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Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Livestock farmers in Beitbridge are now into fodder production as a way of minimising the effects of successive droughts which have seen over 10 000 cattle succumbing to hunger in the last three years.
So far 2500 communal farmers within six communal wards in Beitbridge have been assisted with fodder seed by the Government rolling out under the programme of Enhanced Resilience for Vulnerable Households in Zimbabwe (ERVHIZ).
The programme is being implemented with the assistance of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and other partners.
ERVHIZ Beitbridge coordinator Mr Lovemore Mujere said the programme was introduced in the district in November last year and that there has been a good uptake by the farmers.
He was speaking during a field day held by the Fharanani Fodder Group in Ward 11 in the Bwemula area of Beitbridge West.
The farmers produced 350 bales of velvet and lab-lab beans (proteins) which they are selling at R80 a bale to other farmers.
They have also bailed stover from maize, and sorghum which they serve as carbohydrates.
“We trained them on preparations, harvesting and gave them the seed for legumes and the skills to make liquid fertilisers. We are happy with the progress here and the general uptake of the program is encouraging,” he said.
The district Agritex officer Mr Masauso Mawocha said so far farmers across the district had planted fodder crops on 350 hectares. Agritex were targeting 1000 hectares to have enough supplies to ensure livestock were fed.
The official said the fodder crops were being used as a supplement to maintain the body mass of livestock when grazing lands start to deplete.
“In some instances, the farmers can feed cattle to boost their market value,” said Mr Mawocha. It was also better to grow the fodder than battle to afford the food supplements on sale.
“In our view this is a smart way of adapting to the effects of climate change by the farmers, considering that we are coming from three successive droughts where the farmers in this area lost over 10 000 herds of cattle due to poverty-related deaths”.
He said the Government along with a number of partners was rolling out the fodder project where farmers have embraced the program.
Bales of fodder if properly stored can last for several months. Previously only one commercial farmer was producing lucerne as a supplement for livestock but that was not enough for the district.
“This fodder production we are producing is basically proteins that are not needed in large quantities. So if we have at least 1 000 hectares, we will be on the safe zone,” said Mr Mawocha.
A livestock farmer from Bwemula area, Mr Hendricks Mbedzi said the introduction of legumes and other supplementary feeds which required fewer inputs was a boost to their restocking. Many people were still recovering from the devastating loss of cattle and hence the uptake of fodder production was gradually peaking.
“With this kind of crop you just need inputs and the correct technical advice from Agritex extension workers,” he said.
Mrs Rudzani Siziba of Chabeta area said they were grateful for the help they were getting from the Government to save their animals. She said besides saving livestock from poverty deaths, the sale of the fodder bales was improving household income.
“We sat down as a community and decided to form a group to find ways to save our livestock from successive droughts and hence we are now planting legumes to boost supplementary stock feeds,” said Mr Pilate Siyoka Muleya.
Ward 11 community based facilitator, Mrs Priscilla Ndou said they were benefiting a lot from the use of homemade liquid fertiliser which had been introduced in the area under the smart agriculture technologies.
Online Reporter