The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
EVEN in a season of bumper harvests, the Lowveld region of Chipinge hardly produces enough food to last a long dry season, thereby leaving hunger and malnutrition as the two permanent sides of the coin.
Owing to the harsh weather conditions, agricultural yields in the region are usually very poor, culminating in poor nutrition.
Due to the situation, rain-fed agriculture is no longer viable for the drier parts of Chipinge as recurring droughts wipe out crops and livestock, as well as dry up clean water sources.
Since rain-fed agriculture is practiced by small-holder farmers who account for the majority of the planted area in Chipinge, this means the larger population in the district is vulnerable.
For the Lowveld, the season is largely characterised by limited, scarce and unreliable rainfall concentrated during a short rainy period with the remaining period tending to be absolutely dry.
This also means that most water reservoirs do not store enough water, thereby posing a serious threat for the winter wheat preparations.
However, this was not the case decades ago as the entire district was synonymous with abundant rainfall, fertile soils, good pastures and several water points for livestock.
As it stands, even production of traditional grains is being negatively affected by high temperatures and scanty rainfall.
As a result, food insecure households have emerged as the climatic disturbances take root.
According to the Integrated Context Analysis (ICA) report released recently, the dry conditions are shifting from the southern to the northern of the province, thereby pushing Chipinge into the same situation affecting Buhera.
ICA classifies and colour-codes districts based on their historic exposure to high, medium or low levels of food insecurity or natural hazards.
NUST lecturer, Dr Arthur Mavisa said the northward shift in the high drought risk was noted between 2014 and 2021.
“The number of vulnerable households are increasing in Manicaland because the shocks and food insecurity are going up. The situation has deteriorated in Chipinge, while Buhera has been persistently categorised in the worse category in terms of food insecurity and vulnerability to droughts and floods.
“The areas are persistently food insecure and experience increased frequencies of drought, hence preparedness is critical, given its potential to enhance institutional capacity to deal with shocks,” he said.
Chipinge has five ecological regions.
Regions one and two are in the upper part bordering Mozambique, while regions three, four and five are in the lower parts, dubbed the leeward side.
Even in times of drought, the upper parts of Chipinge have always managed to produce something for the nation, while the Pfumvudza Programme came in handy for small-holder farmers in the low lying areas
Resource-poor farmers in natural regions three, four and five of Chipinge are already scratching their heads following the twin-evils of delayed rains and the scorching heat that is threatening to irreversibly damage food crops.
The farmers are primary producers of sorghum, maize, cotton, pearl millet, African pea, sunflower and sesame, among other crops that are grown under dry conditions.
Contrastingly, their counterparts in Chipinge’s Highveld produce maize, sugar beans, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, sunflower and yams under wet conditions.
There are no major local dams in the district, with commercial agriculture being sustained by Rusape and Osborne dams that are hundreds of kilometres away.
Latest information from Chipinge shows that the crops have reached a crucial point due to the prolonged dry spell.
This is despite the light showers received in the past few days.
More rain is needed to salvage the crop.
At temporary wilting point, which happens when it gets hot and the crops show signs of wilting, the crop can still be rejuvenated.
Once the crops get to the permanent wilting point, they cannot be resuscitated.
The persisting dry and hot conditions in the lower parts of the district have triggered strong fears among farmers that crops may never reach maturity stage.
Meteorological Services Department’s principal meteorologist, Mr James Ngoma said rainfall distribution is not uniform in the upper and lower parts of Chipinge.
The local weather forecast shows that light showers and drizzle will be experienced in the northern districts, while nothing was promising in the southern districts.
“Rainfall distribution has been normal to above normal in the Highveld areas, and we recorded some of the highest figures between 701mm and 900mm in Manicaland.
“Chipinge is a mixed bag and farmers in the lower parts should not copy and paste what their counterparts in the upper parts are doing because the rainfall patterns are totally different.
“The Lowveld lies on the leeward side, which is dry. It straddles regions three, four and five where much emphasis was an inclination towards drought resistant traditional grains,” he said.
Mr Ngoma added: “There is no one-size-fits-all solution because the rains you get in Ward One are totally different from those you get in Ward 13 in Chipinge,” said Mr Ngoma.
Agriculture Advisory and Rural Development Services (AARDS) acting Manicaland provincial director, Mrs Phillipa Rwambiwa said planting started late in Chipinge due to the late rains.
“The rains have largely been evenly distributed in Manicaland, except in the Lowveld. It is our hope that the rains will also spread to Chipinge and other low lying areas that planted very late to sustain the crop up to maturity,” said Mrs Rwambiwa.
Her sentiments were echoed by provincial agronomist, Mr Cephas Mlambo, who said the crop in the low lying areas in Chipinge, Marange and Chimanimani are now moisture stressed.
“The crop is showing signs of moisture stress in the Marange area (Mutare District) and parts of the Lowveld in Chipinge and Chimanimani. It is, however, fair to good in the other parts of the province.
“We last received effective rains in the southern parts of Mutare on January 12, 2023. The other parts of the province are receiving light showers, although poorly distributed in time and space.
“Dams are there in the province, but most of our summer crops are grown under dry land conditions,” said Mr Mlambo.
Chipinge District Agritex officer, Mr Tapiwa Chagwesha concurred, adding that prospects of an improved harvest in the Lowveld could be boasted by more rains and early application of nitrogenous fertilisers.
Poor agronomic practices have also been cited as some farmers have not been weeding their crops.
Meanwhile, demand for top dressing fertiliser has gone up in Manicaland after farmers put 265 000 hectares under maize and 100 000ha under traditional grains.
The bulk of the crop is above knee height and now require top dressing fertiliser.
Maize is top dressed after 25 to 30 days of sowing.
The final top dressing is applied 20 to 25 days after the first application.
Maize require the booster nitrogen to give it the deep green colour and increase the plumpness of the grain.
Mrs Rwambiwa said farmers should weed their fields as fertiliser application comes with other unwanted weeds that compete with crops for nutrients.
