Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter
A DUMPSITE that had become a haven for criminals in Bulawayo’s Magwegwe West suburb has been transformed into a maize field that has made over 200 residents food secure until the next harvest.
This is one of the many fields tilled under Government’s Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme around the Bulawayo Province’s 28 wards measuring in total close to 4 400ha, according to Agritex.
Last year, residents of Magwegwe North, West and New Magwegwe were given maize seed and a variety of vegetables to plant under the Magwegwe Mama and Child Development Garden which has 24 plots.
Each plot is 39 metres by 16 metres and the maize seed was planted in November.
They were helped by Agritex officers.
The urban farmers also received fertiliser and maize seed donated by First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa, and it looks like they will record a bumper harvest.
Speaking on behalf of the members of the garden, during a visit yesterday, chairperson Ms Lavender Gatsheni chronicled how they started their project with over 200 people made up of mostly, widows, the elderly and orphans.
“This is a great project for us as it will help the people to be food secure. Most of the people here are widows and the elderly who will benefit from the bumper harvest that we are expecting.
“It all started in June when we approached the Agritex office for them to help us with the new project we wanted to embark on. We had cleared the dumpsite here. The Minister of State (Judith Ncube) visited the garden later on in the month to launch it and then through Agritex we were trained thereafter,” said Ms Gatsheni.
53 people were trained, a low number due to Covid-19 regulations, and in November planting was done.
Now the maize is ready to be harvested.
However, Ms Gatsheni said there are thieves that have stolen an estimated one tonne of maize from the field.
“We would like the Government to help us with a fence. Even if we have people guarding these fields but they are too big and the thieves have pounced and have stolen I think at least a tonne of maize from here,” said Ms Gatsheni.
After the harvest, the residents want to plant tomatoes, onions, chillies and chomolia and keep chickens that produce eggs and build fish ponds.
“We want to use this piece of land to do other things such as vegetables. Later on, we are looking at keeping layers for eggs. This will be between after the harvest and the next cropping season and then we put more,” said Ms Gatsheni.
An Agritex officer, Ms Stella Rombe, said they helped the urban farmers with training, information dissemination and coordination of input distribution. She said the maize seed chosen would give them good yield.
“If we harvest at least 56 cobs, they can make up 20kgs of maize they can take to the grinding mill and we have maize meal. So, each hole we dug during the Intwasa preparation we put three kernels of seed. This was because at the end we wanted to have at least two plants in each hole so that we get a good yield,” said Ms Rombe.
This project is part of a larger one that has seen farmers in the province’s 28 wards taking up the Intwasa programme as they try to be food secure in the urban areas.
Recent studies have shown that due to Covid-19 and drought, people in the urban areas are vulnerable with regards to hunger and such programmes are very important to alleviate food challenges.
At another field in Nkulumane suburb, farmers have maize that has not yet matured and they told Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Judith Ncube that they tried their level best to work the land for their families benefit.
Minister Ncube said she was impressed at how committed people were in farming in the urban areas as this was in line with the Government’s Vision 2030 of food security.
“We are assured by all those members in that garden that they will be able to feed their children for some months. They have contributed to food security. This is what we want as a nation. We want to contribute to the laid down expectations of Vision 2030,” said Minister Ncube.
During the tour with the minister, Senator Molly Mpofu who was the brains behind the community garden in Magwegwe West said she too was happy and asked her for more support.
“We have other projects that we want to do minister, especially, the vegetables, breeding layers and fish. The next step is for us to look to set up a borehole that can pump water for these projects and also to set up a shed for the residents so that they can sell their wares there,” said Senator Mpofu. — @bonganinkunzi
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