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chroniWe are headed for one of our best harvests in 34 years this year thanks to the wettest farming season Zimbabwe has had in 50 years or so.
The past 13 farming seasons have been especially bad because of low rainfall, too much of it in one or two years, or lack of inputs. Widespread food shortage and poor nutrition resulted and the economy was adversely affected as agriculture is its backbone. The worst phase of the dryness and food shortage even had political implications between 2004 and 2008.
We were getting used to the adversity, which was, to some extent inexplicable as our neighbours, South Africa, Malawi and Zambia tended to receive more rainfall than us in recent years and as such realising better harvests.
But barring unforeseen negative circumstances in the next three to four weeks, we are likely to realise a huge harvest unseen in Zimbabwe since the 1982, 1983 and 1984 seasons, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister, Dr Joseph Made said recently.
He said the country would record surplus in all cereals including maize, sorghum and millet as well as other food crops such as sugar beans and groundnuts.
“Agriculture’s contribution to economic development is set to surpass targets enshrined in the People’s Manifesto of 2013 and Zim-Asset,” said Dr Made.
“In the cereals area, that includes all cereals, we are looking at not less than two million tonnes of maize, sorghum, millet, sugar beans and groundnuts. To the Zimbabweans, this season’s harvest is likely to be reminiscent of the 1982/84 benchmark.”
We are set to have more than enough for national food requirements, he said, so we should export this year, something we last did more than a decade ago.
Food shortage is one of the key defining characteristics of poverty, in addition to homelessness, of course. We should overcome the former this year, praying for better fortunes in the coming years.
The rural economy that is grounded in agriculture should rebound significantly. Household food supply will be secure, with many farmers expected to sell the surplus.
The positive forecast is down to favourable natural factors, specifically the plentiful rains, not just that we had adequate inputs this time. We have generally had enough inputs before, yet crops were scorched in the sun.
President Mugabe mobilised about $20 million to buy seed and fertiliser for about 1,6 million farmers countrywide this season. The government also contributed, as did a few humanitarian organisations. This is plausible, thus more investment in this sector is required because some among us are so poor they lack money to buy inputs. But seed alone, without sufficient rainfall, count for nothing.
One factor that is sobering as we celebrate a potential season of plenty is that while the rain was falling, most of it is going down to the ocean since we have limited infrastructure to dam rainwater. Where the dams exist, there are no irrigation systems to utilise their water to grow crops. This is one area that Dr Made’s ministry has to focus on more strongly — development of new irrigation capacity and boosting the existing schemes, be they community-driven or private. But his ministry can only lead work in that respect if the Ministry of Water invests in dams and other strategies to harness water.
It is important for government and its development partners to enhance our ability to store water, and build irrigation capacity so that in years of drought, we would still be able to farm produce under irrigation.
We foresee bouncing silos on a national scale, but naturally there would be pockets of distress somewhere. Farmers in Tokwe-Mukosi, for instance had their crops affected by floods. The same may apply to other places affected by incessant rains, like Tsholotsho. Such places need some aid.
Another challenge that arises amid abundance are post-harvest losses, particularly at household level. It is an area of our agriculture that tends to be overlooked yet has immense implications for national food security.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation says food spoilage and waste account for annual losses of $310 billion in developing countries, where nearly 65 percent of lost food occurs at the production, processing and post-harvest stages. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, up to 150kg of food produced is lost per person every year. Depending on the crop, between 15 and 35 percent of food may be lost before it even leaves the field. Pests and diseases can devastate a farmer’s output once it has been harvested and is stored for sale or consumption.
“In most communal areas of the country,” FAO says on Zimbabwe, “grain production is characterised by one year of good production followed by two or three years of deficit. That is why long-term post-harvest storage is so important.”
Research and investment in inputs, dams, and irrigation capacity are important. They, however, have to be complemented by improved post-harvest systems and investment for lasting food security to be achieved.
Online Reporter