Story by Courage Bushe
A Zvishavane community is riding on a wave of success following the harnessing of conservation and resilient agriculture to hedge against climate change challenges.
As the globe reels from climate change shocks such as high temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns and droughts, a group of farmers from Masimba area of Neta in Zvishavane are riding on a wave of success after embarking on resilient building and horticulture production.
The adoption of conservation agriculture in horticulture production by Masimba farmers is a clear indication of the government’s commitment to commercialising agriculture.
“We are in region four and five, where rainfall patterns are very low, so we embraced the smart agriculture and irrigation production as a group, and it’s bearing fruits for us,” said a farmer.
Another added, “We are confident that the resilient and smart agriculture production will take us to the next level. With the knowledge we get from our development partners, we are going far.”
Government and its development partners continue to make efforts to support rural development and enhance productivity.
It is our mandate to ensure that these farmers have ventured into business. We talked with them and made sure that they registered their group as a company so that they could grow their products for business purposes. We will continue to help them with the necessary support,” noted Midlands Small to Medium Enterprises chairperson, Bigboy Murenga.
The adoption of conservation agriculture is being prioritized in the face of climate change, with the main goal being to improve yields and expand household incomes.
