The ManicaPost
Wimbainashe Zhakata Agriculture Correspondent
AGRITEX has trained over 40 000 farmers in Manicaland on the Pfumvudza food security programme in a bid to mitigate hunger and improve food security at household level.
Pfumvudza is a conservation agriculture (CA) programme that has existed since time immemorial which encourages farmers on how to produce more yields focusing on a small piece of land.
In an interview with The Manica Post, Agritex official Mr Cephas Mlambo said they were working with organisations such as INSPIRE to train farmers in the province.
“We have trained over 40 000 farmers cross the province on the Pfumvudza programme. The programme had been in existence for ages and was developed by an organisation called Foundation for Farming.
“As Agritex we encourage almost every farmer to adopt this programme in a bid to improve food security at household level,” he said.
Mr Mlambo said this form of conservation agriculture is reliable and does not require a lot of inputs.
“Every farmer can afford the inputs when it comes to Pfumvudza. When it comes to maize only a few inputs are needed and they include 2kg seed, 16kg top dressing fertiliser, 12kg lime and 200ml of demis chemical for pest control.
“This method requires 52 rolls of maize and 28 holes, each role should fill a 20-litre bucket.
“This method is capable of feeding six family members with a bucket of maize every week in 52 weeks, which is a year,” added Mr Mlambo.
He said most farmers are occupying big pieces of land and producing minimal yields.
“We have noticed that most farmers have a tendency of using too much land and produce less. If we engage into CA there will be more food for the farmer and they do not have to complain about high input prices,” he said.
He said over 300 demonstrations had been conducted across the province.
“We have conducted a total of 331 demos across the province to 40 000 farmers this season since late December and the farmers are responding well. In Mutare district 124 demonstrations were conducted, Mutasa 17, Buhera 22, Chipinge 23, Chimanimani 45, Makoni 84 while 16 were performed in Nyanga. In areas such as Mutare and Rusape where high digits are indicated we had NGOs such as Livelihoods and Food Security Programme (LFSP) who promoted the programme,” said Mr Mlambo.
