BY ADMIRE JAMU-MLAMBO It is 5:30am on a Saturday morning in Bikita district, Masvingo province, 320km to the south of the capital Harare.
Melodious bird choruses break the early morning silence.
Tafara Nzuva (28) has just woken up and is already busy cleaning the columbarium for pigeons and feeding the flock.
Pigeon farming is now part and parcel of his life, but growing up, it was not on his to-do wishlist.
He never imagined himself taking care of pigeons, let alone as a livelihood.
“Growing up, my father wanted me to enrol at an agricultural college so that I could become a full-time qualified farmer,” he says with a smile.
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“I had to go for a diploma in journalism and communication, something that I thought would be of great use as the world is now technologically advanced with the use of information technology and getting connected to the global village.”
Nzuva was not alone in his dreams as many youths are migrating from rural to urban areas, flooding the cities and towns in search of better employment opportunities.
For more than eight years, Nzuva searched for a job in vain.
The only opportunity he got was to be a sit-in reporter in a newsroom and it was less rewarding as he got paid only for published stories.
Others of his age risked life and limb as they crossed the crocodile-infested Limpopo River into neighbouring South Africa, running away from Zimbabwe’s biting economic hardships.
Hearing how dangerous the bush trips were, Nzuva was forced to consider his father’s idea of venturing into farming.
“Many youths think getting white collar jobs and sitting behind a computer is more rewarding, but that is not always the case,” the bachelor told NewsDay.
“Some are lucky to paid handsomely, but as we always read in newspapers, many people are struggling to make ends meet. When it comes to farming, patience is the name of the game. I started off with 20 pigeons as a trial run.”
Life in the city was becoming more difficult for Nzuva, so he trekked the long road back to his rural Bikita home — US$100 in the pocket.
“I used change from my bus fare (US$80) to kickstart my project and my first dovecote was a makeshift made of disused wood,” he says.
In about two-and-a-half years, Nzuva’s flock of pigeons had multiplied.
This gave him more work to do.
He had to buy feed, build a bigger and safer dovecote to prevent his birds from being attacked by predators.
“I was encouraged after seeing my flock grow.
“My dovecote became smaller as the birds grew in number. I was forced to build a big one-roomed house,” Nzuva narrates.
“After about two-and-a-half years, my birds had reached more 500 in number. I then decided to sell 400 and got US$2 000.”
While running the project, Nzuva realised that he could use his journalism skills to advertise and market his business.
“I did not study journalism in vain as I am now using the knowledge I got while studying to promote my business on digital platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp. Through the proceeds from my pigeon business, I managed to buy a laptop and cellphone,” he says.
“I now sell part of my flock for slaughter in large numbers to food outlets and butcheries after every fortnight.”
“Due to the huge rewards in the business, I have managed to build two new dovecotes so as to grow the flock. I now have a steady monthly income of US$250,” Nzuva added
Although Nzuva’s business is flourishing, his biggest challenge is diseases that are threatening his flock.
“My business is growing very well, but diseases such as cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis and psittacosis are threatening to wipe off my flock,” he says.
“To make matters worse, I have to travel about 40km to the shops to buy the medication, which is too far, especially in an emergency.”
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