adminAlfred Obed Rankomise Correspondent
There is less rainfall in Zimbabwe, and the soil is sandy and low in nutrients. Livestock farming is widespread and cultivated plants must adapt to the dry climate. Earlier, smallholder agriculture functioned acceptably with the use of fallow ground. This is no longer possible due to the prolonged dry spells, inadequate irrigation systems and overuse of the land.
The poor quality of the soil is due to droughts, inferior seed and deforestation, among other things, and has resulted in a drastic fall in crop yield in the past few years. The worsening agricultural conditions, which according to renowned experts are an effect of climate change in southern Africa, have resulted in numerous challenges for Zimbabweans.
Many smallholder families in the region live in a sustained state of hunger, and in most cases the children are malnourished. In the future, Zimbabwe will be perpetually dependent on international food aid. Above all, a reorganisation of the cultivation of staple foods is urgently necessary.
Vegetable gardens should be created with local plants which are especially rich in vitamins and minerals, for example horseradish tree (Moringa oleifera), aloe vera and sage. Water supply is a problem which is growing ever more rapidly. Families have dwindling access to water wells and latrines. There are indeed several wells and boreholes but they are often missing spare parts and thus cannot be used.
Topographically, Zimbabwe is a high plateau, also referred to as “high-veld”. It rises gradually from the southwest to the northeast and constitutes the majority of the land area. The average altitude is between 1,200 and 1,600 meters above sea level. The highest mountain, Mount Inyangani, is almost 2,600 meters above sea level and is located in the Nyanga National Park in the east of the country. This area is part of the Chimanimani Mountains, which belong to the eastern highlands and extends along the border to Mozambique.
It is characterised by a cool, foggy climate and its own mountain vegetation with a high biodiversity. The high plateau slopes down in the Zambezi valley in the north, and in the Limpopo river valley in the south of the country.
The vegetation is largely distinguished by a dry savannah. About 20 percent of the country is classified as lowlands, also referred to as the “lowveld”, which lie between approximately 160 and 900 meters above sea level.
The summer heat reaches 30 degrees Celsius in the highlands, and in winter there can be instances of night frost. The average temperature in the capital city Harare is 20 degrees Celsius.
The rainy season lasts from October until March. The average rainfall per year is 1.000mm; in that less than 400mm fall in the lowlands, over 600mm in the highlands and over 2,000mm in the mountains. The current conventional division of the whole country into five agro-ecological zones that mainly relate to rainfall and land utilisation is becoming questionable in light of the effects of climate change.
Hitherto existing adaptation strategies regarding regular drought periods are of limited use. They no longer suffice, due to the extent of the changes and the vulnerability of large population groups and different sectors. Recurrent droughts enduringly impair agriculture.
Most of all it is small family farms, which perform up to 70 percent of the field work, which are affected. Their workload is vastly increased, however the harvests are often inadequate for basic sustenance of the families.
For a few years there has been torrential rainfall in some areas, resulting in flooding. Harvest losses along with nutritional and financial problems are the consequences for family farms. Large-scale farmers practice irrigation farming, for which they often create water supply dams. Of the well over 2 000 dam lakes nationwide, a little over half are under private ownership. Dam lakes which are built and used by the municipalities are regularly examined.
In the process it becomes clear that the effects of climate change are affecting the dam lakes; by no means does this only apply to the Kariba dam. In many areas, the scarcity of water is a growing problem.
Online Reporter