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Freedom Mutanda
Correspondent
MIDDLE SABI, in yonder Chipinge is tinder dry and rarely rains, and when it does, the rain is too insignificant for sustainable crop production.
But one woman, Ms Naume Marufiye, has turned her farm into a green lung, that has produced unprecedented wheat yields.
For her outstanding performance Ms Marufiye is the SHE for Agric wheat farmer of the year for Manicaland.
Yesterday, her work was celebrated with pomp and fanfare at Plot 6, Farm 7 Middle Sabi where provincial and district Agritex officers met together with farmers to share and compare notes.
Ms Marufiye planted 30 hectares of wheat and she expects a yield of 4 tonnes per ha which translates to 120 tonnes, courtesy of the Presidential inputs programme.
“I am indebted to the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe as his programme of handing out inputs to us farmers has catapulted me to be the farmer I am today.
“I have been widowed since 2007 but from farming, I was able to sustain my family,’’ she said.
Her son, Alfred Marufiye, runs the farm. He is helped by his brother, Anesu but the whole management is carried out by Ms Marufiye.
Tapiwa Chagwesha, the District Agritex Officer for Chipinge was awed-struck by Ms Marufiye’s determination to ensure continuity by mentoring her sons. He also said, traditionally, in Chipinge, women do the farming.
“This event celebrates women in agriculture. What is excellent is that she is mentoring her children. Some men in this part of the world go to South Africa and leave women to do the farming. As Chipinge, we urge female farmers to do their best in an attempt to maintain food security in the country,’’ he said.
Alfred Marufiye, the son, applauded his mother’s mentoring and went on to say neighbouring farmers were of great help to him.
“My mother told me that the land is of utmost importance to the economy of Zimbabwe. I also acknowledge what my neighbours have done in my journey as a farmer. We used the zero tillage process and we used herbicides to control weeds. The variety we used takes three months to reach maturity,’’ he said.
Catherine Chirimambowa, a local farmer, said it is possible for women to make the difference in farming and do away with the notion of being perennial beggars.
“I am motivated to do better because this is the right thing for the country. Our First Lady is the patron of She for agriculture. We have to be self-sufficient in our deeds. When they say, musha mukadzi, they mean that a mother makes all the difference to children economically and socially,’’ she said.
She for agriculture is the brainchild of the First Lady who is moving hand in glove with the president’s vision of ensuring food security by 2030.
Nomatter Manunure, the acting deputy director, department of Agritex, Manicaland, said it was a government programme to counter the importation of wheat thereby creating food security.
“Each household should be nutritionally safe and secure. We are very happy with this programme where the government provides seed, compound D and Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser. We are encouraging farmers to complement government efforts,’’ said Manunure.
Chipangayi has 78 farmers and all of them are involved in wheat growing.
“All in all, Chipangayi has 78 A2 farmers and they are involved in wheat farming one way or the other. 675 hectares has been allotted to wheat in Chipangayi which is 50% of wheat production in the district,’’ he added.
Anna Mukangayi is the resident Agritex officer for Middle Sabi A2 farmers. She said her farmers were eager to learn.
The SHE Agric concept was spearheaded by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and has helped many women make it into farming history.
Online Reporter