Chronicle Editor
VICE-PRESIDENT Kembo Mohadi has urged the private sector and development partners to complement Government efforts to mitigate the effects of the El Nino-induced drought, which is threatening our national herd. Cde Mohadi said there is a need for collaborative efforts to mitigate the effects of drought hence the call for the private sector to come on board.
Government is funding various programmes aimed at mitigating the impact of drought and save livestock. These include supplementary feeding, water harvesting, establishment of fodder banks, rangeland management and animal health management.
President Mnangagwa has declared this year’s drought a State of Disaster, to enable Government to mobilise resources within and outside the country to fight hunger and also save livestock. Most areas in Matabeleland, Midlands and Masvingo provinces are facing water shortages for both domestic use and for watering livestock.
Government is therefore overwhelmed by the demand for resources to improve water supplies, provide supplementary feeding for livestock and drought relief food for insecure families as most families did not harvest anything this year. It is against this background that Cde Mohadi is calling on the private sector, development partners and NGOs to support Government efforts to mitigate the effects of drought.
Cde Mohadi said there is a need for proper management of grazing land to save the national herd, which is under threat as a result of the drought. It is during such difficult times that we, as a nation, appeal to our citizens in the diaspora to assist families back home with resources to buy food and even fund drought-mitigating projects such as borehole drilling to save livestock.
Zimbabweans in the diaspora have over the years come to the rescue of families back home during drought years and we have no doubt that they will or are already assisting their families.
It is pleasing to note that a group of Zimbabweans based in South Africa started the Matabeleland Borehole Drilling Project (MBDP) more than two years ago.
More than 300 diasporans who come from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces pooled resources together to buy R3,5 million worth of borehole drilling equipment to address Matabeleland region’s perennial water challenges.
The group intends to drill a borehole for each of the members before expanding the project to their respective communities. The objective is to ensure families and surrounding communities have water for domestic and agricultural activities.
It is such initiatives that complement Government efforts to mitigate the effects of drought. We want more diasporans to fund such projects, which do not only lessen the impact of droughts but also improve communities’ livelihoods. Companies, especially those in the beef industry should also fund projects to save the national herd such as providing supplementary feeding or drilling boreholes to improve availability of water for livestock.
Government has realised that due to climate change, rain-fed agriculture is no longer sustainable hence its pushing for more hectares to be put under irrigation farming. Companies can also fund the establishment of irrigation schemes to boost food production thereby guaranteeing adequate raw materials for food manufacturing companies. We have said it before that Zimbabweans should take the lead in investing in their country. Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo (Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo).
Online Reporter