Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
THERE is a notion that couples who go into business together often thrive by aligning their goals, defining their roles and deliberately steering their work towards shared success. In Umguza District, just outside Bulawayo, that idea comes to life through a young couple whose partnership feels almost seamless.
Mr Amen Zhou and his wife, Sophia Chihama of Village 7B, Ward 6, have turned their small piece of land into a testimony of what communication, trust and a shared dream can build. Their farming project is not simply about crops — it is about reclaiming control, moving beyond dependence on Government support and proving that initiative can be as nourishing as rainfall.
Speaking at a field day hosted at the couple’s homestead on Wednesday, Umguza peri urban east Agritex supervisor, Mrs Siphiwe Ndebele, reminded the gathered farmers that while Government assistance remains important — especially for vulnerable households — true sustainability begins when farmers take full responsibility for their operations. She encouraged farmers to shift their thinking, to treat farming as a business, to plan ahead and invest in their own seed, fertiliser and chemicals.
“We are lucky, yes, that we have a Government that is led by someone who listens in President Mnangagwa, that input assistance must not be the only source of your agricultural inputs, let us take the initiative to source our own inputs since we have the land,” said Mrs Ndebele.
Mr Zhou’s fields stretch across six tidy plots, each with maize standing tall and sure of itself, promising him more than a tonne of yield. He spoke with the quiet confidence of someone who knows the land intimately.
“I did receive inputs from the Government but I had already sourced on my own because as the President’s philosophy goes: ‘Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo’. I had to take the initiative as the farmer before someone else came to assist,” said Mr Zhou.
Mrs Ndebele also urged farmers to commit fully to the Intwasa/Pfumvudza principles — the gentle discipline of zero or minimal soil disturbance, the protective layering of mulch, the small but significant changes that keep water in the soil instead of letting it evaporate into the hot afternoon air.
“You are encouraged to do inter cropping as we have seen from our host farmer today. We saw that besides maize, he also planted beans in the same place and these beans will also play as mulch, preventing water from evaporating,” said Mrs Ndebele.
The field day unfolded under the theme: “Right timing, right variety, right management: The Intwasa advantage in maize production,” and it had the textured richness of a living classroom.
Farmers wandered between ridges, touching leaves, asking questions, learning not from textbooks but from a plot that stood before them as evidence. Ward Six Agritex officer, Mrs Boitelo Ngwenya, explained that field days remain the heartbeat of extension services — a chance for farmers to see, feel, and absorb.
“Through live demonstrations, participants gain insights into critical practices such as correct planting times, seed selection, soil management and pest control. Such platforms are vital in strengthening knowledge transfer, especially as farmers adapt to changing weather patterns,” said Mrs Ngwenya.
She added that showcasing successful plots like Mr Zhou’s helps farmers see what is possible when the right techniques meet consistency and patience.
The field day also served as a gathering point — a space where farmers could exchange ideas, share frustrations, laugh together, and carry home new insights tucked between the folds of conversation.
Beyond technique, such gatherings nurture community bonds, which remain just as vital to agricultural growth as rainfall or good soil.
The day drew Ward Six councillor Busisiwe Brown, Agritex officers, seed company representatives and local farmers, all lingering around the Zhou family homestead with the thoughtful curiosity of people who understand that every good harvest begins with knowledge, effort and a willingness to learn from one another.
