Story by Providence Maraneli
RESETTLED farmers in the Dwala area of Gwanda have embarked on commercial farming to boost their resilience against climate change and transform their lives through employment creation.
While climate change is threatening the full utilisation of productive land which came through the country’s hard-won independence, farmers in the Dwala area of Gwanda have embarked on massive commercial production of sweet potatoes.
One such farmer, Mr Patson Muserengi who boasts of more than five hectares of sweet potato crop said his life has been transformed after embarking on the commercial venture.
“We have been transformed, we have created employment for the locals as we employ them to help us produce this. We have transformed our lives because even when you get little rains, still we can harvest and we have grown so big that we also buy from other neighbours who have also gone into farming,” he said.
Small and medium enterprises have become key players in the production chain with a focus on employment creation and food security.
Gwanda Small and Medium Enterprises Chairperson Mr Hloniphani Sibanda stated, “When you look at this crop and the level of production that this farmer who is also a member of small and medium enterprises in Gwanda is into, you are assured that we are on the right path.”
“The government is emphasising employment creation even in the rural setup and this farmer is already doing it. This is in line with the government’s vision of an upper middle-income society by 2030.”
Agriculture remains the major pillar in the country’s economic turnaround efforts, which envisages an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
