Story by Mercy Bofu-Matinha
THE Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme and Village Business Units are transforming lives in Chivi North which has seen many communities becoming food secure.
Mrs Thembinkosi Huruva Mukungunugwa and her family from Maramba village in Chivi North adopted the Pfumvudza Intwasa programme in 2018.
They started with one plot and since then, they have been cultivating five plots, producing enough for the family and surplus for sale, enabling them to send their children to school.
“When we started this programme in 2018 we were very skeptical and we started with just one plot. However, after the harvest, we realised that the concept is a noble, life-changing programme. Since then we have not looked back,” farmer, Mrs Mukungunugwa said.
Other farmers paid tribute to the government for helping to transform the dry area of Chivi into a food-secure community.
“As a community, we remain indebted to our government for the support they are giving us. We received inputs and technical support hence the crop you are seeing around our villages,” a community member said.
“Apart from the Pfumvudza Intwasa programme we now have many village business units including fish ponds and it has helped us to take farming as a business,” a communal farmer addded.
Agriculture experts are assisting farmers in Chivi to focus on traditional grains.
“We continue to urge farmers in this area to focus on traditional grains given their resilience to climate change. Yes maize might do well in a season like this, but we recommend traditional grains. As Valley Seeds, we are working with more than 300 farmers supporting them in producing those traditional grains,” agronomist for Valley Seeds, Mr Tinashe Bvukumbwe said.
Government representatives are confident of a good harvest this summer cropping season from assessments carried out.
“From the assessments that we are doing, as government, we are confident of a bumper harvest this season. Here in Chivi both the traditional grains and maize crop are doing well, though in some areas the crop was affected by too much rains,” Director Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services, Acting Chief, Mr Leonard Munamati said.
“As a province, we want to thank the government for continuing to support our communal farmers. The crop that we are seeing here is clear evidence that many of them especially here in Chivi, an area known for drought, are going to harvest something. We continue to urge our farmers to look after their crop until they harvest,” the Permanent Secretary for Masvingo Province, Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa said.
The Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme has transformed many rural communities, with Masvingo Province having exceeded its target of one million plots this summer cropping season, a clear indication that many are adopting the concept.
