Garden cultivation, conservation and household strategies in Zimbabwe

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Abstract
With reference to dambo utilisation in the Communal Areas of Zimbabwe, this article considers how, under conditions of unreliable rainfall, communities and households manage their land and water resources to maintain a balance between resource exploitation and conservation. Regional variations in patterns of garden cultivation are identified and related to differences in resource endowment, to variations in the interpretation and implementation of government legislation and t o contrasting histories of involvement in commodity production. It is also demonstrated that within regions domestic strategies are not rigidly fixed but may be modified over time with changes in household composition and resources available.