Story by Courage Bushe
THE Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme is raising hopes of a bumper harvest in Midlands Province, with farmers crediting the climate-smart agriculture initiative for improving crop production despite changing weather patterns.
Farmers from across the province gathered at Nichrut Farm in Shurugwi this Friday for a field day focused on conservation agriculture and climate resilience.
The event provided farmers with an opportunity to exchange knowledge and assess the impact of the government-backed programme, which was introduced to strengthen food security and cushion communities against climate change.
“We cannot be a people that are always begging. Why can I not supply to other countries? We thank the government for the support, and we are ready to transform our agriculture sector,” one farmer said.
Another farmer said the initiative had changed perceptions around farming.
“Through the farmer field school, I have learnt a lot, and this is improving our farming. We will now take farming as a business,” the farmer said.
Host farmer Mr Nicholas Gara said adopting the Pfumvudza/Intwasa model had significantly improved productivity on his farm.
“I have followed all the government’s calls for climate-smart agriculture, and Pfumvudza helped me achieve what you see here. I am now seeing value in farming, and I intend to increase the hectares under production this year,” he said.
Shurugwi South legislator, Honourable Wilson Mhuri, urged farmers to focus on boosting output to ensure national food security and create export surpluses.
“As a country, we need to produce enough for our own consumption so that next time we produce surplus for export. This is why the government introduced programmes such as Pfumvudza and Command Agriculture. We also need women to take leading roles in feeding the nation,” he said.
Introduced under the Second Republic, the Pfumvudza/Intwasa concept promotes conservation farming techniques aimed at improving yields, enhancing climate resilience and ensuring sustainable agricultural production.
