Sundaymail Editor
The Agricultural Rural and Development Authority (ARDA), which owns large estates around the country, has undergone massive transformation since the advent of the Second Republic. Our Correspondent TANYARADZWA RUSIKE (TR) spoke to ARDA chief executive officer Mr Tinotenda Mhiko (TM) on progress being made by the parastatal to boost production at its estates and promote rural development.
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TR: What is the state of ARDA’s estates in terms of crop and livestock productivity?
TM: We have a total of 19 036 hectares under various cropping programmes of maize, sunflower, sorghum, cotton, sugarcane, avocados, tea, macadamia, pecan nuts, beef and dairy livestock (1 412 hectares) across our estates. This is an 18 percent increase versus prior year, where we established 16, 132 hectares from the estates. We are in the process of expanding land and irrigation development to climate proof and to increase the hectarage under production.
TR: What hectarage was established during this year’s summer season and how will ARDA contribute to the goal of achieving national food self-sufficiency?
TM: ARDA established 25 389 hectares of cereals, fibre and oilseed crops at irrigation schemes, estates and joint venture arrangements with farmers. This is a 146 percent jump compared to the prior year hectarage of 10 340, and we are targeting to harvest at least 142 000 tonnes of grain, which is a 10 percent contribution to the revised national Strategic Grain Reserve requirements of 1,5 million tonnes. Our wholly owned subsidiary, ARDA Seeds, also scaled up seed multiplication of climate-smart varieties and other cereal crops, as we remodelled our seed house into a vehicle for seed security. This is also in line with our new mandate of promoting climate-smart varieties.
TR: Can you outline ARDA’s contribution to wheat production in the last winter cropping season?
TM: ARDA established a total of 14 018 hectares of wheat across the country in 2022, as compared to 5 316 hectares established in 2021, and this was a 263 percent increase versus prior year. Eighty-six percent of this wheat was established under the communal irrigation schemes, which fall under our rural development arm. We harvested over 60 000 metric tonnes of wheat, which is about 20 percent contribution to the national wheat requirements. Our aim is to ensure that the country is wheat self-sufficient, especially under the current volatile geo-political environment that has destabilised agricultural commodity markets and supply chains.
TR: How are your rural transformation projects improving livelihoods?
TM: ARDA has been mandated by the Government to spearhead rural development through the sustainable management of irrigation schemes dotted around the country. Through the revolutionary V30 Accelerator Model, ARDA is substantially transforming rural livelihoods in a big way.
Guided by our parent Ministry (of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development), we have synergistically collaborated with other agricultural entities such as ZINWA (Zimbabwe National Water Authority), the Department of Irrigation, AARDS (Agritex), AFC (Agricultural Finance Corporation), AMA (Agricultural Marketing Authority) and GMB (Grain Marketing Board), which play the supply chain management role. ARDA oversees the agronomy and business management side of the value chain.
In terms of increasing productivity, our rural development projects are anchored in Vision 2030 and NDS 1 (National Development Strategy 1) blueprints, and dovetail with the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, as well as the Rural Development 8.0 Programme.
We have had so many “firsts” in our rural transformation drive.
We started with a proof of concept of the V30 Accelerator Model at the Bubi-Lupane Irrigation Scheme, where, for the first time ever in the history of Zimbabwe, a thriving wheat crop was established and bountifully harvested in the desert Kalahari sands of Lupane; Mtshabezi Irrigation Scheme in Gwanda South, where we established the first wheat crop for household beneficiaries in 87 years; Mutange Irrigation Scheme, where we established the first wheat crop in Gokwe South for household beneficiaries for the first time in the history of the country; Bulawayo Kraal Irrigation Scheme, where we harvested the first sunflower and sorghum crops (dryland) for the scheme in 21 years, and many others.
The increased productivity has allowed the household beneficiaries to achieve food self-sufficiency and earn an income from selling the surplus.
TR: What have you done to improve food security and income for households that you work with?
TM: Production is done at the back of a profitable business case under a block cropping system to guarantee profitability and consequently viability and sustainability. This has radically transformed the rural household beneficiaries from peasant and subsistence farming to surplus and commercially oriented production.
