools of thought have come up namely pro-modern technology and those opposed to scientific technology. Lessons from literature show a number of technological failures in Africa. Despite the trend of failures, policy and development practitioners continue to implement external technologies to achieve community development. The Broad-Ridge and Broad-Furrow technology was imposed on the Zungwi community and only benefited few people at the expense of others who lost their access and use rights. The study was therefore conducted to analyse socio-economic outcomes of implementing innovations like the Broad-Ridge and Broad-Furrow tillage system over resources access, use and management in Zungwi vlei Mutambi ward, Zvishavane district, Zimbabwe. The project largely adopted both participatory and non-participatory approaches. Some of the tools used in data collection included questionnaire surveys, interviews, trend analysis, mapping, focus group discussions and community meeting. It was established that comparatively more people benefited from Zungwi vlei before it was transformed into the Broad-Ridge and Broad-Furrow scheme than was the case after the transformation. Numerous benefits were derived from the different resource units in Zungwi vlei including: cultivation, grazing, aquaculture, domestic watering, traditional ritual, gathering fruits and may others. Management of vleis resources was done by the traditional institutions, which used myths. Conflicts within the community are the major outcome of the imposition of the technology on Zungwi vlei. The results of the study indicate the presence of both internal and external conflicts, which include; leadership problems, unequal sharing of fields, laziness, suspected embezzlement, absenteeism and nepotism. These conflicts have been waged through; verbal attacks, absconding from meetings and resisting decisions made be leadership. On the other hand external conflicts have been between households and institution over the Zungwi vlei. Introduction of the new technology resulted in the increase in conflicts has shown by questionnaire respondents, 15% of 72 respondents who said there were conflicts before the technology and 50% who acknowledged existence of conflicts after the technology. The major causes to external conflicts after the implementation of the technology were: changing tenure, lost benefits, no compensation for losses, restricting admission of new members and under utilisation of vlei resources by scheme members. Fifty-three percent indicated that there is soaring of relations between those who support the vlei scheme and those against it. Out of 38 respondents 60% said conflicts had negatively affected conservation of natural resources while 40% said they did not. 53% of 38 respondents said vlei resources are being degraded as a result of conflicts. Seventy-three percent of 38 respondents said conflicts over Zungwi vlei were affecting agriculture, while 27% said they were not. The findings of the study have shown that although external technologies have succeeded in other areas different communities can resist them and not legitimise it. The study results support the arguments by scholars who are anti-technocentricism. In conclusion the Broad-Ridge and Broad- Furrow tillage system has limited access and uses of the common poll vleis to scheme members and restricted use of the resource units to cultivation. Hence the technology has exacerbated conflicts, which are dysfunctional for social capital, productivity and conservation of resources. This has limited the success of the technology in the case of Mazvihwa communal Area
Linking Social and Ecological Sustainability: An Analysis of Livelihoods and the Changing Natural Resources in the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve
No full textThe political ecology of stakeholder-driven climate change adaptation: case study from Ntalale ward, Gwanda district, in Zimbabwe
No full textVulnerable rural communities face climate change-related shifts in rainfall patterns, particularly droughts and floods. The study investigated how Ntalale ward households in Gwanda district of Zimbabwe interpret climate change and adapt to its stressors in the context of the Zimbabwean political economy. Focus group discussions and interviews collected qualitative data. The community has experienced the following climate change-related risks: droughts, floods, heatwave and intra-seasonal rainfall variability. Droughts were reported to be occurring more frequent in the past 25 years as compared to the period before 1991. Ntalale area experienced floods in the 2002–2003 rainy season only. Respondents generally perceived that the rainy season had changed in the past 5 years, with the season now beginning in December and ending in March. The households have resorted to shifting cultivation practices, replanting, use of wetlands in preference to upland fields, changing of seed varieties or crops, selling of livestock and informal trading as coping strategies. Although non-governmental organisations have assisted the community to set up irrigation schemes, a few selected community members have benefited from the initiative. The Ntalale community has experienced four climate change-related risks and institutions have assisted the community. It is recommended that cooperation between households and institutions is key in developing stakeholder-driven adaptation strategies.https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v10i1.41
Exclusion and contests over wetlands used for farming in Zimbabwe: a case study of broad-ridge and broad-furrow tillage system on Zungwi Vlei
No full textThe political ecology of stakeholder-driven climate change adaptation: Case study from Ntalale ward, Gwanda district, in Zimbabwe
No full textVulnerable rural communities face climate change-related shifts in rainfall patterns, particularly droughts and floods. The study investigated how Ntalale ward households in Gwanda district of Zimbabwe interpret climate change and adapt to its stressors in the context of the Zimbabwean political economy. Focus group discussions and interviews collected qualitative data. The community has experienced the following climate change-related risks: droughts, floods, heatwave and intra-seasonal rainfall variability. Droughts were reported to be occurring more frequent in the past 25 years as compared to the period before 1991. Ntalale area experienced floods in the 2002–2003 rainy season only. Respondents generally perceived that the rainy season had changed in the past 5 years, with the season now beginning in December and ending in March. The households have resorted to shifting cultivation practices, replanting, use of wetlands in preference to upland fields, changing of seed varieties or crops, selling of livestock and informal trading as coping strategies. Although non-governmental organisations have assisted the community to set up irrigation schemes, a few selected community members have benefited from the initiative. The Ntalale community has experienced four climate change-related risks and institutions have assisted the community. It is recommended that cooperation between households and institutions is key in developing stakeholder-driven adaptation strategies
Role of Universities Towards Achieving Climate Change-Related SDGs: Case of Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe
No full textExperiences of different household structures’ caring for people living with HIV and AIDS in the antiretroviral era: Case study of Nyamakate rural area in Zimbabwe
No full textDespite the remarkable ART coverage and associated benefits, people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWH) require home care at the stage IV of HIV progression. Thus, home-based care (HBC) remains an important component of caregiving to PLWH in rural communities, but research on its social aspects is declining. This study explored experiences of households that care for PLWH in the ART era using a case study of Nyamakate resettlement area, Zimbabwe. Data were gathered using household interviews, key informant in-depth interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Most of the households had extended families and the highest number of household members was 13 people. Three family typologies cared for PLWH and these are nuclear, extended and “grandparent” households. Caregivers struggled to offer adequate care due to a number of challenges including lack of income, food shortage, transport problems and burden of care. ARVs were provided free of charge by government and an NGO seldom supported PLWH with food handouts. In conclusion, the HBC across the household structures continue to be stressed by the challenges associated with caring for PLWH even though they are on ART
Exclusion and contests over wetlands used for farming in Zimbabwe: a case study of broad-ridge and broad-furrow tillage system on Zungwi Vlei
No full textIn Zimbabwe, a broad-ridge and broad-furrow tillage system was promoted by the state, scientists and a nongovernmental organisation for its presumed agronomic and environmental viability and economic returns for small farmers. Zungwi vlei, a wetland of value to the community was transformed from a common use natural resource into a limited access broad-ridge and broad-furrow irrigation landscape that benefited a small number of people. Our study sought to understand conflicts over natural resources access, use and management arising from this land use change. The study adopted mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. The results indicated the presence of a wide range of internal and external conflicts following the transformation of the landscape. Prior to the transformation, low levels of conflict were noted. We concluded that despite the ability of the broad-ridge and furrow tillage system to boost agricultural productivity per square meter, it triggered considerable resource use conflicts as fewer families directly benefited from the innovation.
Key words: Development, vlei, agricultural technology, resources conflict, political ecology, Zimbabw
