First Generation Interviews

In-depth face to face interviews were conducted as follows; five (5) with key respondents of my grandfather’s generation (born before 1900-1920) who took part in the establishment of the irrigation scheme and were still involved in the irrigation scheme to-date. Why this specific age group? I was much interested in the persons who were already head of a household or mature enough to be actively involved in household food security concerns for a long period of time.

Hence, the upper ceiling age group takes cognisance of the early marriages where young men and women become socially responsible for their own or extended families. Hence, in the study I was not concerned much about gender but rather a balanced inquiry and I was much more concerned with the lived experiences. Because of the age groups involved most of these people have either passed away or retired home hence, I employed a snowball rolling sampling technique in order to locate them. My first entry point was through the AGRITEX Irrigation Manager. On the 20^th of January 2018, the Irrigation Manager at Nyanyadzi AGRITEX office, helped me with his records to locate my first potential interviewee in the first generation of farmers’ category whom I called FGI 1 in the study.

On the 21^st of January 2018, I began my interview journey in the mid-morning by visiting my first potential interviewee whom I stayed with in the same neighbourhood in Alvord avenue and he happened to be my nephew. Permission seeking wasn’t difficult and the trust to open up was

concrete. We discussed the study and his role which he accepted without any fear. We did our interview seated under a big Mango tree at his homestead. The interview was audio and video recorded for further analysis and mirror data in the CLW. After a thrilling interview with Interviewee FGI 1, I asked for a lead to locate the second interviewee. He recommended me to the wife of one of the pioneers and intellectuals whom he said was very much involved from the beginning since he was a builder, and he was brought to Nyanyadzi by Rev. Alvord himself after they had worked together in Mt. Selinda irrigation scheme. The wife became my second interviewee, and I called her Interviewee FGI 2. She also stays close to our homestead; literary we are neighbours. So, after my first successful interview I just crossed over to my second potential interviewee’s house.

The woman was a friend of my grandmother’s and we grew up calling her granny. She was not shocked to see me after a long period, she expressed so much happiness. As usual she was worried about what gift she could give me from her nearby orchard. When I told her that today I had come for a different purpose she became very curious. I explained the study to her and went through all ethical procedures which she accepted and signed all the relevant documents. It was almost late in the afternoon, so we sat under her Mango tree where we did our interview. The interview was also audio and video recorded for further analysis and mirror data in the CLW. After another thrilling interview with her I also asked for my third lead and she led me to my potential third interviewee whom she said she was the widow to one of the late pioneers and more senior farmers in Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme.

Unfortunately, on the 22^nd of January 2018 I went to her house in the morning and she was said to have travelled and could only be available the next day. I was patient and I returned the following morning on the 23^rd of January 2018. When I arrived, I was invited to sit in the veranda and there came a lady of approximately 94 years of age. When I introduced myself, we could not hear each other. Furthermore, she was short sighted thus unable to sign the consent form. After I informed her my mission, she was honest and told me that she is now too old, couldn’t hear properly nor see properly and she is now forgetful, and said I have to look for another person. I asked her for a potential lead, and she directed me to a potential third interviewee. She recommended another gentleman whom she said was highly active during the time of the irrigation establishment because

he was a teacher in the Missionary school and was later invited to join the irrigation scheme as it started in the 1930s. I proceeded with the lead to my third Interviewee and it was approximately 3km away.

When I arrived, I met the gentlemen at his kraal, and he welcomed me. He recognised me as I approached, and he just laughed and asked me what I wanted. To my surprise it was my first encounter with him, but he said he recognised me through my similarities to my father and grandfather. Before I fully introduced myself and my research study, he was already narrating his involvement and the historical background of the irrigation scheme. I just found myself trailing behind and I just had to tape record on my recorder and guide the conversation as premediated in the interview guide (see Appendix E). We conducted the interview standing at the cattle kraal hence, audio recording was the major data acquisition instrument used and I would also here and there jot some notes but honestly there were very few things to jot. By the time we finished the interview that is when the wife came out of the house to meet and greet me as well. Then we completed the ethics paperwork afterwards drinking tea at the veranda, and he became my third interviewee whom I called FGI 3 in the study. I also asked for a lead to my potential fourth interviewee. He said “since I talked about the possession of the demonstration plots at the Training Centre (Nyanyadzi Vocational and Training Centre), I want you to meet and interview one of the beneficiaries. He joined the irrigation at an early age with his father and in 1967 he benefited his own plot from the plots that were repossessed by the community from the Training Centre.

The next day (24^th of January 2018) I visited my potential fourth interviewee, who stays approximately 2.5 km from my homestead. I was lucky to find him at home, when I said to him, I was lucky to find you home, he responded by saying “iya sekuru mwaguma uno kwakanaka here?

hamuziyi kuti ndaka retire here muma Acre ndaakutoswera hangu ndakarara pasi pemucha unoyu” (uncle what brought you here? Don’t you know that I retired from the plots, I am now spending my time sleeping under this Mucha tree). So ideally, we were related and I only cane to know of it on that day. Hence, my introduction wasn’t that long, and I ended explaining about my study but he was already prepared to give me the narrations I wanted. He was very open and much interested in politics of the irrigation scheme and at several times he would also ask my political affiliation or positionality which I avoided and redirected the conversation to our foci and in line

with the interviewee objectives and guide (see Appendix B, Interview guide for First Generation of farmers). He became my fourth interviewee and I called him FGI 4 and as courtesy I also asked for a lead to my potential last interviewee in their category. He recommended a gentleman he said he is older than him but much of the time he spent in town at work but later retired into full time irrigation farming. He said he might have lost the initial part of the establishment of the irrigation scheme but because he was an agriculture teacher in one of the Agricultural colleges, he had vast understanding of irrigation farming and the fact that when he came back, he went straight into the IMC and served for several decades means he was more knowledgeable. The fact that he was from C block he will give another dimension of understanding that differs from other blocks.

I took the challenge to Block C on the 25^th of January 2018, which is approximately, 4.5 km from my homestead. When I arrived at his homestead I was welcomed and invited to seat at the veranda.

When I introduced myself and my study, he called his wife who was in the house and they were extremely excited to meet me. He said, “uya uonemuzukuru wedu asi zvakanganisika takabva kumuroorera hanzvadzi yake”(come and meet our nephew but now it is complicated because we recently marry his sister). Again, another relationship was successfully forged, and hence, the proceedings were never complicated. He opened up and later offered me the book I have been looking for, I once used that book in 2008 during my undergrad research on the Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme as well. He became my last and fifth interviewee in the first generation of farmers category and I named him FGI 5.