June 17, a day sadly not recognised by many

By The Zimbabwe Independent | Jun. 14, 2017 | 6 Min read

AFTER establishing out my hypothesis on the impact of awareness programmes on climate change and drought in Zimbabwe, most of my academic and professional peers have posed a well-grounded dare against me to empirically ascertain my hypothesis. In this light, I was necessitated to conduct a mini survey in the city of Masvingo.

guest column: GAYLORD MUNEMO

I was not expecting a significant sum of people to reflect plausible familiarity with the Kyoto Protocol, Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Paris Agreements and or the Zimbabwe National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and other aligned international, regional and national structural approaches; what shocked me was the weighty fraction of professionals who are ignorant of what climate change is and how drought affects the livelihoods of their parents and siblings in the rural areas. Climate change awareness is too technical and complex a subject for a significant population to understand spot-on like the decoding of some banner written about male circumcision or some elevated billboard talking about HIV and Aids; but is this an excuse for the ill-informed mental faculties of the general populace? We have many introverts who, when it comes to one’s involvement in climate change-related initiatives, play docile and passive when it is their obligations to do so.

This disease has also spread even to some organisations which claim to be spearheaders of the war against climate change and drought. World Cancer Day and World Aids Day have received great reception, yes because Cancer and Aids are pandemics which have affected the lives of many, but does this mean we cast a blind eye on the catastrophe associated with climate change, desertification and drought? As we approach and pass June 17, World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, let it be our mandate to make sure we contribute significantly in the combating of desertification.

For the benefit of those who may want a ray of enlightenment, we may need to define the term drought. Although drought has several definitions, the central element in these definitions is water deficit. In general, as defined by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, drought is an extended period — a season, a year, or several years — of deficient rainfall relative to the statistical multi-year average for a region. This deficiency results in a water shortage for some activity, group, or environmental sector. A more in-depth definition of drought includes four sub-definitions including meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and socio-economic drought, but let’s spare the lecture for another day. Desertification, on the other hand is defined as a process of land, degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Land degradation manifests itself through soil erosion, water scarcity, reduced agricultural productivity, loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity, drought and poverty. A significant population of us has witnessed these processes, seen the consequences and clearly we should be empowered to avoid passing the point of no return when whatever remedial actions we take is futile and not viable.

The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) has, since inception, been a vibrant information system that informs government and its development partners on programming necessary steps for saving lives and strengthening rural livelihoods in Zimbabwe. It is the central pillar around which the Food and Nutrition Council (FNC) plans to build its strategy to fulfil the commitment of the government of Zimbabwe’s Food and Nutrition Security Policy (FNSP) and monitor implementation of the ZimAsset blueprint. On this lovely day we should give kudos to ZimVAC and FNC for the job well done as of date.

We have heard of the Environmental Management Agency’s Hwange-Sanyati Biological Corridor Project for enrichment planting, stabilisation of gullies by planting vetiver grass, construction of stabilisation structures across medium-sized gullies, construction of conservation works and the establishment of agro-forestry systems. I personally think as a nation we should do more to counter the devastative effects of deforestation and drought. The President and Head of State of our nation Zimbabwe reiterated, during the 2017 Oceans and Seas Summit, the need to fight the causes of climate change and the effects as well; and that African countries should not be spared in this fight. The NGO and civic society sector has also done tremendous work in the fight against the effects of drought and lean seasons. Organisations like PLAN International, USaid and United Nations World Food Programme have done exceedingly glowing graft in tackling the impacts of climate change in Zimbabwe. It, however, remains not only a structural responsibility, rather a grassroots responsibility as well. It remains my duty and your duty to preserve our natural resources and create awareness to others as well. I have witnessed first-hand the devastative impact of drought in Matabeleland South and some parts of Mashonaland East and believe you me it’s to be seen to be believed.

My meticulous point of worry is basically the deliberate need for everyone to be involved in the combating of desertification and drought at an individual level and/or at a structural level through helping in sustainable adaptation and resilience by the affected. The motivation behind resilience thinking is that societies should understand why and how the systems are changing. This would make societies better able to adapt and work with change, instead of falling victim to those changes.

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When a country declares a state of emergency, particularly drought, newspapers and television channels are quick to publish state of emergency reports, calling for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to intervene, publishing the dry lands and livestock seemingly lifeless and children suffering from malnutrition. What happens thereafter? Livestock die, people suffer and some in critical cases even pass on. Some NGOs intervene, the government intervenes as well and the people and livestock are saved. Sadly, when the day dedicated to the combating of desertification and drought approaches, many organisations cast a blind eye and only a few realise the symbolic significance. We have understood the predicament, but have we done justice in remembering the victims of drought on such an august day? Have we done justice in letting the affected understand that this is the day we remember their needs? Have we done justice in raising awareness against the effects of desertification? Or perhaps most of us don’t even know the day exists? To the people we know to have suffered from droughts, to those who have lost loved ones at the hands on drought and to those who had to turn to crime for survival, those who turned to commercial sex work because of drought, to those who have dropped out of school to toil for the family because of drought, to those who have ended up committing stock theft for survival, to those who have embarked on child labour and those who have been gendered victims as a result of drought, June 17 is the day we stand by you, not judging you for your coping strategies, but understanding what it feels like to be a victim of drought. And to the government, particularly the Social Welfare ministry, universities, particularly Great Zimbabwe, the Environmental Management Agency and other ministries helping the fight against the impacts of climate change, drought and desertification, this the day we remember and appreciate your efforts. This also the day we appreciate the efforts by organisations like Plan International, WFP, Hivos, USaid, UNCCD, Red Cross, FAO, Oxfam and many more in helping fight the effects of drought and desertification regionally and locally.

June 17 is the day I will grow as many trees as I can, talk about climate change and drought to as many as I can and send remittance to a relative who has once been a victim of drought … I have done my part, have you?

Remember the theme, Land, Youth and Sustainability.

Gaylord Munemo is a research consultant. +263773420704, [email protected]. BSc Social Anthropology, BSc Hons Sociology, Cert in Project Planning and Management, Cert in Civic Leadership, Cert in Emergency Management, Cert in REDD+ and various climate change certificates conferred by Unitar, Unicef, WHO, UNHabitat, UNDP, UNCC and Unisa