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Zvamaida Murwira recently in BUHERA
In line with President Mnangagwa’s vision of turning villages into greenbelts under the Presidential Rural Development Programme, communities in Buhera North are set to be transformed after embarking on mixed gardening and winter maize production in the arid region.
The communities are relying on irrigation to produce the crops.
Drawing water through an electric powered pump, with a 370 tonne tank on a 10 hectare land, the community has established a thriving winter maize crop, mixed gardening with tomatoes, leafy vegetables and butternut, the communities in Nemhare Village Ward 11 are set to see their lives transformed.
The project is complimenting President Mnangagwa’s policy that envisages drilling about 35 000 boreholes in the country’s villages and schools as part of efforts to develop rural communities through water harvesting for irrigation purposes.
In Buhera North, several people from as far as Dorowa, Gaza, Mkwasine, Wedza and Mutare are coming to Nemhare Village to buy tomatoes and vegetables for resale.
This dovetails with Government’s drive for rural industrialisation and development consistent with President Mnangagwa’s policy of leaving no one and no place behind on development.
Led by the local Member of Parliament, Cde William Mutomba, the project has demonstrated that where there is a will there is a way.
A local agriculture extension officer, Admire Musasa, said their objective was to turn the arid Buhera district into a greenbelt.
He said they were carrying out horticulture where there is production of tomatoes, chillies, vegetables and winter maize, something he said had a huge impact in improving the livelihood of villagers, particularly during the winter period which is ordinarily known to be dry.
The community has also ventured into bee keeping and has 37 beehives.
“Buhera is one of dry regions in the country, but with the 370 tonne litre tank to store water we have great potential to turn this place into a greenbelt all year round,” said Mr Musasa. “We can irrigate crops throughout the year.
“Upon harvesting the crop, it has great benefits that include food for livestock in that we carry out farm formulated feeds. The project will also guarantee food nutrition for local villagers and surrounding communities in line with the National Development Strategy 1.
“These crops are now locally available and people no longer have to travel long distances to buy the produce.”
Mr Musasa said some of the challenges they were facing included aphids which they were fighting through spraying chemicals.
“What is happening here helps in the attainment of Vision 2030, one of the Second Republic’s policies of leaving no one and no place behind in development,” he said. “Hunger will soon be a thing of the past judging by what is happening here, particularly if it is extended to other wards.”
Ward 11 councillor, Lancelot Muzivi, said the irrigation project was set to go a long way in addressing the scourge of hunger in the ward.
“Looking at this programme, the ward is benefiting immensely,” he said. “We are in the midst of hunger due to subdued rainfall this season, but with the project, this whole ward is benefiting, particularly if there are bereavements.
“We also provide free food to the needy, old people and widows.
“The irrigation scheme has also provided employment to local people who are getting training through this electric powered irrigation.”
Clr Muzivi said as community leaders, they expected the crime rate to decline as young people were participating in the project, adding that disadvantaged persons were getting food free of charge.
“Many people are not only benefiting in terms of food, but are emulating and try to replicate it at their homes,” he said.
Headman Nemhare said he was excited with the project that had the potential of not only transforming his area but those that were adjacent.
“As a local traditional leader, I am quite excited by this project,” he said. “Young people are being trained to be self-sufficient while at the same time it has contained hunger in this arid region renowned for poor rainfall pattern.”
Another headman adjacent to the area, Headman Mombeyarara under Chief Makumbe, said the community through Cde Mutomba had revolutionised the long held mindset, that of relying solely on rain-fed agriculture.
“The community is happy,” he said. “I have noted people are coming from as far as Wedza and other areas. My wish is that the programme be expanded to other wards and traditional jurisdiction like mine so that the whole district attains food self-sufficiency and eradicate hunger.”
Cde Mutomba said he drew inspiration from President Mnangagwa’s vision of innovation and utilising God given resources such as underground water.
“The project is now benefiting the whole ward here and beyond,” he said. “My wish is to expand this project where I can replicate it to other wards and ultimately the whole of Buhera district.
“We need to remove the mindset that there is nothing that can come from Buhera or rural areas that are arid.
“I will soon be engaging technical partners to ensure that we expand this project outside this ward. I have been running this project for the community using own, resources but will soon be looking for technical partners to expand it.”
A farmer, Mrs Jestina Matibini from Masiyiwa Village, said prospects of ending several vices and delinquencies among youth were bright with the coming of the empowerment irrigation project.
“We are getting a lot of support from this project in terms of maize and tomatoes,” she said. “Even in circumstances where disadvantaged children fail to raise school fees, they benefit from proceeds of money being generated from the project.
“It has also employed our children and more importantly we hope that we will be able to do this at household level.”
Another local villager, Mrs Sunungura Magaya, said they were benefitting immensely from the project as they were getting food, while small to medium enterprise were allowed to buy the produce for resale.
“We are happy that we are going to be food and nutrition secure in the district at household level,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Chenai Zvarevashe from Mahwite village, said the project ought to spread across the entire district for the benefit of the country.
“As women we have the talent and the know-how to do the farming, what we lack is the technical support in terms of equipment for irrigation,” she said.
“We appeal to technical partners to join us to transform this district and communities around.
“We have the knowledge; people need not look down upon us as villagers from Buhera as we have the brains. We only need support to have the irrigation projects spread in the entire district.”
The Second Republic is on a drive to rehabilitate dams and construct new ones as part of efforts to avoid relying on rain fed agriculture, but on irrigation, so as to avoid food deficit.
This is meant to achieve an upper middle income economy by 2030 in line with the National Development Strategy 1 economic blueprint.
Online Reporter