Story by Tamuka Charakupa
FARMERS in Mhondoro Mubaira have received a major boost after getting tractors which are part of government efforts to boost agricultural productivity in rural communities.
While the government is promoting conservation farming through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa concept for smallholder farmers, it is also implementing the mechanisation programme to enhance productivity.
Framers in Mhondoro-Mubaira are the latest to benefit after receiving tractors which were handed over by the St John’s Apostolic Church.
“We are receiving extremely high temperatures these past years and this has made it difficult for our elderly to dig Pfumvudza holes. These three tractors offer an alternative. We want to thank St John’s Church for giving back to the community, a gesture which dovetails with the mantra of President Mnangagwa that ‘Nyika Inovakwa ne Vene Vayo’,” said Mhondoro Mubaira Legislator, Honourable Chamu Chiwanza.
“We have so many idle fields which we were not ploughing due to limited labour, especially in the wake of the Pfumvudza farming concept.
“This means we can now employ both methods of farming so that we fulfill the government’s food security targets, especially in rural communities,” said a community member.
St John’s Apostolic Church of the Whole World Advisor in the Bishop’s Office, Advocate Charles Maunga also said, “We lost the majority of our cattle to the January disease which was also coupled by this severe drought rendering it difficult to rely on our animals for production.
“Our donkeys were also not spared, yet we are already in the farming season. With Pfumvudza, we only dug holes around our homesteads, but for other fields, it was a challenge. We welcome this gesture from the government supported by the church.”
The government is determined to ensure national food security through partnerships with various organisations including the church.
“As the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, we are on a drive to ensure we promote mechanisation within our rural communities, and this latest development feeds into that vision. We need to ensure food security every day and everywhere, and the provision of these three tractors means that farmers can unlock their full potential.
“Some farmers lost their cattle due to diseases and drought so Pfumvudza is critical at one end while tractors offer an option on the other,” explained Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Director Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation, Mr Clopas Rukuni.
Meanwhile, preparations for the summer cropping season are now at an advanced stage, with most farmers having received inputs and fertilisers under the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme.
