BUHERA — Local is the best. For communities in drought-stricken Buhera South, there is more joy with locally-manufactured products because they are cost effective.
Report by Sofia Mapuranga, Own Correspondent
Situated in region five of the country’s agro-ecological regions, Buhera South is characterised by poor soils and semi-arid conditions, an environment not conducive for agriculture.
Communities alternate sources of livelihood with other income-generating projects, or face the reality of starving.
Hamufari Mbozhera, a nurse from Ward 14, said local goods were in most instances viewed as sub-standard and “anything bearing the tag of a foreign company was held in awe and often fetched a higher price”.
The Finance ministry issued a directive in 2010 imposing an increment on duty for imports as a way of curbing the huge quantities of foreign goods destined for Zimbabwe.
The directive, which evoked mixed reactions from business and citizens, was described by cross-border traders as a move to put them out of business.
But in Buhera South, such a development showed the government’s support and an appreciation of local products and small-scale local entrepreneurs.
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Eddy Munyikwa (43) from Munhumwaramba village under Chief Mushumba bakes buns and bread for a living.
He uses a homemade underground oven, thanks to the assistance of Zimbabwe Women’s Bureau (ZWB).
He said he learnt from his wife how to build the oven after she had gone for a week-long training workshop hosted by ZWB and co-ordinated by Probec.
The workshop codenamed the Homestead Development Programme (HDP) was initiated in 1998 with the assistance of the WK Kellogg Foundation, but 12 years on, communities are still benefiting.
Munyikwa said he can bake at least 50 buns and at least a dozen loaves of bread a day for sale to his community.
He added that his products were appreciated within the community and he sells buns at a price of a $1 for three and $1 per loaf of bread. “The major setback for my business is lack of capital to carry out my work on a large scale,” he said.
Buhera South is one of the provinces most affected by poor rainfall patterns, and this has meant that proceeds from his sales are used to buy food for his family.
“I do not bake everyday, but I am guaranteed of at least $100 over two weeks. My wife compliments me by rearing chickens for resale, but lack of markets is affecting the chicken-rearing project,” he said.
66-year-old Loise Magarira is another community member who benefited from ZWB programming and has ventured into turkey rearing.
She said after learning through the HDP how to build tsotso stoves and how to implement various other projects such as conservation farming and water harvesting techniques, she used proceeds from these activities to venture into small livestock rearing.
“We also got support from ZWB and in groups of fives, we were given chickens and turkeys to kick-start our project,” she said.
She said although the profits that they have made so far are nothing to write home about, their families are benefiting.
“Markets are a challenge because the community is poverty stricken, so we have to travel to Murambinda growth point if we are to realise any real profits,” she said.
She added that transport costs gobbled a larger chunk of their profits because commuters charge exorbitant fares for the 70 kilometre journey to Murambinda growth point.
Pardon Muzhore (48) also from Chief Mushumba’s area, said there was positive change for the community because instead of rushing to queue for the grain loan scheme, which is distributed along partisan lines, there are some families who are able to sustain their livelihoods from income- generating projects.
“We now have a lot of small livestock and when there are delays with the grain loan scheme— they are never on time — we can sustain families through selling chickens and goats,” he said.
ZWB director Ronika Mumbire said community-based initiatives were the only solution to challenges faced by rural communities. “There is no specific formula to solving community problems because they vary,” said Mumbire.
She said the organisation was open to train and build the capacity of communities using identified solutions. We conducted several training workshops as a way of strengthening communities, especially in drought prone districts.
“Development is a process and when communities utilise the skills and knowledge gained, we are happy that we are part of the development process,” she said.
Most families in Buhera South rely on food aid from donors and the government.
