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Thandi
Thandi works for Hluhluwe Advent Crèche which provides the community with access to quality food in an area that is heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. Photo: OxfamAUS

Southern Africa

By 2020, it has been projected that between 75 and 250 million people in Africa will suffer water shortages due to climate change. Agricultural production and access to food in many African countries will be severely affected if the 20 per cent reduction in rainfall between 1950 and 1999 intensifies as a result of climate change.

Research undertaken by Oxfam Australia in 2006 with six communities in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, gives stark evidence of the challenges facing poor people in the region.

Thandi lives in Hluhluwe, a small town in this area. She works for Hluhluwe Advent Crèche, which provides the community with access to quality food in an area that is heavily affected by HIV and AIDS. She says: “We are only able to sell our vegetables when it rains. Otherwise everything we grow we have to eat ourselves, and sometimes this is not enough."

Thandi explains that before 1990 there was a lake nearby that provided fish for the community to eat. The soil was soft and easy to dig by hand and there was no need for machinery. Food was plentiful and surplus produced was stored for consumption during the dry season. Now the land is dry and there is no water to be found just under the surface. The lake has dried up. Rain tanks have been installed to collect what water there is. Even so the tanks stand dry. The local council comes around to fill up the tanks by truck, but it is not guaranteed when they will return.

“There is not enough rain and many people run short of water.”

Sifiso, Ithembalesizwe Drop-In Centre, South Africa

“The seasons are not the same as they used to be. Winter is not as cold now and summer rains are more erratic.”

Ntombifikice, Ithembalesizwe Drop-In Centre, South Africa

To grow the vegetables the community needs water. They now have a bore hole - sunk more than 80 metres to find water. It is hoped this water will support a community gardening project to provide access to nutritious food for those most vulnerable in the community. There is no guarantee that the bore hole will last, but it is their best chance.