Chronicle Editor
Robin Muchetu in Lupane, [email protected]
THE First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa has scored big with her Agric4She programmes throughout the country where she supports rural and urban women farmers with knowledge and skills in farming as a business model, access to agricultural inputs and appropriate technology for food processing, and value addition.
The programme continues to grow with over 30 000 beneficiaries to date with Matabeleland North province endorsing the programme on Tuesday when all seven districts participated at a field day held at Daluka Primary School in Kusile district on Wednesday.
The beneficiaries of the programme showcased an impressive exhibition of their produce courtesy of Amai Mnangagwa.
Speaking during the field day, the First Lady, who was represented by the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland North Cde Richard Moyo said women must prepare for the coming season which is indicative of the El Nino drought, urging them to plant drought-resistant crops.
“Current discussions on the seasonal forecast indicate a high likelihood of an El Nino year. Such years have low and unevenly distributed rainfall accompanied by long mid-season dry spells and very hot temperatures. I, therefore, call on you to start preparing for Intwasa and collecting mulching material now so that we are ready to plant with the first rains,” she said.
“In this regard, I encourage you to grow traditional grains that are drought-tolerant.”
The First Lady highlighted that farmers often face challenges of bird damage on traditional grains which can however be mitigated.
“Government is embarking on a massive quelea bird control program to support wheat farmers and this will extend into the summer season to protect our traditional grains. Let us double our efforts on the production of traditional grains to ensure a good harvest even in low rainfall years,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa also provided a generous gift to the women farmers of vegetable combo seeds which she encouraged them to plant in their gardens for consumption and surplus for sale.
As the patron of Agric4She, the First Lady also imparted agricultural education and handy tips for the farmers during this season.
“For those women in irrigation schemes and have planted wheat, this is time for best agronomy practices such as top dressing, weed, and pest management. I also urge you to plant trees at every available opportunity to replace those we cut and to ensure the availability of fruits in our communities,” she said.
“May you also as Matabeleland North protect your natural resources by preventing veld fires and taking collective action when there is an outbreak of fire. We owe it to future generations to ensure they enjoy the beauty of a well-looked-after environment.”
She acknowledged that rural women play a critical role in ensuring that the family accesses potable water, good nutritious food that is well prepared, and work in the fields to ensure food production. It is also women who ensure children go to school which is also critical to national development.
“I, therefore, implore all agricultural service providers to engage women in farming and give them maximum support as well as take into cognisance the multiple roles women play in our society. The attainment of household food and nutrition security and increased incomes, as articulated in our national policies, requires that women and farmers, in general, strive to attain high yields maximise production per unit area,” she said.
The field day at Daluka Primary School saw women farmers showcasing their efforts and also a presentation of certificates to those women farmers who excelled this past season. They also demonstrated different methods of processing and value-adding on the agricultural crops at their disposal and how the food can be prepared nutritiously.
Ms Sitshengisiwe Dube one of the top winners at the event said Amai Mnangagwa inspired them to do well.
“I am very happy that I won these prizes from Amai Mnangagwa under the Agric4She programme, I do a lot of farming and my children are now in tertiary education thanks to farming,” she said beaming with joy.
“I do cattle ranching to the best of my ability because I was taught well on silage. I grow a variety of crops too. Hunger is a stranger in my household.”
Dignitaries toured various projects at Daluka Primary School, starting off with a vegetable garden that is purely organic where the school is growing various vegetables.
The school has a fish project that they wish to grow as it currently has a limited number of fish. They wish to sell fingerlings to the broader community in order to improve the livelihoods of those around the school.
A thriving chicken production programme is also going on at the school with a current stock of 49 chickens that is being run by the learners. They manage the day-to-day activity of feeding the poultry.
The school is also home to an orchard that has various fruit trees like oranges, guavas, paw paws and naartjies. However, the school said they were having challenges in watering the trees on days when there is inadequate sunshine as they rely on a solar-powered borehole.
Minister Moyo advised the school to get an all-weather solar-powered motor.
After touring the projects at the school, the Minister also toured an exhibition that included basket-weaving artifacts by the women of Lupane and beyond. Those in the small grains sector were also represented.
Part of the crops include millet and rapoko, and women took turns to show the delegates how food was processed before the advent of technology.
They pounded small grains using a pestle and mortar, they also made peanut butter using a stone and granite rock in a bid to showcase that it was possible to process food the traditional way while living in rural communities.
Pesticides suppliers showcased their products that women in agriculture could use if need be.
The female farmers were not to be outdone as they drove motorcycles they got courtesy of President Mnangagwa. They use the motorcycles to visit the various agricultural projects in the district.
Winners of the programme were presented with certificates and various prizes for their hard work.–@NyembeziMu
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