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Obert Chifamba Agri-Insight
TODAY is December 20! In exactly five days we will be celebrating Christmas.
This is a day commemorated to remember the birth of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. The name ‘Christmas’ comes from the Mass of Christ (or Jesus).
The day is now celebrated by people from all walks of life across the globe — whether Christians or not. It has become a time when families come together and remember the good things they have.
It is a time of giving and receiving gifts.
Globally, people have fashioned their celebrations of the day around what they do for a living with the merry-making sometimes even starting from the office at work.
In general, Christmas has been widely regarded as a day for kids in most quarters of society, but families on the farm have their own set of wishes for this holiday season.
Farmers can easily be forgiven for not wishing for anything more than the rains and a season full of promise that God has given them.
Here at home, farmers have had good crops, low tobacco yields but higher earnings than the previous season and before wrapping it up with record wheat yields that left the country flour self-sufficient.
This is something that has happened for the first time since the turn of the millennium.
It is therefore critical for the nation to just do the honourable thing of extending a big THANK YOU to farmers for putting food on our tables every day, thanks to their hard work and dedication.
As we do this we also need to remember that no matter how technically advanced we become, we still cannot live our lives without farmers.
Farmers are the ones who take care of our food and nutritional requirements so we can only demonstrate our thankfulness by including them in our prayers of the day. They truly deserve a blissful and relaxing Christmas holiday.
Agrarians put so much hard work, sweat and dedication into farming so that we get all our food requirements while our agro-based economy also gets raw materials for industry to work.
This means there will be a lot of opportunities along the value chain that will enable many other people to earn a living, all thanks to the farmers’ hard toil.
We also want to wish all the farmers, farm workers and agricultural businesses a merry Christmas and encourage those who are done planting and are already harvesting to at least take a break on this big day because when we come back in the new year, they must be more rejuvenated than ever.
They must continue leading in the country’s fight to grow its gross domestic product (GDP) through agriculture and other critical pillars of the economy like mining and tourism.
Essentially, we need to remember that as we sit down to enjoy the food and drink that they have worked hard to produce throughout the year, many of them will not be entirely relaxing in their homes but regularly stepping out to check on their land, to check on crops and tend to their animals before returning to join the rest of their families.
It is sad that as a society, we often fail to appreciate the true value of this work, the effort and sacrifices the farmers make to produce the food and drink we enjoy daily. Farmers and farm workers need special mention on this day because they are the people who make sure we celebrate on full bellies.
This is not a suggestion for people to do anything out of the ordinary but just a reminder that it would be nice if society could spare a moment around their tables to thank God for the bounty on their plates, and to say a prayer for farm families who raise that food too.
Of course, this does not have to be a ticker-tape parade or anything, but just a simple appreciation for plentiful food and hard-working food producers, especially at a time like now when the world, Zimbabwe included, is re-adjusting after the Covid-19 disruptions that saw operations grinding to a halt in the last two seasons.
It is not a secret that the tragic and extremely crippling pandemic was so disruptive that farmers could have easily withdrawn their services and taken refuge indoors like everyone was doing.
Instead, they pushed for the Government to give them the ‘essential services’ status so that they could continue supplying produce to people and make sure food was available. Such a feat needs to be applauded.
The agricultural sector emerged from this difficult patch, as one of the economic and social heroes that was there when humanity needed it direly.
Today the country is looking forward to a prosperous 2022/23 cropping season, all thanks to the farmers and their workers’ commitment to their cause. It is only befitting to wish them a special Christmas break that will enable them to re-charge and come back more revitalised.
It is also crucial for the nation to observe a moment of silence for those farmers or workers who could have succumbed to the Covid-19 virus in the line of duty while also remembering that year-in, year-out we lose loved ones to farm accidents. We must pray that in the current season our farmers and their families will be safe wherever they will be.
Our prayers must also include the need for farmers to have good crops, stable input prices and ultimately, viable prices for produce and livestock come marketing time.
In the same vein, it is also our wish that the current rains spread to all parts of the country so that we maintain the upward trajectory in yields that we have been enjoying for the past two or so seasons now. The bumper harvests achieved in recent seasons brought the much-needed reprieve for many producers who had experienced drought in the not-too-distant past.
As I wind up my Christmas message, let me remind farmers to remember to stay safe. They should continue wearing masks when in public and observe social distance.
The only way we can disrupt the spread of Covid-19 is by continuing to adhere to those non-pharmaceutical interventions that have been recommended to us.
Farm owners need to take good care of their workers and avoid abusing them either physically or mentally. Workers’ needs must be taken care of. If it were not for their valiant efforts, all the success we are bragging about might not have been realised. Farmers must remember that they need one another with the worker and make an effort to pay them better salaries.
After all, agriculture is more than a part of life. It is a passion, a lifestyle, a resilient community that works hard to feed the world. And the best Christmas gifts are the hard-working people that have surrounded us all year, the roof over our heads and the food in the fridge.
May the richness of gratitude be with you this Christmas!
Online Reporter