Story by Courage Bushe
A Zvishavane farmer, Mr Claudias Chidhume from Mapirimira area, is charting a new path towards food self-sufficiency through harnessing conservation and resilient agriculture, in the wake of climate change.
This comes as the globe reels from climate-change shocks manifesting through high temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts and flooding.
With low rainfall patterns in the area, the seasoned farmer is expecting a bumper harvest of between seven and nine tonnes per hectare through the use of the Pfumvudza concept.
“Under one hectare of Pfumvudza, I’m targeting not less than 6 to 8 tonnes of maize. We also did 7 plots under small grains, but overall, we have done ten plots. We are expecting a bumper harvest and we are confident that this initiative will play a crucial role in eradicating hunger in our community and even the nation at large. This concept has proven to be a game changer in the face of climate change and we are in support of it,” he said.
Zvishavane Ward 5 Agritex Officer, Mr Tapiwa Kwami highlighted the significance of resilient building in the wake of climate change.
“We have been working with farmers from the start, and we have been teaching them the importance of resilient building, especially here in region 4 and 5, where rainfall patterns are low. The type of farming enables them to fight hunger and promote household food security.”
Government’s Pfumvudza/ Intwasa programme has become a practical tool to ensure food security across the country.
