Growing out of poverty through vegetable gardens

By Tigana Chileshe - World Vision Zambia Communications Officer

Davison Muwele, 58, is a passionate man; as a lead farmer, he is driven by a desire to see his community members grow out of poverty like he is doing. So he teaches and trains anyone interested in learning how to farm vegetables for profit. 

Davison’s crusade in his community in Makaba village in the Southern province of Zambia under Mbeza Area Programme (AP), comes at a time when the country’s southern half has experienced the lowest rainfall in 31 years according to metrological data, making growing crops almost impossible. 

“Most people who planted crops depending on rains have lost their produce.” He says, “This setback has made the community realise the value of growing different varieties of crops using irrigation which we never did before.” 

Despite the community having an irrigation scheme under the Makaba dam built by the Government of Zambia  in 2010, the community did not see the value of tapping water due to lack of canals. Davison was one of them. 

Potential going to waste 

“We lived in comfort brought on by ignorance. We saw poverty as something normal.” Says George Mabela, 75, a father of 10 children and one of the oldest residents of Makaba, “Even though we had a dam, we did not see the value of tapping water from there. We thought the dam was for animals to drink water.” 

As for Davison, his story was not any different. “I have been farming for decades, but I had nothing. I was poor because of poor yields. I had no idea of how to take care of a garden,” says Davison. 

Things began to change when World Vision saw the need to support the community livelihood in 2018. Through the ANEW project. Davison was among the farmers who were picked from various Mbeza AP communities to under go training on 'Farming God’s Way' (conservation farming), business enterprise, and Savings for Transformation. 

With his newly acquired knowledge and water canals put up along the dam by World Vision, Davison did not hesitate to make an impact. He quickly established vegetable gardens growing a variety of greens transforming his life almost instantly.  

“Today, my story is different. After World Vision trained me in farming God’s way, I have seen an improvement in yields due to proper crop management and, the size of land where I cultivate is now even bigger than before,” says Davison.

Learning to walk as a group so that they can go further 

Davison was not satisfied that he was the only one whose livelihood was improving following his newly acquired knowledge, so he decided to empower his fellow community members. 

“I have come to appreciate the saying, “when you walk alone, you go fast, but when you walk as a group, you go further,” he says. “As a leader farmer, I embarked on training others within my community to farm the best way possible.” 

So far, he has trained 29 families in Makaba village in farming God’s way, and they all now have gardens, tapping water from the Makaba dam through to canals set up by World Vision. 

“It’s good to work with others and share a common goal because we share ideas, encourage each other because when you are alone, you get confined,” Davison admits. 

Natasha Mumba is a World Vision Community Development Facilitator based in Mbeza; She describes Davison as a man with “a laser focus vision” who is “doing well”, not only for himself but for his community. 

“When we picked Davison to train him as a lead farmer, we saw a man who was determined to impact his community.” She says, “What’s even more impressive is his dedication to empowering vulnerable women such as widows, and families through training.” She adds. 

The women that Davison has trained are beginning to realise their way out of abject poverty. 

“We are growing vegetables all year round for sale and home consumption,” says Tryness Hanpade, 34, mother of five children. 

 “The money I raise from the sale of vegetables I can send my children to school. If you came to my household before this garden, my life was hopeless.” She adds.  

‘Instead of constantly begging for money and help, through the garden we have been empowered as a community.” Says Monica Siyula, 58, who grows cabbage, onions, and kale for sale on her plot, “this would not be possible if Davison was not empowered as a lead farmer by World Vision.” 

Beyond gardening 

Davison is also a community agent in three savings for transformation groups. The savings group provides the Makaba community with reliable, affordable financing for farming inputs such as seeds. 

When World Vision called for volunteers to train as community agents, Davison rose to the occasion. “World Vision trained me as a community agent, I now oversee, dam site savings group, Chile savings group, and Makaba central savings group.” He says.  

“The savings group compliment the gardening that is taking place. Because people borrow from the group to invest in the gardens and also save money which they make from selling their produce”. 

Albertina Nalompota, 56, mother of seven children, praises the impact gardening has had on her life. “Through the vegetable sales and savings group, I can send my children to school” she says. “I have even diversified and gone into chicken rearing and pigs, which I now keep for resale. This has helped reduce poverty in my household. 

World Vision staffer Natasha regularly goes into the community to check on how the group is doing. She has since ensured that the group is trained in child protection and child marriage as part of 'It takes Zambia to end child marriage' campaign.

“Parents are driven into child marriage sometimes because of poverty and hunger,” Natasha says. Many may see girl children as a way to get the money they want to reduce expenses, and marrying off children removes the responsibility of taking care of them.  

“We were trained on child protection by World Vision, including how to end child marriage,” Davison says. “Marrying off children is very rampant here. But things are slowing changing people are learning”.  

Liness Malamb, 28, regularly helps out on a family garden; she says, through the garden she feels financially empowered and no longer vulnerable to exploitation as she “can make money through the garden,”

For this community growing vegetables now offers families a way out of poverty and hardship and provides an avenue to protect children, especially girls. Something they are grateful for. 

“As a community, we are thankful for the support we have received from World Vision in Zambia through the ANEW project. Life is much better than it was before” says Davison.