NEW: Millets key to food security

Theseus Shambare in CHIMANIMANI

HUNDREDS of farmers growing traditional grains, drought- and pest-resistant crops in Chimanimani district, Manicaland province, have registered to participate in the ongoing Chimani-Mbeu Food and Seed Festival at Bumba Business Centre that started here on Thursday.

Running under the theme “Celebrating the wonders of Zimbabwean millets”, the two-day event’s thrust is to recognise the importance of traditional millets to the achievement of household and national food security, especially in the face of a possible El Niño-affected 2023/2024 cropping season.

The festival is held annually to mark the final summer cropping season preparations.

The event is being hosted by Towards Sustainable Use of Resources Organisation (TSURO) Trust; Government’s Agricultural Advisory and Rural Development Services (AARDS); Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), a community-based organisation in partnership with Participatory Organic Research Extension Training Trust (PORET); Chikukwa Ecological Land Use Community Trust (CELUCT); and PELUM Zimbabwe.

Speaking on the sidelines of the official launch, TSURO Trust programmes officer for sustainable agriculture and natural resources management Mrs Roseline Mukonoweshuro said this year’s event is meant to celebrate the resilience of Zimbabwean millets.

“We have been encouraging farmers to plant traditional grains, but this year, we are celebrating the food security that has been brought about by our own millets,” she said.

“We all know that at the turn of new millennium, droughts have been hitting us frequently but our millets have proven beyond measure that they are even capable of replacing the hybrid maize seed as source of food.”

The event, she said, is meant to improve access to quality seed varieties before the planting season.

The annual event has also been instrumental in reviving other indigenous seed varieties that were almost becoming extinct.

“This year, we are celebrating the white millet we call svoboda.

“This millet is a multipurpose grain as it can replace maize-meal. “It also produces sweet and healthy maheu and traditional beer,” she added.

Mr Emmanuel Waeni (36), a farmer of Mupingo Village under Chief Mutambara, said the skills training from TSURO Trust in collaboration with VSO will go a long way in helping them increase productivity.

“Tsuro and VSO have assisted us as small-scale farmers in improving our farming skills, productivity and quality of seeds we are producing through agro-ecology.

“Currently, I am making a lot of money by selling part of my grain and produce within and outside my community,” said Mr Waeni.

Mrs Stella Saungweme (50) of Munaka Village under Chief Chikukwa, who was exhibiting and selling her grain, said she is now an empowered woman in her community.

“I thank these platforms because in the past I used to depend on my husband’s financial support.

“But since 2015, I have become financially independent from selling my own produce,” she said.

VSO advocacy and communications advisor Ms Tracey Sibanda said farmer capacitatation and seed festivals were the bedrock to enhance smallholder farmers’ livelihoods.

“We capacitate farmers through trainings and exchange visits with other farmers.

“We also do demo plots that serve as the learning hubs where they will assimilate knowledge and apply to their respective fields,” said Ms Sibanda.

Farmers, she added, are working in conjunction with Government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in promoting agro-ecology as a way of ensuring food and nutrition security is fully restored following the impact of Cyclone Idai, which destroyed land and killed hundreds.

Over 100 indigenous seed varieties were brought by farmers from across 23 wards in Chimanimani district.

Some of them included different varieties of ground nuts, maize, sunflower, rapoko, sorghum and pearl millet.

All the grains that are sold at the event first undergo inspection and get approval from Agritex officers.

Exhibitors also stand a chance to win prizes at the end of the event for quality of seed and good presentation.

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