Training and water access, a game changer for Sphiwe
Loading...
Authors
Katsande, Innocent
Issue Date
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Agriculture , Climate Change , Food
Alternative Title
Abstract
Sphiwe Ncube is a 46 year old widow from Nkashe village. She lives and takes care of her four children, Sisasenkosi 19 years, Siphosenkasi 17 years, Christopher 23 years and Sipho 22 years.
Sphiwe is a farmer who is surviving on growing maize during the rainy season, and vegetables all year round making use of the nearby garden.
Due to climate change and current drought conditions faced by many in her village, Sipiwe and most people have not been able to harvest enough to eat and have turned to gardening for extra food.
“I have been part of this garden since 2002, I see gardening as a better livelihood option that will allow me to at feed my family and earn an income that I can use to pay school fees and provide enough for my family,” said Sphiwe
Currently farmers use buckets to water their vegetables, this is difficult to do and often leads to low yields. “The water we are able to carry using buckets is not enough and as a result, we are producing less vegetables than we need in order to feed our families and also sell,” she said.
Being able to grow and produce from the available gardens is so important for Sipiwe and many in her village, however currently Nkashe villagers for their gardening have to rely on a local dam for water supply and the dam dries up during the summer.
“Without vegetables and food coming out from this garden or our fields, we would end up begging, relaying on donors for food,” She said.
Through Practical Action’s ingenious ideas under the REAP project, Sphiwe and many in her village are already benefiting from training focused on better farming practices and will also soon benefit from a solar water pumping system for their gardens, giving them access to unlimited water supply for their crops and vegetables.
“If we are to receive a solar system for this garden we will be able to meet the water demands of our crops and vegetables, we will be able to produce more and earn enough money to change our way of life for the better,” said Sphiwe.
“I'm happy, expectant and excited I will be spending less time in the garden, working easy but producing more,” she said.
“Every year because of water challenges we forced to stop growing anything from the garden but now because of the solar system we will be able to produce all year round,” said Sphiwe
As any other Sipiwe’s hope and dream when the solar system is in place, making use of the training they are already receiving she believes she will be able to expand and increase her produce. “We want to produce more, sell to bigger markets and earn more and start other projects like poultry and cattle ranching.”