The last time it rained in Malunga was in January. The rainy season ended early in this part of the Motobo District of southwestern Zimbabwe, on the fringe of the Kalahari. The village only recorded 181 mm of rain during the rainy season, due to an El Niño-induced drought. The region is arid regardless and even in the best of years it wouldn’t get more than 400 mm of rain. But that’s enough to grow pearl millet and sorghum.

My Crop Trust colleague, Beri, and I joined our partner from the Zimbabwe Ministry of Agriculture to meet the farmers of Malunga. A group of 28 farmers awaited us under a tree and had a table displaying their seed. Our partner, Dewe, spoke to the group about microdosing fertilizers while they wrote notes and asked questions.

I took a series of photos of the farmers holding the crops and they asked if they could have copies of my photos. I felt a bit bad because my photos focussed more on the seeds rather than the farmer. So I suggested that if any of the farmers wanted a photo of themselves without seeds, that I would shoot them and we’d get Dewe to print the photos. All 28 farmers queued up to get their picture taken. For an hour or so, I went one by one and shot portraits.

The personalities of the farmers came through in the photos. Some didn’t smile naturally but I learned a Ndebele term for ‘be happy’ or similar. Without fail, every time the farmers heard the foreigner try to speak their language they broke out in huge smiles.

The farmers didn’t have much material wealth but they had an enormous wealth of joy … something I see continuously in my travels in Africa. As I was leaving a farmer named Robert, who apologised when I photographed him since his jacket was torn, asked me that when I return, could I bring him a kangaroo hat. I’d rather bring him a new jacket but if I ever do return to Malunga I will bring that kangaroo hat for my new friend, Robert.