Smallholder farmers revive dry stone wall construction techniques

Dry stonewall boundary built by smallholder farmers in Mazvihwa community assisted by Muonde Trust. Muonde Trust is a member of the PELUM Zimbabwe network. (Photo: Muonde Trust)

Smallholder farmers in Zvishavane district are using portable granite blocks and carefully laying them on top of each other without using mortar, a technic that was used to construct the Great Zimbabwe monuments between 1100 and 1450AD.

Shasha says work begins by preparing a solid foundation. This involves removing topsoil and firmly compacting the sub-soil. “We put big stones down as foundation,” he says.

The stones are then laid tightly together with their length running into the wall. Joints are covered by laying stones in such a way that one stone is on two stones and two stones on one stone. Smaller stones are used to level and secure bigger stones. Internal gaps are tightly filled for the strength of the wall.

Shasha says he gained the skill and knowledge to construct dry stone walls from Muonde Trust. “I have since constructed a stone wall that covers my yard,” he says.

Vonai Ngwenya (44) is the chairperson of Muonde Trust, a PELUM Zimbabwe network member dedicated to fomenting locally-driven creativity and development in Mazvihwa and neighbouring areas of south-central Zimbabwe.

Vonai says the dry stone wall structures that are being constructed by smallholder farmers are durable, inexpensive and multifunctional.

“They are permanent structures that reduce soil erosion and trap eroded sand. They mark boundaries including demarcating the grazing lands. They also reduce deforestation by reducing the demand for timber used during construction,” says Vonai.

Vonai says the benefits accrued through constructing dry stone walls makes the technique ideal for wider adoption. However, she pointed some challenges in constructing dry stone walls.

“It’s a task that demands power and hard labour. If the walls are not built well they might become a habitat for snakes and the walls may collapse,” says Vonai.

But these are not the only challenges. Finding the stones especially in non-mountainous areas is the biggest block for adoption. Communities keen to build dry stone walls resort to buying the stones and transporting them to the site. This increases the construction costs.

Daniel Ndlovu (33) works with Muonde Trust as a researcher.

“We provide smallholder farmers with knowledge and skills on how to construct the structures and also educate them on the importance of dry-stone walls to the ecosystem,” says Daniel.