JULY Sithole (51) became a hero overnight in Chidaba Village in Mwenezi and is now a target of beggars this season as he boasts of plentiful sorghum and pearl millet flourishing on the small piece of land at his homestead.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
Sithole is one of many farmers in Mwenezi District who, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), are implementing a small grain promotion programme under the Food Security Climate Resilience Facility (FoodSecure) during the 2015/2016 season.
“Small grain production is the way to go in this area. Mwenezi is hot and dry. I am happy that I am one of the smallholder farmers in this village who successfully embraced small grain production. I have plenty of sorghum for consumption and a surplus for sale,” he said.
“The little rains that we got in this area this season were enough for the sorghum and millet to grow and ripe. I practised conservation farming methods to fully utilise the little moisture and here I am today, I have plenty. I used to farm maize, but I did not yield anything because of drought and other climate change effects,” Sithole said.
Under the project, 50 lead farmers and 500 ordinary farmers were empowered with inputs such as seed and fertilisers and were trained on the production of small grain and conservation agriculture. The farmers were drawn from five wards in Mwenezi.
Conservation farming is a system or practice aimed at conserving soil and water by using surface cover or mulch to minimise run off and erosion and improve the conditions for plant growth. It involves planting crops directly into the land, which is protected by mulch using minimum or no-tillage techniques. Mwenezi district agronomist, Jemitias Denhere, said it was time farmers in the area shun maize production and take up small grain farming for them to yield good harvests.
“It is the time for farmers in Mwenezi to stop maize production for they have been harvesting little or nothing. I am happy that the demonstration of smart agriculture is a success and that farmers will now focus on small grain production,” he said.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“The farmers who invest in maize production get nothing, but a farmer like Sithole is going to get 2,5 tonnes of sorghum per hectare 0,5 hactare though some can get more than that. The farmers should now understand what we meant by conservation farming. And I am confident that after the next farming season, every farmer will spare a piece of land for small grain production.”
The district is in region five and, therefore, receives low, erratic and poorly distributed rainfall, averaging 350mm in a normal year. According to WFP, Mwenezi is one of the most affected by the impact of poor rainfall linked to El Niño.
According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) 2015 assessment, Mwenezi is one of the most food-insecure districts with an estimated prevalence of 31% at the peak of 2015/2016 lean season.
Speaking during a field day held at Sithole’s homestead recently, WFP’s donor relations and communications officer, Sophia Robele, said the Food Secure Programme in Mwenezi would go a long way in changing the mindset of other farmers to venture into small grain farming.
“The small grains production pilot programme launched in Mwenezi district in October 2015 in partnership with Agritex has benefitted more than 550 smallholder farmers and boosted crop production even amidst the harsh season and El Niño-induced drought. Farmers with some of the best plots were able to showcase their successful yields, allowing government stakeholders, private sector and the wider community to witness the difference made by utilising drought-tolerant small grains and conservation agriculture techniques as promoted by the project,” she said.
“In allowing other farmers to see the benefits, the project and field days event has helped shift mind-sets towards greater use of these agricultural methods and use of small grains, which will allow communities to withstand the impact of drought and enhance food security.”
Climate change, a global phenomenon, has not spared Zimbabwe with areas like Mwenezi being the most affected. The villagers have been surviving on donations from non-governmental organisations. The government has since declared the current drought a national disaster and requested a whopping $1,6 billion in assistance.
Ivan Craig, chief agronomist at SeedCo, said farmers needed to be taught ways to sustain themselves in the harsh conditions and urged farmers not to be stubborn by sticking to maize production with poor yields due to Mwenezi’s climatic conditions.
“About 15 years ago I attended a field day in Ward 6. We saw a field with two distinct crops — that is maize and sorghum. The sorghum was doing well, while the maize had dried up. For the past years farmers have been stubborn and kept on investing in maize farming in these harsh conditions and getting nothing during harvest time,” he said.
“They should grow small grains and they are assured of yielding something. The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) used to say if you bring a sack of sorghum you will get a sack of maize. Likewise If these farmers grow sorghum they will sell it to beer brewing companies like Delta and others and use that money to buy the maize which they like.”
However, after a successful programme by some of the Mwenezi farmers, the district is poised for a historic food alleviation exercise as small grain production by the 550 farmers has proved to be a success.
For now Sithole is one such farmer who can testify that stubbornness doesn’t pay as he will soon fill the small silo behind his hut with sorghum and pearl millet.
