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Sharon Shayanewako
THE Government has continued to fortify efforts to climate-proof agriculture and boost food security countrywide by including legumes in the Pfumvudza/Intwasa input package, thanks to their drought-tolerant characteristics.
The inclusion of leguminous crops in the package is an endorsement of their capacity to contribute towards the attainment of the objectives of the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy en route to achieving an US$8,2 billion agriculture economy, which is food self-sufficient and resilient.
In an interview with The Herald yesterday, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development chief director responsible for Agriculture Advisory Services, Professor Obert Jiri, highlighted the advantages of producing legumes.
“Legumes are bit more drought tolerant than maize. They also fix nitrogen from the atmosphere so farmers can use less fertiliser. They thus improve soil fertility,” he said.
In line with the country’s aim of ensuring food security and nutrition diversity, the production of legumes will contribute immensely to the country’s objective of attaining food and nutrition security.
“The legumes also add to nutrition diversity and security at household level and therefore reduce chances of food shortages,” added Prof Jiri.
Meanwhile, the Government announced that this year the seed distribution for Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme would be modelled to match agro-ecological regions’ climatic and soil requirements to boost production.
Farmers in ecological regions one and two will get inputs to produce three mandatory maize plots and have the option to choose between sunflower, pearl millet, sorghum, groundnuts, African peas and sugar beans.
In natural region three, farmers will be supplied with crop input packages to plant two mandatory maize plots and sorghum and sunflower plots with their three optional plots comprising sunflower, sorghum, pearl millet, groundnuts, African peas and sugar beans.
Farmers in region four and five will get an input package to plant one mandatory sorghum plot and one sunflower plot with farmers getting the option to choose between maize, African peas, ground nuts, sorghum and millet for the two remaining plots.
The Pfumvudza/intwasa programme which contributed 33 percent of outputs last year, is expected to anchor the upcoming summer cropping season through supporting three million rural households and 500 000 urban farmers.
The programme is being run under the Presidential Input Scheme.
Under this programme, farmers are given inputs, fertilisers, and chemicals accompanied by technical advisory services from Agritex extension officers.
The Pfumvudza programme has assisted vulnerable smallholder farmers improve their perspectives on methods of agriculture by venturing into intercropping for nutrition security.
Online Reporter