Back in the rural areas the people gather wild plants, a traditional meal in times of hardship.

BBC: Famine plagues Zimbabwe

Experts have settled on a policy of limiting intervention, but providing some support, especially in times of hardship -- which has helped to bring people a little closer to these ghosts of the desert.

CNN: Ghost towns and wild horses in world's oldest desert

They also found people willing to help them and even in times of terrible hardship to share something of their lives.

BBC: iPhone photo app aims at relief effort

People were unable to tell expensive from inexpensive wines, and so in these times of financial hardship the message is clear - the inexpensive wines we tested tasted the same as their expensive counterparts.

BBC: Cheap wine 'good as pricier bottles' - blind taste test