CHAPTER FOUR
4.3 The Research Area
productivity, vegetation clearance, landscape alterations, the introduction of toxins into the soil and the accumulation of surface waste materials. Additionally, overstocking of domestic livestock and wildlife results in land degradation, especially when combined with poor cultivation techniques and/or excessive cultivation, particularly in marginal areas, (ibid).Land degradation contributes to the reduction of crop yields.
4.3.3.1 Topography and Geology Vegetation
The area is agro-ecological region 1V and V of Zimbabwe. The dominant vegetation is acacia. Though the area is virtually bare from over harvesting of trees for firewood, there are crops of acacia punctuated by short grasses.
Climate
Sanale village of Filabusi communal lands, in Insiza District is situated in agro- ecological regions 1V and V of Zimbabwe where the temperatures range between 30 - 38 degrees and rainfall range between 200mm to 650mm. Most of the rainfall is received during the months of November to February. The prevailing winds are southeast to north westerly. In general the area is predominantly dry and is classified semi-arid (Sibanda and Magaya 2001).
4.3.3.2 Socio-economic baseline
Sanale is an area found in Filabusi's ward 9 under Mpumelelo village of the Insiza district. Insiza district has 18 wards. Ward 9, under which the project falls, has 17 kraal heads, I headman and a councillor. The ward is made up of 8 villages, namely, Gwenyimo, Mpumelelo, Ukuthula, Vukuzenzele A and B, Qubekani, Sibambene and Bambanani. Each village has about 500 people.
4.4 Demographic Characteristics of sample population
4.4.1 Gender
The study sought to establish the gender composition of the respondents. Table 4.1 below presents the gender composition of the sample population. In depth household interviews were held with 10 respondents. Of these respondents, 6 were female and 4 were male. The focus group comprised of 9 respondents of which all were females. These were from the same village.Moreover,2 females and I male were interviewed as key informants. One key informant represented government department in the area and the remainder were from donor groups that assisted the community in question.
Table 4.1
Characteristics Household Focus Group
Female 6 9
Male 4 0
Total 10 9
As noted by UNDP (2000) 60% of the households in rural areas are headed by women who run family holdings. The same is true when it comes to participation in projects.
Since the project is run predominantly by women it meant more female headed households were intentionally selected.
4.4.2 Marital Status
The study also sought to understand the marital status of the respondents. This is presented in Table 4.2 below. The study results highlight that a larger proportion of informants are married. Out of the 10 household respondents 8 are married with 2 respondents being widowed. The same scenario also prevailed in the focus group. In this category,of the 9 respondents,8 were married whilst 1 was a widow.
Table 4.2
Characteristics Household Focus Group
Single 0 0
Widowed 2 1
Divorced 0 0
Married 8 9
All the women interviewed took an active role in the execution of projects in Sanale asawayof deriving benefits for the whole household.
4.4.3 Number of people in Household
Whatever their marital status, the study wanted to ascertain the number of people in sample households. As presented in table 4.3 below all respondents have numerous
children and dependents. The size of households ranged from 5 - 12 members. Such households included parents (biological or in-laws), siblings and relatives.
Table 4.3
Household size Household
1 - 5 1
5-8 2
8+ 7
Total 10
In a rural setting household size, its structure and the availability of income earners are fundamental conditions for determining household vulnerability. The smaller household is likely to experience labour shortages, which is a critical factor in communal or subsistence economies. The other reason for extended families is to pool the labour resource which undoubtedly is a factor determining output. However, this is in contrast to Kandlhela's (2002: 63) assertion that poverty is more prevalent in large households and that poverty ratios increase with each additional household member.
4.4.4 Age of Respondents
Table 4.4 below shows the age distribution of the sample population. The table highlights that most household respondents fall between the ages of 36 and 55 years. This was also the case in the focus group. 3 respondents in household interview and 1 in focus group fell in the 56 and 65 years category. Few respondents, 2 in household and 1 in focus group, fell in the 26 - 35 years category. There were no respondents in the 8 to 25 years category.The age distribution into various categories was deliberate.
Table 4.4
Characteristics: age Household Focus Group
8 - 15 0 0
16 - 25 0 0
26 - 35 2 I
36 - 55 5 7
56 - 65 3 1
Total 10 9
The fact that there were no respondents in the 8 -25 years category may be due to the fact that the sample did not conveniently include youth, or it was biased or were not around during the research period. It can also be due to the fact that the involvement of the youth is limited. If the latter is true, this could be due to the fact that most youths at that age prefer to migrate into cities in search of paid employment. Working the land is viewed as work of elders who cannot find paid employment. In Matabeleland one of the economic activities, though detrimental to the environment, is gold panning. Most youths in Sanale are leaving their community to go on gold panning escapades. The fact that most respondents fell within 36 and 55years of age may be an indicator that those involved in projects are the elderly who do not entertain the idea of migrating in search of employment or have retired to rural areas where they find salvation in project activities.
The 10 respondents in the household interviews worked on the project and were conveniently available on the day of the research. The researcher was helped by the project coordinator to identify these members.