Small holder farmers in rural Gwanda, a region in Zimbabwe that borders South Africa, have been affected by a double shock – a combination of heat, droughts and floods caused by climate change, and water contamination and damaged land caused by illegal, small-scale mining.

Droughts in Gwanda have significantly affected rural farmers and increased over the past 40 years. This has left many families impoverished after harvests failed. Illegal, small-scale mining for gold in Zimbabwe has resulted in deforestation, land degradation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity in the area, making the problem worse.

Not all small-scale mining in Zimbabwe is illegal. Some artisanal miners have a valid mining claim, a licence to engage in mining activities on an allocated piece of land, and pay taxes to the local authorities and government. Illegal small-scale mining, on the other hand, is mining without permits in any area where the miners suspect that there is gold. There are an estimated 400,000 illegal, small-scale miners in Zimbabwe.