ABSTRACT

The physical and social environmental repercussions of large dam construction have pre-occupied development discourse for some time globally. Literature on dam projects focuses on the displacement of humans and wildlife from their natural habitats and the dam’s contribution to urban and industrial transformation. There is a dearth of literature on small dams and small-scale irrigation projects in communal areas. This article examines the status of Mushandike irrigation scheme, which was designed to transform the lives of rural people located in the semi-arid ecological region of southern Zimbabwe. We used ethnographic principles of data generation guided by a feminist theoretical framework to get to women farmers’ lived experiences. Mushandike small-scale irrigation scheme has been a ‘hydrology of hope’ for women farmers for many years. However, multifarious factors, both natural and human-induced, are turning it into a ‘hydrology of despair’. Although farming is still done from a business perspective, water stress due to an inefficient water and land allocation management system, linked to patriarchal ideological practices, has driven the irrigation scheme onto a difficult trajectory. The article recommends a paradigm shift in the irrigation scheme’s management to ensure that the original ethos – that irrigation farming is equivalent to formal employment – is re-adopted.

摘要

一段时间以来，大型水坝建设对物理和社会环境的影响一直是全球发展话题的焦点。有关大坝项目的文献侧重于人类和野生动物从其自然栖息地流离失所以及大坝对城市和工业转型的贡献。关于公共区域的小型水坝和小型灌溉项目的文献很少。本文考察了 Mushandike 灌溉计划的现状，该计划旨在改变位于津巴布韦南部半干旱生态区的农村人民的生活。我们使用以女权主义理论框架为指导的数据生成的民族志原则来了解女性农民的生活经历。多年来，Mushandike 小规模灌溉计划一直是女性农民的“希望之水”。然而，多种因素，包括自然因素和人为因素，正在将其变成“绝望的水文学”。尽管从商业角度来看，农业仍然是在进行，但由于水土资源分配管理系统效率低下以及父权制意识形态实践导致的用水压力，已使灌溉计划走上了艰难的轨道。该文章建议对灌溉计划的管理进行范式转变，以确保重新采用最初的精神——灌溉农业等同于正式就业。使灌溉计划走上了艰难的轨道。该文章建议对灌溉计划的管理进行范式转变，以确保重新采用最初的精神——灌溉农业等同于正式就业。使灌溉计划走上了艰难的轨道。该文章建议对灌溉计划的管理进行范式转变，以确保重新采用最初的精神——灌溉农业等同于正式就业。