Second Generation Interviews

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.

the interviews with the first generation of farmers, I approached the AGRITEX Irrigation Manager for advice on the first participant because of the same reason that he has the records on the plot holders, and he was in a better position to know those who inherited plots from the first generation of farmers. He referred me to a fantastic second-generation farmer, whom he said had vast understanding of the transition from colonial to post-colonial irrigation farming and he had been involved in many farming training workshops and courses and he is a successful farmer of his generation. Lastly, he had been also involved as an IMC member and he is current the water bailiff of his block, which makes him more understandable to the call of my study. I was lucky on the next morning (26^th of January 2019) to meet my first potential interviewee from the second- generation category of farmers. I met him on the main canal gate to Block A where he was performing his duty as the water bailiff, allocating water. By the virtue of being our neighbouring plot holder in in Block A in Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme it was easy to negotiate his involvement in the study as my Interviewee FG2 6. We did the interview in our native language at the main water gate in Block A. The interview lasted 34:51 minutes and it was audio recorded for further analysis and for mirror data in the CLW. The interview was later transcribed and only the quoted parts were translated into English for the purpose of reporting in this study.

After the interview I asked him of a lead to my potential second interviewee from the second generation of farmers. He referred to me to nice gentlemen he described as the former IMC vice chairperson meaning he had vast knowledge of the irrigation scheme from a managerial point of view. He was also said to have been born and raised in the irrigation scheme and he has been practising irrigation farming until he inherited the plot. Now he is the rightful owner to the plot, and he was also said to be one of the best farmers in the irrigation scheme and has also sublet several pieces of plots in the irrigation under short term lease agreements. After my first interview with FG2 6, I proceeded to the house of my potential interviewee number two in the second generation of farmers group. His house was close from the Block A main gate, so he was very much in the proximity and this meant he belonged to the Block A north.

When I arrived at his house I was greeted by the wife of my potential interviewee and she referred to me as uncle. This meant that we were related, and I was not able to even explain how we were related but I was sure my negotiations for his involvement and the trust had already been built. I

refer to him as FG2 7 in the study. We had our interview seated under the Mango tree at his homestead. We had a very productive interview which lasted for almost 37:59. This interview was an eye opener. The interview was audio recorded for further analysis and mirror data in the CLW yet to come. His explanations and examples during the interview were very practical as he was referring to the plot we were looking at, the Block we were looking at and the canal network we were looking at from his homestead. So, his narrations became more than just a historical story tell but were alive to the present. As usual after the concluding of the interview I kindly asked for a lead to my potential next interviewee. He said, “ngekuti tambobhuya ngenyaya dzenhaka ndoda kukunongedzerai kune Shirikadzi iri mu Block B umo, inogona kurima chaizvo” (because we have discussed a lot about inheritance issues, I want to refer you to a Widow in Block B, she is exceptionally good at farming).

The next day morning (27^th of January 2019), I went to meet my potential third interviewee from the second generation of farmers category. I was lucky to meet her at the Block B main gate where they were being allocated watering turns. I waited until they finished organising their day’s watering roster. From the look of things, she is one of the respected female farmers and she was very vocal as well contributing towards the watering roster arrangements. After their process I approached her and told her of my study and intention to involve her as my interviewee. She said,

“iiii amunai mwese mwese zvomongouya kwandari zvambonyanya kudii, chimboendaiwo kunemamwe madzimai vanhu havazozvinzisisi. Ndakabva futi kuitwe interview neve UNDP ndikazoburitswa picture yangu pafront page vanhu vakuti vakataura taura. Anyway, zvamwatouya hambai pamunda pangu tonatse kutaura tiri ipapo tichionesana ipapo”

(aaah why is everyone coming to me, what have I done, why don’t you choose other women in the irrigation scheme, they (women) won’t understand. Recently I was interviewed by the UNDP and they put my photograph on front of the report and people gossip. Anyway, since you have come, let’s go to my plot and we can discuss at my plot showing you all you want to understand at the plot).

This confirmed to what FG2 7 had said about her as one of the good female farmers in the irrigation scheme and I called her FG2 8.

When we arrived at her plot, we sat on the water canal since it was dry. We had a particularly good

interview, she never hesitated to speak out her mind and the interview lasted for approximately 21:05 minutes. She shared with me her husband loss and how the loss motivated her to be strong and focused beyond many people’s expectations. In most of the discussions she would give her life and family’s experiences as examples and she was extremely comfortable about it. I would feel for her and had empathy for her. As a result, I decided to instead invite her to the female focus group discussion that would follow as well as the CLW that would follow as well. I also decided not to pull her life story examples into the study for anonymity and empathy reasons hence, I only audio recorded the interview and never transcribed for the purpose of the study feedback. I then asked her for a lead to my potential fourth interviewee in the second generation of the farmers’

category. She never hesitated to refer me to whom she called one of the senior farmers in Block B south. She said he was the first person to be in the fields every day and the last person to leave the fields after making sure all the gates are closed. He was also said to have inherited the plot together with his younger brother but since the younger brother is resident in Harare he is in total charge of the whole plot. He was also said to have been in and out of the IMC several times hence he is knowledgeable on both spheres managerial and farming.

Since she said he is always at his plot I knew if I go there afternoon, I was still going to meet up with him. So, I paid him a visit late in the afternoon and for sure I met him, and he was a gentleman I knew from my childhood. He was also happy to meet me and be involved in the study, I called him FG2 9. When we were in the middle of the interview, we were joined with another two gentlemen who were passing by and were curious of the discussion going on and I also thought they became curious seeing me jotting some notes and the audio recorder I was holding on the other hand. So, they came to the water canal where we were seated and they joined the conversation. There was a bit of discord but as we progressed the gentlemen learnt to be systematic, giving a chance to one another when speaking. The interview lasted 36:57 minutes, it was audio recorded and transcribed in the native language. After the interview I politely asked for a lead towards my fifth interviewee in the second-generation category. He pointed to me a gentleman in the C Block, whom he said has been successful both as a farmer and as a leader in the IMC. He described the gentleman as a leader and was said to have been seated in three consecutive IMC and he also heads a few community projects including the one that was funded by the SAFIRE in maintaining the water networks. He was also described as a class 1 builder meaning he has been

involved in most of the irrigation canal and other water related infrastructure construction in Nyanyadzi irrigation scheme. “This man could be very vital and knowledgeable in many spheres”, so he said. However, my potential 5^th interviewee in the second-generation category was approximately 6km from where I was and since I was walking it means I had to call it a day.

Considering that the next day was a Sunday I decided to go on Monday the 29^th of January 2019, because normally people go to church. I headed to Block C to meet my potential last interviewee in the second generation of farmers’ category. I was lucky to meet him at his plot where he was transplanting his tomato plants. I self-introduced the study and I politely asked for his permission to involve him in the study which he agreed. After all the ethical procedures we sat under the baobab tree where we conducted our interview and I named him FG2 10. When we were in the middle of the interview a certain man whom he referred to as his brother was passing by and greeted him and he later extended the interview invite to his brother who then came over and joined the interview. I never wanted to be distracted so I redirected the interviewee to where we had left off as outlined in the interview guide (see Appendix F, Interview guide for Second Generation of farmers). The interview lasted for approximately 31:51minutes and it was audio recorded and transcribed in the native language for further analysis and mirror data in the CLW. This marked the end of my interviews with the second generation of the farmers.