The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
DESPITE the late onset of the rainy season, Manicaland has surpassed its Pfumvudza/Intwasa target by about 200 000 plots, amid revelations that 1 681 989 plots have already been prepared against a set target of 1 446 588 plots.
Manicaland has 485 000 beneficiaries under the Government-sponsored programme, with each getting a full basket of agro-region specific inputs.
About 500 000 plots have been planted to date, while the distribution of an assortment of inputs was at about 58 percent to completion.
The remainder was expected anytime soon.
Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka, who was on a crop assessment tour in Makoni last week, said given the role of smallholder farmers in eradicating hunger and improving food security, they must adapt to climate shocks by growing the right crop varieties for their agro-ecological zones, optimise planting dates, explore techniques like more-crop-per-drop, grow ultra-short season varieties, focus on mulching to conserve water and control weeds and pests.
“It will be a short and sharp season, and in Manicaland, I am pleased to learn that they have exceeded their Pfumvudza target by over 200 000 plots. They also have targets to meet for all the other crops, but because they have just started planting, we expect those targets to be surpassed in the next two weeks, taking advantage of the current wet spell.
“I am very pleased with the reaction of farmers to the current rains and we hope it will be a successful season that will meet our national food requirements. The season will be short and sharp, hence the need to plant ultra-early maturity varieties and traditional grains, and we must follow all the agronomic tenets to improve on the yields,” he said.
Minister Masuka said the Government will minimise the impact of the forecast El Niño by putting 100 000ha of maize under irrigation, with Manicaland expected to contribute 20 000ha.
Since 1999, poor rainy seasons occur every two to three years, and it is feared that El Nino may expose millions to drought.
“Our expectation is that of the targeted 100 000ha of irrigable maize, Manicaland should be able to contribute between 20 000 and 25 000ha, and they are on course to meet that. We will be able to meet our irrigation expansion targets.
“Going forward, we have put together the irrigation development alliance – a consortium of 11 companies and Government to accelerate rehabilitation and development of irrigation.
There is also some Afreximbank-facilitated production of an additional 50 000ha under irrigation to compliment this effort. So I am optimistic that the 100 000ha will be met this season, and going forward we will be able to meet our target of developing an additional 350 000ha under irrigation,” he said.
Apart from climatologically undergoing negative metamorphosis characterised by low and highly variable rainfall concentrated over short period and high temperatures, the province has experienced massive top soil erosion, leaving behind tired, overworked and unfertile sandy soils that can hardly sustain crop production.
This prompted Government, through the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DRSS),to develop a countrywide practical soil pH map to guide farmers on improving soil fertility and nutrient status.
Soil pH is an excellent chemical indicator of soil quality and its ability to avail both macro and micro nutrients to the crop on top of other soil structural quality properties.
Most soils in the province have a pH below 5.5 and below 70 percent of saturation, and require liming to improve crop growth and yield.
“We have said that farming has become a business, and that business Manicaland exceeds Pfomvudza target has to be informed by soil health. So it is absolutely critical that farmers understand their soil pH and nutrient status, and to aid this we now have a countrywide practical soil pH map.
“We are in the process of putting this as an (software) application to enable our Agritex officers to assist farmers with a soil pH conditioning in the agro-ecological zones,” he said.
Agricultural Engineering, Mechanisation, Farming Infrastructure, Soil and Water Conservation (AEMFISWC) chief director, Engineer Edwin Zimhunga recently told The Manica Post that farmers should adapt to effects of climate change and stiffer penalties should be imposed on those who cut down trees, practice stream bank cultivation and startveld fires, while de-siltation of dams and rivers, gully reclamation, banning interference with wetlands must be prioritised and be made compulsory in the province.
“We need to adapt and maintain the thrust of production and productivity by doing more of conservation, especially in light of the rains concentrated during a short period of time to sustain our agriculture and be food secure.
“One of the realisations in terms of the loss of yield is that we no longer have our nutritional soil, which is the fertile topsoil because it has been washed away. As a country we are losing an average of 50 tonnes of soil on arable land per hectare every year due to soil erosion,” he said.
Engineer Zimhunga said Zimbabwe has four million hectares of arable land, which translate to 200 million tonnes of top soil being eroded and dumped in water bodies.
