Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
WHEN it comes to Covid-19 induced job losses, those in the tourism sector are among the worst affected as the industry literally came to a halt because of international travel restrictions.
Some workers in Victoria Falls were forced to relocate to their rural areas while others had to start income generating projects to fend for their families.
Those who relocated to Lupinyu area near Victoria Falls airport were fortunate that Wilderness Safaris came to their rescue by assisting them to start a vegetable garden.
Batanani Green Village has 110 members comprising men and women from surrounding villages.
Most of the members are former tourism workers or dependents of people who were once employed in the sector before the outbreak of the pandemic.
Most families in and around Victoria Falls used to depend on tourism directly or indirectly as the sector used to employ 90 percent of those in formal employment in the resort city according to officials in the industry.
Batanani Green Village chairperson Mr Innovator Nyoni said the garden was established last year as a response to the needs of the community that was affected by food insecurity.
The garden is divided into two sections, one side is the cooperative where all members collectively work together while on the other side each member has a small plot where one grows vegetables for their own consumption.
Money realised by the cooperative is pooled into a common fund to be used for community development.
Wilderness Safaris installed a solar powered borehole, mounted a 5 000 litre storage tank, fenced the premises, supplied start-up seeds and also built a shed and storeroom for the garden.
Mr Nyoni said the whole community is dependent on the garden. “We are thankful to Wilderness Safaris for the good work they did. After they gave us a start, we raised money and bought more seeds for planting. We grow a variety of vegetables, tomatoes, pumpkins and other crops and whatever we get we put in a pool fund.
“Our plan is to mobilise resources and train youths who will takeover from us so that this garden continues to produce even beyond our generation. We want to buy another storage tank so that this project really changes lives,” said Mr Nyoni.
He could not disclose how much money has been realised from the garden so far.
A majority of customers come from around the community and a few restaurants that operate at the nearby Lupinyu shops and Victoria Falls town.
Members can also sell vegetables from their individual small pieces of land within the garden.
To be able to do other work outside the garden, members allocated each other specific days for working in the garden.
Many have said they are now able to save for the general upkeep of their families and pay school fees for their children.
Ms Senzeni Ncube (39) from BH 118 said her husband used to sell curios in town before the outbreak of Covid-19.
“We almost ran out of ideas on how to take care of our two children but this project has been our saviour.
“In a good week I can make something like US$10 from selling vegetables and use the money to buy food and other things.
“We also now have a sustainable source of clean water for household use from the borehole,” she said.
Mrs Sithembiso Ndlovu (57) from Jabulani village said she is now able to meet most of her family’s basics.
“It is easy to communicate now because we can buy airtime and data since we get money from the sale of vegetables,” she said.
Wilderness Safaris Community Liaison Officer for Zambezi Region Ms Shuvanayi Taruvinga said the idea of a community garden came from the realisation that most members of the community had been affected by the pandemic.
She said there was a need for a sustainable source of income as opposed to periodic food handouts.-@ncubeleon
Online Reporter