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Sharon Shayanewako
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa’s popular mantra of leaving no one and no place behind is being operationalised during the on-going Pfumvudza/Intwasa inputs distribution with farm workers also receiving inputs as a way of boosting food security.
Pfumvudza/Intwasa is a concept aimed at climate-proofing agriculture by adopting conservation farming techniques and involves the use of small portions of land and the application of the correct agronomic practices for higher yields.
Speaking at a Presidential Winter Wheat Field Day held at Craigengower Farm in Mazowe District last Friday, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr John Basera, revealed that this year, no one would be left behind under Pfumvudza, including farm workers around the country.
“Our theme for this year is to achieve food security at all costs. We also want to target farm workers with inputs under Pfumvudza programme. We want to make sure that they follow or adhere to Pfumvudza principles such as digging holes and mulching, among other preparations before they receive inputs.
“The idea is to achieve one of the main objectives of Vision 2030 of leaving no one and no place behind”.
In an interview with The Herald yesterday, chief agronomist Agriculture and Rural Development Advisory Service (ARDAS) Rutendo Nhongonhema commented that most farm workers had access to land and they will be given inputs depending on their landholding but mostly for one plot.
Meanwhile, the Government will avail inputs that match the climatic and soil requirements for each of the country’s various agro-ecological regions, a move that will certainly alleviate food shortages in regions, which receive little rainfall as they would be producing crops that are suited to their weather conditions.
The Presidential Input Programme is targeting three million farmers up from last year’s season 2, 7 million in communal, A1, small-scale commercial farming, old resettlement and peri-urban farming sectors for cereals, oilseeds and legumes.
Since inception, the Pfumvudza programme has assisted vulnerable smallholder farmers improve their livelihoods and their perspective on methods of agriculture by venturing into intercropping for nutrition.
Government has already released $20 billion towards the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme to boost food security.
The 2022/23 summer programme’s strategic objective is to sustainably increase crop production and productivity to meet and surpass the national requirements for both human consumption and industrial use through the implementation of the key tenets of the Agriculture Recovery Plan.
Online Reporter