The Water Harvester

by Mary Witoshynsky

Zvishavane, in southern Zimbabwe, is an arid yet starkly beautiful terrain where small-scale farmers struggle with fragile soils and erratic rainfull for often fruitless returns. Yet it was here that Zephaniah Phiri had the wisdom, vision and strength of character to transform a resource-starved subsistence plot into a fertile smallholding.

This book is Mr Phiri's story. It is more than a simple environmental story; it reveals the family survival strategies of a man with immense courage, wisdom and generosity. Distilled by Mr Phiri's sage reflection and told in his own words, the story is imbued with his idioms, his rhythms and his experience. One feels refreshed-inspired by this champion of human dignity; a man whose endurance enabled him to found one of the first indigenous NGOs in Zimbabwe - the Zvishavane Water Project. From here Mr Phiri is able to convey the power of self-reliance throughout the often neglected small-scale farming sector of southern Africa. Far beyond this broad community, the book invites readers to celebrate the boundless potential for human fulfilment.

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