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Tendai Rupapa–Senior Reporter
AGRIC4SHE patron, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, yesterday joined thousands of women from Mashonaland East Province in harvesting crops that were grown with her involvement, as she leads from the front in encouraging hard work to meet the nutritional and financial needs of households through climate-proofed farming techniques.
Song and dance also punctuated the day as those who came out tops in Agric4She Pfumvudza farming competitions were duly rewarded by the mother of the nation.
They received certificates and prizes, which included ox drawn plough, harrow, ammonium nitrate and compound D fertilisers, chemicals, knapsack sprayers, vegetable kits, maize and wheat seed, soyabean seed and fruit trees.
Mashonaland East was the third province to witness the emphatic life changing Agric4She launch in November last year where the First Lady, who has a passion for the economic empowerment of women and marginalised communities, handed over inputs.
A hands-on person, Amai Mnangagwa, together with women from the surrounding communities, then planted sorghum, sunflower, groundnuts and maize in the Pfumvudza demonstration plots owned by Mrs Tracy Mufambi of Warikandwa Village.
Yesterday, she went back to help in harvesting the crops.
Dr Mnangagwa, a farmer in her own right, showed extensive knowledge of farming and effortlessly participated in harvesting activities that were taking place, which included digging and plucking groundnuts, shelling maize and bagging the grain.
Crops harvested included maize, sorghum and groundnuts.
AGRIC4SHE patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and Minister of State and Devolution for Mashonaland East Aplonia Munzverengwi yesterday joined other women in harvesting rapoko at Mrs Tracy Mufambi’s demonstration plot on which Dr Mnangagwa last November led women in planting various types of traditional crops.
The harvest was plentiful and Agritex officers said it takes 56 maize cobs to fill a bucket of shelled grain, which can feed a family of five for a week.
According to estimations by agritex officers, from the 39×16 metre Pfumvudza plot, Mrs Mufambi boasts of 1,2 tonnes of maize, seven bags sunflower, 10×50 bags of sorghum and 10×50 bags of groundnuts.
The yield will be sufficient for her family for the whole year and part of next season.
Other fields at the plots would be for reserve for future use in her granaries while some will be taken to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB).
Dr Mnangagwa led in the planting of fruit trees at the Warikandwa Primary School orchard.
The fruit trees included avocadoes, mangoes, guavas and oranges.
She further encouraged all the women who attended to proceed with horticulture.
The women also got inputs such as fertilisers, vegetable kits, sorghum seed and wheat seed from the First Lady to start winter wheat production.
“I greet you all and your families with happiness. I came here with the Agric4She programme focusing on the Zimbabwean woman so that we could attain high yields to transform our families, communities and the whole nation,” said the First Lady.
“Today, we are back with a field day under the theme, ‘Going for growth leaving no woman and no place behind'”.
Under Agric4She, Dr Mnangagwa said 26 000 women benefited.
AGRIC4SHE patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Minister of State and Devolution for Mashonaland East Aplonia Munzverengwi, Mrs Tracy Mufambi and other women harvest groundnuts in Mashonaland East yesterday.
She has also handed out inputs to all women in both rural and urban areas.
“On November 24 last year, we were here ploughing under Agric4she Pfumvudza and we are now harvesting. Nhasi tadzoka kuzokohwa. Pfumvudza helps in terms of climate change. We attained high yields which removes the need to import grain and we transfer the foreign currency to other areas of need.
“It is my humble plea to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development to come up with machines that are ideal for women which we can use in both planting and harvesting crops. We must never tire but continue farming.
“You must practise family planning so that you get time to work since we cannot work when we have children annually.
“Family planning does not translate to stopping child bearing, but promotes spacing. We are not saying we should not give birth, but the Ministry of Health and Child Care is encouraging child spacing,” she said.
Dr Mnangagwa praised the owner of the demonstration plot, Mrs Mufambi, for working hard.
“You have sown the seed of hard work among your peers who are learning from you the importance of working hard.
“From the sunflower, you will get cooking oil, while the residue will feed the chickens. From groundnuts you will also get oil, peanut butter. With the sorghum, you prepare healthy meals for your families,” she said.
The First Lady described her Agric4She programme as a weapon against gossip and hunger thus promoting peace and love among families.
