A wave of transformation is sweeping through Dukana as local youth and women take the lead in climate adaptation through solar-powered farming initiatives that are turning dry lands into thriving green spaces.
Building on the solarisation of the Dukana II borehole and the expansion of community water networks, new shade-net farms have been established for the Dukana Youth for Peace Group and the Dukana Mazingira Farmers Group.
Both farms are now fully connected to the main water pipeline, a milestone that is unlocking opportunities for sustainable dryland agriculture and community resilience.
The initiative, implemented under SND Africa’s integrated resilience programs, demonstrates how layering multiple interventions, from water access to renewable energy and farming, creates a foundation for lasting impact.
The new ventures build on earlier success stories from the Shamo Tuna Self-Help Farmers and the Step-by-Step Women Group, whose vegetable farms have already transformed once-barren land into productive plots.
Their farms now yield spinach, onions, kale, and carrots, nutritious crops that support local diets and incomes where drought once dictated despair.
This model of “layering”, where each intervention strengthens the one before it, has become a hallmark of sustainable development in Dukana.
Access to reliable water now fuels education, nutrition, and livelihoods, creating a ripple effect that strengthens the entire community.
Women and youth have become the driving force behind these changes, leading local climate adaptation and agro-innovation efforts..