ABOUT 300 households from Caledonia, Tafara and Mabvuku high-density suburbs, are set to benefit from a sack-growing potato project launched this week by the internationally-renowned Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ (CJCLDS) development and humanitarian arm Latter-Day Saints Charities Division (LDS Charities), it has emerged.
Tonderayi Matonho
The pilot project, launched at the church’s Tafara-Mabvuku Chapel, by a senior representative of the Harare-Zimbabwe Stake in the CJCLDS, president Edgar Gram, who said more than 20 000 members and non-members of the church stood to benefit from the project which was approved by the first presidency of the church based in the Unites States of America. “We have received chemicals, potato seeds and other supporting materials enough to cover every household selected. In fact, the whole equipment is enough to cover about 33 000 hectares, which means we have a huge surplus,” said Gram during the packed launching ceremony.
Beneficiaries will undergo a training workshop next week on how to grow potatoes in sacks.
The focus of the project is to reduce poverty and given considerable success will culminate into a bigger project using increased anchorage.
Bishop Jeffery Manjowe, speaking on behalf of other bishops of the church in the area, encouraged beneficiaries to work together harmoniously and avoid conflict.
An excited Ranganai Kuimba, a beneficiary, said she was happy with the launch of the project in the community.
“We were hearing about this idea of growing potatoes in sacks from other areas and how such projects were being successful and now that it has come into our area, I am so excited. I will definitely strive to work hard in this project,” she said.
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In separate interviews, local leaders also welcomed the introduction of the project in the community.
“This is a welcome development for the local people as this will uplift them economically,” said Mabvuku-Tafara MP James Maridadi (MDC-T).
He added that such efforts needed to be emulated by other churches as this indicated that churches were not only spiritual, but could also offer temporal service and this should also be complemented by government institutions to help in uplifting local living standards.
Councillor for Ward 46, Luckmore Mangawa (Zanu PF), said potato-growing in sacks “uses low-cost technologies that are also environment-friendly and this project is quite welcome, given also the state of the environment”.
Councillor for Ward 19, Joseph Rose (MDC-T), said the project would create and provide “job opportunities to members and non-members in the community and also provide a market for potatoes thus creating income for many households”.
Growing potatos in sacks is proving to be a very popular venture in most parts of Harare and its environs with consumption rates and patterns now exceeding total output.
In the Southern Africa region, LDS Charities has provided humanitarian support and aid to flood victims in Mozambique.