“Agric4She came to destroy gossip among us as women. With this work on your hands, where will you get the time to gossip? Gossip has no progress but hard work pays. When working, do so with your children so that they appreciate the work and will lead their families productively in the future.
“Pfumvudza is critical in terms of food security while focusing on Vision 2030. We are entering the winter season which is ideal for wheat production and horticulture and I encourage women to farm.
“After harvesting maize, we may start selling our horticultural produce. Let us work hard madzimai. We implore the Ministry of Agriculture to help us venture into exports. Let us produce wheat and come up with bakeries to make bread. We say no to women who wake up to search their husband’s pockets.
“We want to work and assist our spouses to look after the family and this lowers domestic violence. We are also seized with the challenge of children who have been ruined by drugs. We urge women who are selling drugs to stop doing so because you are killing other people’s children.
“We should include our children in the projects so that they stay away from drugs. We also seek men’s support in the projects. Let us work together as families to fill the granaries.
“When I started the programme, I said we would have competitions and I meant it. Today I have come to reward winners from the province. The competitors were drawn from nine districts in the province,” she said.
The First Lady brought 10 tonnes compound D fertiliser, 10 tonnes top dressing fertiliser, 2000 Vegetable kits for rape, squash butternut, carrots, red onion, Tomato rodade, wheat seed, Sorghum which were given to all women who attended.
In the competition, Mrs Ndayiziveyi Ngwere, who came out tops received an ox-drawn plough, 3x50kgs compound D fertiliser, AN fertiliser, 25kg Zadzamatura maize seed, 5kg Valley seed, 10kg maize seed, 2kg sorghum, a fruit tree and a vegetable kit.
First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa hands over a certificate, plough and inputs to the overall best winner Mrs Ndayizivei Ngwere, while Minister of State and Devolution for Mashonaland East Aplonia Munzverengwi looks on yesterday.
In second place was Mrs Tabeth Gono from UMP who received an ox-drawn harrow, 2x50kg Compound D fertiliser, 2x50kg AN, 25 kg maize seed, 5kg valley seed, 10kg soyabean seed, 2kg sorghum, a vegetable kit and a fruit tree.
The third winner received a knapsack sprayer, a bag of compound D fertiliser, a bag of AN, 25kg maize seed, 10kg soya bean seed, 5kg valley seeds, 2kg sorghum and a fruit tree.
Mrs Chipo Zishiri from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development commended the practical measures taken by the First Lady to boost agriculture.
“We are seeing the works being done by the First Lady in support of women under the Agric4she programme. As a ministry we are gratified that people have enough food to consume with their families, to put in their granaries and to send to GMB,” she said.
Mrs Mufambi promised to continue working hard to achieve even higher yields.
“I have my four children and together with my husband we become a family of six. I feel delighted with the programme where our mother came and gave us inputs free of charge. All you see her is because of her.
“My field was selected as a demonstration plot and Amai came and we planted together with the women. We do not know how best to thank her because she inculcated in us the need to work hard at all times. We should not be beggars. I promise to work hard and attain even higher yields in the coming seasons,” she said.
Mrs Sheila Musonza said she was confident of succeeding through farming because of the practical experience of working with the First Lady.
“I am grateful for the teachings and inputs from the First Lady. I am so confident that I will never go hungry because all I need to do is to follow her advice and work hard. She has demonstrated what love is to the whole nation and all we need is to just work hard,” she said.
Similar words were echoed by Mrs Colletta Mupotaringa.
“There is no shortcut to hard work. As our mother has demonstrated through the Agric4She concept, no one will ever go hungry if we all work hard. She has led us all through good examples and she has supplied the inputs free of charge.
“I appreciate that she participates in the planting, weeding and harvesting of crops proving to each and every one that there is success in working hard. She is sowing the seed for progressive families,” she said.
Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Aplonia Munzverengwi, praised the First Lady for her programme.
“We are glad that women grasped what you came and taught them and gave them all the inputs. Today, we are harvesting because of the Agric4She programme you enunciated and your guidance. Wherever you are taking this programme, women are not embarrassing you as they are working hard.
“They promised you that they will work hard and indeed they are working hard and seeing results. As Mashonaland East we are grateful for your empowerment projects. You are extricating us from poverty and the whole nation is pleased. This year we have plenty of food including traditional grains. No one will go hungry and the Grain Marketing Board silos will be full,” she said.
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