adminPerspective Stephen Mpofu
From the throes of virtual death and on a warpath to regain their stardom on the Zimbabwean dinner table where they were booted away by a centuries old Portuguese legacy. That is the story of the struggle for survival between maize, introduced to this country by Portuguese explorers during the scramble for Africa in the 19th century, and small grains such as sorghum pearl and finger millets which had ruled the roost since time immemorial.
Praise should be lavished on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) whose office in Harare masterminded the revival of the Cinderella but highly nutritious small grains that experts recommended as a diet for people afflicted with HIV/Aids.
Not only that, the lifeline thrown to small grains by FAO in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development (MAMID) will also be a boon to food security in Zimbabwe what with the blue print for sustainable social and economic transformation, ZimAsset, that seeks to put Zimbabwe on a path toward a brave new future.
The programme to promote small grains was launched in September 2010 with activities in the three provinces of Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Masvingo up to May 2012. Three districts per province were selected for the implementation of the project. These were Hwange, Tsholotsho and Binga (Matabeleland North); Insiza, Gwanda and Matobo — (Matabeleland South); and Mwenezi, Chivi and Chiredzi in Masvingo Province.
A massive shift to maize production throughout the country over the years has left marginal areas vulnerable to recurrent droughts and food shortages as a result of climate change caused by global warming. This year alone millions of Zimbabweans need food aid.
The FAO–MAMID Small grain paradigm shift is especially intended to give a new lease of life to farmers in the drought-ravaged marginal areas, FAO told this pen this week.
It said: “the overall objective of this project was to improve household and national food security in selected marginal drought prone areas of Zimbabwe, in line with the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (ZUNDAF) for the period between 2007 and 2011. Specifically, this was to be achieved by increasing the production, trade and consumption of small grains by promoting the adoption of improved varieties and production techniques and by strengthening the capacity of the MAMID to provide technical support.”
Ironically, the lure of maize has over the years resulted in the abandonment of small grains in dry ecological zones with serious food deficits as a result of the folly of the peasants abandoning their traditional food crops. Moreover, an increasing switch to other, cash-touch crops such as tobacco has seen a diminishing trend in the production of maize in areas where the staple reigned supreme.
In the revival of the Cinderella food crops, seed was sourced for all project beneficiaries. Field days, farmers exchange visits and demonstration plots all served to promote seed trade among farmers and other stakeholders.
During the 2010-2011 season, a farmer in Ward 22 of Gwanda district succeeded in harvesting 500kg of sorghum seed variety SV4 over an area of 0, 5 hectares, selling 150kg to the Southern Alliance of Indigenous Resources (SAFIRE), a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in the district, and the remainder to local farmers. FAO says that another farmer in Tsholotsho sold one tonne of seed to the South African seed group Panner Seed, for $0,40 a kg.
Some farmers voluntarily joined the initiative, purchasing seed from the seed multipliers and subsequently benefited from some of the inputs. In Mwenezi, Agritex secured 25kg of sorghum seed from producers for distribution to farmers in resettlement areas in the district.
FAO says breweries attended some of the field days at project sites but say greater efforts are needed if market linkages are to be established with more companies in the industry and other sectors utilising small grains. It was also noted during the project that small grains are marketed through vendors in major urban markets such as Mbare. Some hotels were accessing small grains through vendors at such market places.
According to FAO the project was successful in promoting the production, processing and marketing of small grains in marginalised areas of Zimbabwe. The project also succeeded in bringing together stakeholders involved in small grain production.
Farmers received access to good quality seed of improved varieties, while better production methods were adopted in the commercial production of small grains.
It can be said with equanimity that today small grains eke out a meagre existence in the bellies of fewer Zimbabweans than it ought to do because of its potential to contribute to food security and address the financial and nutritional problems of some sectors of the community.
To fulfil this potential FAO advises Zimbabwe to treat small grain production and consumption as a strategic venture.
It further recommends: “In this context, changes should be made to current policies, according to which export of small grains is not allowed, in particular towards neighbouring Botswana and South Africa, while only maize production is favoured, with farmers in marginal areas supplied with maize rather than small grain inputs.
“Support should be given to small grain production research while up-scaling be entrusted to Agritex. This process should cover all marginal areas of the country, while those suitable for maize production should be included to a limited extent.
“Climate change has resulted in frequent droughts in most parts of the country, with even the areas suitable for maize production affected.
“As a mitigation measure, farmers in these areas are advised to reserve a portion of their land to small grains for the purpose of food security in the event of another drought affecting the maize crop.”
FAO also recommends that:
An association of small grain seed producers, which could not be formed during project implementation, should be established through existing farmers’ organisations.
As part of its mandate, any such institution should focus on effective demand for small grain seed from farmers and other institutions, the involvement of the Department of Research and Specialist Services for seed inspection and the enforcement of viable prices.
The association should also lobby stakeholders in the market, thereby ensuring that small grains and small grains flour are readily available in shops for easy access by customers, while meals based on small grains should be available in food outlets and restaurants.
In addition, issues of packaging and branding should be adopted in order to attract more customers, while contracts with breweries and other institutions should be honoured.
The FAO-MAMID project made motorised grain threshers available to assist the reduction of post-harvest labour and to improve grain quality.
FAO says that as production increases more threshers should be made available to farmers in small grain production areas and that those involved in food processing should work towards developing ways of converting the grain into flour or other forms, incorporating issues of flavouring, blending and fast cooking.
“The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare should make the most of its visibility and join MAMID in campaigning for the production and consumption of small grains by eliminating the stigma linking small grain consumption to people living with HIV and Aids and by introducing small grain diets to other patients. The Ministry is also encouraged to educate people on the nutritional advantages of small grains compared to the more popular maize meal,” stresses FAO.
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