Mgcini Dlamini
MATABELELAND North villagers have expressed concern over government’s Pfumvunza/Gatshompo farming scheme which they said was cumbersome and tedious.
The government this year announced the Pfumvunza farming scheme as a measure to increase crop yield and ensure food security in the wake of droughts linked to climate change.
But, farmers from Cross Mabale, Dete located in the Hwange district briefed this publication late last month that the scheme is tiresome as it requires a lot of work.
“For me it is difficult to dig the holes in my field because we are suffering from hunger. It is tiresome and requires a lot of energy to dig straight holes. It was going to be better to use an ox drawn plough. As it is am struggling to dig the holes but I have to do them if I want inputs so I have no choice but to do them,” said Ian Moyo.
“I am a pensioner and I am struggling to make ends meet. Last year I did not harvest anything and I have to go to Hwange town to purchase maize meal and a round trip to Hwange is about ZWL$500. We haven’t even talked about the money for the mealie meal,” added Moyo.
Another villager, Methuseli Muleya, said he did not join the programme because Dete is suited for dry planting.
“The soil here favours dry planting. We cannot wait for the rain. This is a dry area so we must plant prior to the rainfall and when it comes and we plant we won’t reap anything. So I did not join this programme,” said Muleya.
Audrey Dube, opined that it was next to impossible to dig up holes while wallowing in poverty.
“Seeing you here we thought you had brought us something from Bulawayo. We are in deep poverty. Last farming season I managed to get only two 50kg bags of maize from my field. So I resort to buying maize meal and we are suffering. It is difficult to dig holes while you are hungry. It is very difficult,” said Dube.
Speaking during a media workshop held recently in Gweru, Lupane State University lecturer Keith Phiri said the Gatshompo concept was one of the greatest ideas if implemented properly.
“The Gatshompo concept is a very good programme especially now when the climate change effects are being felt across the country. With these successive droughts currently being experienced particularly in Matabeleland, the programme can really do wonders in as far as food security is concerned,” Phiri who is also a climate change expert told the media.
The Gatshompo concept, adopted from Foundations for Farming, is meant for small holder farmers as a measure to achieve household food security in the country.
Under the concept farmers should have planted no later than November 25 in straight line, with thick mulch cover in weed free fields and correct application of inputs in each hole
Under the Agriculture Recovery Plan and Transformation strategy, driving the Pfumvunza scheme, the government is targeting 1, 8 million rural households to produce 1, 8 million metric tonnes of cereal crops as well as 360 000 metric tonnes of oilseed.
Much more, the government also set a target of 1.5 million hectares under maize, with an expected yield of 2.4 tonnes per hectare.
The government tasked each of the country’s rural provinces to average 225 000 tonnes of cereal and 45 000 tonnes of oil seed at one ton of grain and 200Kg of oil seed from the average small scale farming household.
As of September, over 500 000 farmers had finished their land preparations, while all the country’s 5294 agricultural extension officers in all provinces had been trained on the concept.
In recent years, Zimbabwe’s economy and food security situation have been on tenterhooks, with the 2019 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee projecting an estimated 5,5 million of the rural population to be food insecure during the peak of the 2019/20 lean season, with 3,8 million people in need of food assistance.
