Story by Gay Matambo
Over 40 000 communal farmers in Chiredzi District embraced the Pfumvudza/ Intwasa programme this summer cropping season with a view to increasing household food security.
Mr Hardlife Chiguvu and his wife from Nyabongwe village in Ward 17, Chiredzi district, are part of the over 40 000 farmers who have fully embraced the Pfumvudza/ Intwasa programme.
The couple has transformed their lives through the innovative climate-proofed agriculture initiative, and this summer cropping season, they have cultivated five plots of maize and five plots of sorghum.
“When this programme was rolled out, we did not embrace it fully because we did not understand it but as you can see we have fully grasped the concept after realising that we get high yields from applying the concept,” Mr Chiguva said.
“What we are seeing now is that we planted on the 8th of November, and crops managed to withstand the heatwave, and now our crops are doing well but before this programme our crops would die instantly because of that conventional method of farming we used.”
Over the years, Headman Maume of Davayi village in Chiredzi North has been surpassing the Pfumvudza household target of three plots, selling the surplus to the Grain Marketing Board.
.
“I prepare my Pfumvudza plots as I was taught by the extension workers, and if you follow these instructions, especially mulching, then definitely the results will be good. Apart from the three plots, I go an extra mile maybe 15 plots in total so that I sell the surplus.”
Through increased production of traditional grains, maize, and wheat, the country is now cereal sufficient from local production, thanks to farmers such as Ms Vongai Nyandoro in the Chizvirizvi area in Chiredzi East who is expecting four tonnes of maize, five tonnes of sorghum and a tonne of cowpeas from her Pfumvudza plots this summer cropping season.
“I have 6 plots of sorghum, 4 plots of maize, 2 plots of ground nuts, and 4 plots of cowpeas. The Pfumvudza programme has ensured that we have food on the table. Before this programme, we never harvested anything in the fields, but even in dry parts of the country like Chiredzi, we are now able to harvest something.”
Chiredzi Agritex Officer, Mr Tongai Bodi, weighed in saying the hectarage planted under traditional crops this year in the district has increased as farmers diversify to boost food and nutrition security.
“This season, we have quite several farmers who were allocated inputs under the Pfumvudza/ Intwasa programme. Most of our farmers got sorghum, cowpeas, and sunflower as their main crops. They planted using the effective rain, and the majority of the crop is now at the late vegetative stage, and some of the few plots we put under maize are at the soft door stage,” he said.
The Pfumvudza/ Intwasa programme has boosted the productivity of crops, which include maize and traditional grains, highlighting its positive impact on food security since its implementation in 2020.