This is driving household food security for the rural farmers and irrigation schemes under the management of ARDA.
These rural households are also contributing to the national Strategic Grain Reserve (SGR) by producing maize, wheat, oilseeds and traditional grains.
The crops are delivered to the Grain Marketing Board.
In terms of improving their incomes, household beneficiaries are employees and shareholders of the scheme. During the season, they provide labour from crop establishment to harvesting and are paid National Employment Council-regulated wages. When they harvest and market the produce, the profit after tax is then paid off equally amongst the household beneficiaries as dividends.
Dividends were paid to the ARDA-managed rural households who participated in winter wheat production across the country’s irrigation schemes and joint venture arrangements.
Another notable achievement is the Mangwe horticulture garden, where we launched our proof of concept for the Presidential Rural Development Programme.
The 150 households are now earning an average of US$45 per household per month. This also significantly demonstrates the viability and sustainability of the programme, as well as the earth-shattering impact of the V30 Accelerator Model.
TR: Can you explain how you are contributing to employment creation?
TM: As already alluded to earlier, our rural development projects employ an average of 19 466 household beneficiaries per year from irrigation schemes alone for both summer and winter seasons. Furthermore, the V30 Accelerator model employs an additional 900 direct employees, including one resident scheme business manager and one resident bookkeeper for each irrigation scheme.
Upon full roll-out, the 35 000 village gardens shall recruit a total of 155 000 youths (one resident village garden manager, one bookkeeper and one night watchman per garden).
TR: How have you improved access to water for agricultural production and domestic use?
TM: The village horticulture gardens are key components of the Presidential Rural Development Programme and are being rolled out in a whole-of-Government approach, where ARDA is the agronomist and business manager of the garden, ZINWA is the engineer and Department of Irrigation, under our parent ministry, is the client.
Access to clean water has restored the dignity of our women and girls, who used to walk for long distances to fetch water and were at risk of being abused at water points.
Water is also a key enabler in productivity, and this guarantees profitability, viability and sustainability of the solar-driven horticulture gardens, whose production is market-led.
TR: How are you helping households in terms of financial inclusion?
TM: By taking farming as a business, the household beneficiaries are now opening bank accounts to access working capital loans and receive their wages and dividends. This allows the household beneficiaries to pay for utilities and repay working capital loans.
TR: How are your programmes driving rural industrialisation?
TM: We are decentralising processing plants for irrigation schemes and horticulture gardens at district and ward levels, respectively, for value addition and beneficiation of produce from both irrigation schemes and horticulture gardens to start rural industrialisation, which, in turn, results in rural development.
The processing and aggregation centres facilitate grading and consolidation, dispatch and distribution to offtake markets. These interventions promote growth in export earnings and improve the GDP (gross domestic product), dovetailing with the Government’s devolution agenda.
As such, the household beneficiaries are now active economic participants, instead of spectators, in farming.
TR: Briefly explain your plans for the forthcoming winter cropping season.
TM: ARDA is going for growth (G4G) and intends to establish at least 20 000 hectares of wheat crop this coming winter season, which is more than 14 018 hectares established in the prior year.
This is a 43 percent growth, and the production will target irrigation schemes, estates and joint-venture arrangements with farmers who have irrigable land.
Our target for this coming winter season is to produce at least 100 000 tonnes of wheat, which is a 28 percent contribution to the national wheat requirements.
TR: ARDA is a key contributor to the country’s SGR. What will be your contribution to the SGR this year?
TM: We are targeting to harvest at least 142 000 tonnes of grain, which is a 10 percent contribution to the revised national SGR requirement of 1,5 million tonnes.
TR: Can you outline what else ARDA will be doing to transform rural communities?
TM: ARDA will be decentralising value addition and processing plants of agricultural commodities produced at estates, irrigation schemes and horticulture gardens. The aim is to empower rural farmers by capacitating them in the beneficiation of their produce so that they can achieve greater financial value.
We expect this to create lean value chains that will eventually create a more competitive processing industry, which will help in stabilising commodity prices and reduce importation of basic commodities. ARDA is also leveraging on technology and big data to further boost productivity, income and profitability for rural farmers.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter