THE government has urged farmers in drier regions to abandon maize in favour of small grains to ensure food security in the face of increasingly harsh climatic conditions.
In a renewed push for climate-smart agriculture, the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development ministry is scaling up rural support through community-based farmer field schools.
Speaking on government’s broader agricultural programmes, ministry chief director Medlinah Magwenzi warned farmers of the risks associated with planting maize in regions 4 and 5 that receive low and unreliable rainfall.
“If you plant maize in regions four and five, you will be the first to cry,” Magwenzi warned.
“Traditional grains like sorghum and millet will always perform better.”
Her comments are part of a wider strategy to shift rural farmers from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture by promoting crops that are resilient to climate shocks.
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The government is leveraging village business units and farmer field schools, led by village heads with technical support from agricultural extension officers, to drive this message home.
“Pharmaceutical schools (farmer field schools) are not supposed to be led by Agritex officers, but by the village heads,”Magwenzi noted.
“The village head is the person who knows families starving within the area. Agritex officers get there to educate and train, but it is led by the village head.”
The initiative includes geo-mapping of the schools to allow for remote monitoring and the organisation of field days where successful farmers can showcase best practices.
“These are classrooms set for free by farmers that excel.
“Field days show what is on the ground and measure how much knowledge has been adopted.”
While the programme also covers fisheries and the commercialisation of crops like sweet potatoes, the emphasis on small grains in drier regions remains the cornerstone of the food security push.
Magwenzi stressed that farmers should understand markets and returns, adding that no agricultural activity should be done for its sake.