Hwange mulls establishment of nutritional community gardens

HWANGE Local Board (HLB) will soon identify areas to establish nutritional community gardens in every ward within its area of jurisdiction as part of efforts to improve income and household food security among vulnerable families. 

HLB Chairman Councillor Nqobile Ocean Mabhena said the local authority sees the setting-up of community gardens as one of the numerous initiatives aimed at alleviating poverty among vulnerable members of the society.

“We are working on introducing at least one community garden in each ward as early as the beginning of next year. This is a standing Council resolution. These community gardens are expected to play a pivotal role in improving the livelihoods of less fortunate members of our communities,” he said. 

Cllr Mabhena said the local authority would expedite establishment of community gardens in each ward buoyed by the success of a pilot project in Ward 5. 

“We have seen successful implementation of such projects in Bulawayo and in some urban areas. We are also grateful that the one pioneered by Councillor (Tendai) Sibanda in Empumalanga suburb has proved to be a success,” he said. 

About two decades ago, Bulawayo City Council availed portions of land in most of its high-density suburbs, which were turned into community gardens targeting not more than 100 members per scheme.

Last year, Cllr Sibanda through her ward committee identified a bushy area for the setting up of Sizimisele community garden close to Empumalanga shopping centre.

“I’m a woman who believes in undertaking in various income generating projects and I have been always encouraging others to partake in any project with potential to improve their livelihood. “This community garden is one of the many projects that was embarked on by women in my ward last year, with other projects being quarry mining, poultry, rabbit keeping and piggery,” she said. 

The quarter of an acre Sizimisele community garden is home to 14 ward 5 women with varying vulnerability backgrounds. Beneficiaries of this scheme comprise of vulnerable women such as widows, people living with HIV/AIDS, single parents, elderly and pensioners. 

“We had to deliberately select these women as beneficiaries upon realising the difficulties they face in their efforts to fend for themselves and their families,” said Clr Sibanda. 

Last year, Sizimisele community garden beneficiaries managed to realise a substantial yield from their maize crop although they were forced to harvest the produce before it could fully mature due to theft and menacing baboons. 

Cllr Sibanda said there are plans to turn the community garden into a thriving horticultural project. “Our intention is to farm right throughout the year thus it means we have to embark in horticultural production, whereby we will be producing crops such as tomatoes, onions, cabbages among others. We see this as one way of improving the sustainability of our project and increasing income for the beneficiaries,” she said.

Clr Sibanda however, said efforts to turn the small agricultural enterprise into a fully-fledged horticultural project were being hampered by lack of funding. 

“We need to erect a security fence right round the garden. We also need a borehole to provide us with a reliable source of water to irrigate throughout the year instead of relying on rains as doing so will limit us to cropping maize only,” she said.

One of the beneficiaries Mrs Margret Chitonje said the zeal that was exhibited by the women in starting the agricultural project was a sheer testimony of the confidence they have that it would play an integral part in improving their livelihoods.

“This area used to be a bushy, full of boulders and we had to tirelessly clear it on our own as women to make sure the land was ready to be cultivated on,” she said. 

Mrs Chitonje further added that: “turning this area into a garden was also a blessing in disguise for the community, as it had turned into a haven of illicit practices. Youths had turned it into a gambling place while some residents were dumping piles of litter here. At night it was used for promiscuous activities and people were even mugged here”. 

Another beneficiary Ms Beauty Ndlovu said the sustainability of the community garden was likely turn around livelihoods of its beneficiaries. “We are very optimistic that if we get enough support this garden will play a big part in assisting us to fend for our families as well as pay for our bills as we will be selling the produce realised from the project,” she said.

HLB town secretary Pastor Mdlalose said the local authority was seeking partners to assist it in the operationalisation of the community gardens. 

“We are quite aware that it’s (community garden) a livelihood enhancement programme thus the reason we have availed land for that purpose. We are inviting other stakeholders to partner us in operationalising the concept be it through their Corporate Social Responsibility mandate or otherwise,” he said.

Pastor Mdlalose noted the need to avail reliable water sources to ensure the viability of the community gardens. “We are inviting willing partners to partner with us in setting up boreholes. The gardens aren’t going to be watered using treated water because of the costs associated with doing so,” he said.