The Sunday Mail
By Sifelani Tsiko – Under the Baobab Tree
Whenever one travels to remote rural parts of Zimbabwe, it is quite heart-rending to see the inequality that exists between them and their counterparts in urban areas in terms of access to basic infrastructure.
The story of our rural people failing to access basic infrastructure — water, food, electricity, health, education and other social amenities — is quite disturbing when you compare with the elite in urban areas where market economics underpin valourising individualism and profit.
Market economics has seen the rich having unfettered access to water, food, electricity, health, education and other secondary needs.
The hallmark of the rights of the rich over the poor is seen clearly in private and elite hospitals, schools, social clubs and in their undiminished access to a host of benefits and luxuries.
The contrast to this is abject and humiliating poverty in most of our rural areas.
The gap between urbanites and rural communities is glaring. And yet what the rural poor need are simple technologies and basic services to breeze past humiliating poverty.
A lot of suffering and poverty in rural areas is unnecessary, especially when you look at the amount of development aid that is channelled through NGOs and the number of Government-related programmes targeting to support the rural poor.
Much has been said about corruption, mismanagement, poor accountability and lack of transparency in the way development aid and even Government programmes are handled.
Certainly one major factor that has bred inequality in Zimbabwe and most other countries is the way we have handled issues to do with appropriate rural technologies.
Africa has spent billions of dollars in inappropriate rural technologies in the last five decades.
Investment in rural agricultural technologies, half the times driven by foreign donor agendas, has failed to reduce hunger and poverty.
Failure to adopt appropriate and beneficial rural technologies has generated unprecedented poverty and inequality in most rural areas.
Poor policies and strategic investment in scientific technologies has led to a development model that has grossly enriched a few alongside mass poverty in rural areas.
Zimbabwe and most African countries need to consider how certain policies and strategic investment in scientific technologies could lead to meaningful progress to our smallholder farmers in the countryside.
Answers to wrenching poverty affecting most of our rural communities do not lie in billions of development funds. The answers lie not in massive development aid programmes nor in State intervention — but to a greater extent in simple appropriate technologies that can bring meaningful development.
My trip early last week to the Kawere area of Mutoko, about 193km east of the capital, peeled my eyes.
I saw first-hand, how installation of solar water pumps brought the gift of water, health and thriving vegetable gardens which are improving household incomes and food security.
Families in this arid part of Mashonaland East province now access clean, safe and drinking water year-round.
The installation of a solar pump at Moyosvi Water Point and nutrition garden in Kawere — made possible through the Australia Africa Community Engagement Scheme Shared Futures Programme — has eliminated the labour-intensive task of hauling water from far distances.
Community Technology Development Organisation (CTDO), a local NGO, implemented the project with the local community.
Fred Zinanga of CTDO said the solar pumps, garden irrigation equipment and materials were installed at a cost of less than $15 000. Locals contributed immensely by providing bricks, river sand, pit sand, labour and other locally available materials.
The installation of the solar pump has made it possible to supply water to Kawere Clinic, Kawere Primary School and to the nutrition garden all year round.
“Solar-powered water pumps are an effective, long-term solution since the systems are economical, reliable and easy to maintain by the locals,” said Zinanga.
“Diesel-powered water pumps proved to be too costly and unsustainable and I believe strongly that solar is the way to go.”
The new solar-powered pump makes for a more sustainable and cost-effective water supply.
“The new solar-powered water pumps have changed our lives,” said Chipo Gotekote, secretary of the Moyosvi Water Point and Nutrition Garden.
“Water now pumps daily. Before, the costs were too much for us. Our gardens are thriving and members can each earn as much as $30 from vegetable sales.”
Other villagers share this enthusiasm.
“Without water our lives were miserable here,” said Nancy Chigonda of Moyosvi Village.
“This is a great thing for our livelihoods. We can grow our own vegetables, sell and earn money not to mention access to clean and safe water. With solar-powered water pumps we are now in a sea of water.”
The new water supply in Kawere has important health benefits. Whereas in the past, people in the area drew water from shallow wells and other unprotected sources which were contaminated, the installation of solar water pumps will certainly lead to improved livelihoods.
Already, cases of children aged below five years suffering from acute water-borne disease are declining and maternal mortality rates have fallen as Kawere Clinic now accesses clean and safe water.
The United Nations Environment Programme says Africa has huge untapped potential for generating clean energy to serve the whole of the continent’s needs, as well as enormous potential for solar, wind and geothermal energy.
Africa has sunshine all year round and investing in solar water pumps, for example, can help lift the poor out of poverty.
The Kawere community has a committee to protect its pumps from theft and vandalism and is heavily engaged in management of this critical infrastructure. Donors and implementing agencies simply availed capital for the solar water pump and locals now manage it.
It is undeniable that if African countries invest in appropriate science and technology, it is possible that we can reduce poverty and food insecurity on the continent.
It is embarrassing for our continent to continue to be plagued by poverty and food insecurity when we have so much expertise at our disposal, as well as simple technologies that could effectively reduce rising poverty levels, increasing unemployment and declining agricultural productivity.
African governments need to institute realistic and efficient policies and programmes to address basic problems affecting smallholder farmers who account for 70 percent of total agricultural output.
Governments, development agencies, local scientists and communities need to work together to explore innovative and action driven measures to put an end to hunger in Africa.
They also need to examine why certain agricultural technologies have been rejected by farmers and engage in participatory research that aims to address the practical needs of farmers.
So much money has been poured into agricultural technologies and yet this has not improved output. We need to change this and support innovative initiatives that target smallholder farmers.
Zimbabwe and Africa need to make it happen now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow, they say, is a loser’s excuse.
