The ManicaPost
Blessing Rwizi Post Correspondent
CHIMANIMANI District has taken a lead in the restoration of open pollinated seed varieties with 3 400 traditional seed varieties having been recorded from more than 130 exhibitors in the 2015-16 season community seed fairs.
A steep increase in the numbers of exhibitors in Rusitu, Chimanimani Central and Nhedziwa cluster seed fairs was recorded in the 2016-17 season, with 1 311 exhibitors having been confirmed so far.
The community seed fairs are being held by Chimanimani-headquartered TSURO Trust, under the Seed and Knowledge Initiative (SKI), which started in 2015.
The programme is expected to end in 2018.
Its main objective is to improve the capacity of seed producers in Chimanimani and stimulate effective exchange of seed within rural communities.
It also aims to boost food security and seed sovereignty.
Since 2015, TSURO Trust has been annually training 20 farmers in 19 wards of Chimanimani on seed selection, seed production, seed storage and community seed bank management.
The 20 farmers were selected from Rusitu, Nhedziwa, Chimanimani Central and Lowveld clusters and would undergo training. After the training, they were tasked to train fellow villagers.
TSURO Trust also organised exchange visits for farmers in and out of Manicaland Province so that they could exchange knowledge and traditional seeds in the march towards the full restoration of OPVs in Zimbabwe.
Speaking at Nhedziwa Cluster Community Seed Fair last week, TSURO Trust sustainable agriculture and natural resources programmes officer Mrs Roseline Mukonoweshuro said: “By 2018, seed producers are expected to have strengthened skills in seed banking.
“They are expected to establish sustainable household seed banking infrastructure where they can serve and restore their OPV seeds for future use.
“Community seed fairs are important as they work as a platform for people to exchange and buy traditional seeds and foods, as well as exchange knowledge on how to keep these seeds. This exchange of ideas and seeds promotes access to traditional seeds since most of them cannot be found in shops.”
She hailed women for continuing to play a central role as the custodians of seeds at household and community levels.
Mrs Dorothy Kudejira, a farmer from Chayemiti area in Chimanimani East, said community seed fairs were motivating a number of smallholder farmers in rural communities.
“Everyone wants to be a winner in community seed fairs at the end of the day.
“Over the past years, smallholder farmers have worked hard in rural communities to have the best varieties of OPVs.
“The restoration of these traditional foods has also restored health and long lives in our communities,” said Mrs Kudejira.
