Resource Management, Livelihoods and Ethnic Minorities: The Case of the Doma, Northern Zimbabwe

Abstract

AbstractZimbabwe’s community-based natural resource management programme, called CAMPFIRE, was aimed at integrating biodiversity conservation with community livelihoods. This integration is far from simple, especially when two ethnic groups with different livelihood practices are drawn into one project under local political leadership. Such is the case in Chapoto Ward, in the north of Zimbabwe, where the Doma and Chikunda ethnic groups co-exist. Thus, the focus of this chapter is on how the livelihoods of the minority Doma group have been affected by the local CAMPFIRE project. Specific objectives include: identifying the livelihood practices of the Doma; assessing the impact that CAMPFIRE has had on their livelihood practices; and demonstrating the negative reinforcement of politics and ethnic bias regarding Doma livelihoods. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected using in-depth interviews with heads of households and key informant interviews, as well as document analysis. Thematic analysis was used to code responses using both Open and Axial procedures. Findings demonstrate the variety of livelihood practices in existence and show how these practices were hampered by the CAMPFIRE initiative. Ethnic discrimination and stigmatisation, which placed the Doma in a subordinate position vis-a-vis other dominant groups, further demonstrate their restricted circumstances.KeywordsCAMPFIREDomaLivelihoodsEthnicityMarginalisation