Dzunga Dam with Water Behind it
Vegetable Gardens with Banana TreesOnce again I have returned from Dzunga, Tete Province to visit our partner the Christian Council of Mozambique in their quest to bring food security to the people in the district of Changara using a mixed package of sand dams and food security initiatives. I was again quite excited at what I have seen develop in the communities. I also had the privilege of practicing my motorcycle driving in the rough terrain. Anyone who drives motorcycle will tell you that once you are on you are hooked. I can tell you there is nothing more thrilling then riding motorcycle through the foot trails of the African bush, dodging rocky outcroppings, mud houses and baobab trees.
and fruit trees that require a little more water will be able to survive through the long dry season. I walked the river with the field staff and counted 34 fields of 0.3 to 1 acre in size of which had vegetables growing in them to some degree. There is at least twice that many parcels partitioned out for other farmers, many of which are still in the process of clearing and fencing off their fields. Keep in mind here that in the past years only a handful of farmers had experience and were doing vegetable farming. It is an incredible change to the landscape and is incredibly hopeful to see people taking advantage of this opportunity. Many fields had banana shoots planted, papaya trees, and a few mango seedlings. I saw cane sugar as well which tends to be a more water needy plant. Many of these trees and some of the vegetables were not delivered by the project (though there is the intention of delivering fruit trees at some point) but because of the humidity farmers are finding ways to get plants from other communities, transplanting from those that already had these plants in Dzunga or finding seeds in Zimbabwe. I also saw a multiplication field where the CCM field staff have planted Manioc to multiply and distribute. Manioc has never been grown here in Dzunga and is very rare in the district though it is a very appropriate plant because of its drought resistance. The people of Dzunga are very interested (though they have no present experience or opportunities to acquire seed).
Anyway, back to the visit.The 3rd dam is now just completed in the third community (I cannot remember the name of it at this point). All three communities are in the process of dividing off parcels of land for vegetable farming, fencing off the parcels with logs to keep the cattle and goats from the fields. Dzunga is the only community to have received vegetable seeds at this point but the hope is that the other two will be receiving them within the week. In Dzunga the dam is still conserving an incredible amount of water beneath the sand. Last time I visited was in March and the last of the rains had fallen the week before. It has not rained since. The water is still visible when you dig a hole at about 10 cms below the surface and as I trekked several kilometers up stream I counted about 5 or 6 wells that had been dug by farmers in the river or on the banks for irrigation. The construct the wells using local materials such as reeds to make a ring to keep the dirt and sand from caving in. The most exciting thing to see is that when we dug in the fields above the river banks you could feel good moisture in the soil about 20-30 cms (1.5 feet below the surface. At this level it is easily accessed by plant roots like corn and beans 
Farmer Fetching Water for Irrigation
Farmer Fetching Water for Irrigationand fruit trees that require a little more water will be able to survive through the long dry season. I walked the river with the field staff and counted 34 fields of 0.3 to 1 acre in size of which had vegetables growing in them to some degree. There is at least twice that many parcels partitioned out for other farmers, many of which are still in the process of clearing and fencing off their fields. Keep in mind here that in the past years only a handful of farmers had experience and were doing vegetable farming. It is an incredible change to the landscape and is incredibly hopeful to see people taking advantage of this opportunity. Many fields had banana shoots planted, papaya trees, and a few mango seedlings. I saw cane sugar as well which tends to be a more water needy plant. Many of these trees and some of the vegetables were not delivered by the project (though there is the intention of delivering fruit trees at some point) but because of the humidity farmers are finding ways to get plants from other communities, transplanting from those that already had these plants in Dzunga or finding seeds in Zimbabwe. I also saw a multiplication field where the CCM field staff have planted Manioc to multiply and distribute. Manioc has never been grown here in Dzunga and is very rare in the district though it is a very appropriate plant because of its drought resistance. The people of Dzunga are very interested (though they have no present experience or opportunities to acquire seed).
Terraced Vegetable Plots
In the fields, many farmers were utilizing animal manure in the fields (good sign to see). Many were learning from the CCM field staff how to space plants appropriately in zigzag patterns which maximizes plants per available space yet allows the plants sufficient area to develop fully. I also saw suckers being trimmed off of tomato plants in fields where people have had training in tomato production. There was some pest problems (caterpillars) but the extension workders have been active in helping the farmers to use insecticides in order to protect there investment. Care was also taken to teach farmers how to terrace the planting beds following the contours of the river bank.
One farmer who recently moved back to the community from Dzunga was working in the field as I passed by. I took the opportunity to talk with him in English which I rarely get to do. I asked him what he hoped for in the next few years and why he was growing vegetables. He said, "I want to be able to eat and not be hungry." I asked him if he had cows or goats. He said that he did not but would like to sometime. Many people we talked to are those who moved to Zimbabwe during the Mozambique war and have returned recently because of Zimbabwe's crisis. They are vulnerable because they do not have animals, land or are yet well established in the community. Animals are like crop insurance here. If a family loses its crop they sell the cattle and goats for food. If a family has no animals they have no security in times of crop failure. It seems like this project is giving people like this man an opportunity to rebuild his life and make it better.
As I walked up river there was still areas where water was exposed to the surface and cattle were clearly coming there to drink. It will be interesting to see it in a few months (August-Oct) because we will really be able to see the changes but I am quite sure that there will be sufficient water for irrigation in the next couple of months and a great opportunity for change in these communities.
No comments:
Post a Comment