Adventist Church project leads Bulawayo horticulture recovery

Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
A MASSIVE horticulture project spearheaded by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Zimbabwe in Montgomery, Umguza District has created employment for nearly 100 local families with 40 tonnes of peas expected to be harvested in due course.

ADRA, which is an international humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church was founded in 1956 and works closely with Government and communities to develop productive capacities as well as disaster relief.

Through its flourishing horticulture project, ADRA Zimbabwe is defining its farming success story, contributing significantly to the National Horticulture Recovery and Growth Plan launched by President Mnangagwa in August 2020.

The Horticulture Recovery and Growth Plan is part of Government initiatives under Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy (2020-2025) to transform agriculture from a US$5,2 billion to a US$8,2 billion sector, contributing 20 percent of gross domestic product by 2025 in line with the vision of making Zimbabwe an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

Government launched the recovery plan to stimulate both conventional and rural horticulture production, to accelerate domestic and export horticulture production, productivity and profitability.

It also focuses on value addition to contribute significantly to food security and nutrition, import-substitution, foreign currency generation, employment creation and raising household incomes in pursuit of Vision 2030.

Government is targeting transformation of rural and urban economies through enhancement of food, nutrition, markets, and jobs using value chains, including the horticulture sector, as a means of achieving a prosperous, inclusive, diverse, sustainable and competitive agriculture sector.

The Rural Horticulture Transformation Plan is anchored on the Presidential Horticulture Scheme, which seeks to create and sustain a US$1,2 billion rural horticulture economy by 2025.

The enviable ADRA farming project is part of the ADRA project titled ENGAGE — Making Markets Work for Smallholder Farmers that will run until June 2024.

ADRA has partnered with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in sensitisation in rolling out the project

The initiative is meant to increase export building capacity for farmers and ensuring the country has adequate stocks for supply during off-season times.

When a Chronicle news crew visited the ARDA Farm, workers were busy harvesting peas for both local and export market. A total of 40 tonnes of peas is expected to be harvested from the 5,2 hectares.

In an interview yesterday, ADRA country director Mrs Judith Musvosvi said through their project, they have created employment for 90 locals.

“We started this project last year in August at our farm in Montgomery and we have just started harvesting peas and expect at least 40 tonnes, some of which will be exported to South Africa, Europe and Asian markets.

Through our project, locals are also benefiting in terms of employment,” she said.

ADRA has also created an opportunity for local farmers to replicate the farming model through site visits.

Mrs Musvosvi said their organisation is supporting Government efforts to revamp the horticultural sector through training of farmers, providing storage facilities and market facilitation, among others.

“We are also capacitating local farmers through training them and offering site visits so that they can also look and learn from our farming model.

Working with Government and our partners, we also facilitate in terms of linking farmers with the markets and teaching them on value addition,” she said.

A field day was held at the farm last Friday and ADRA officials barred farmers from speaking to the Press.

ADRA recently set up a cold chain facility at the farm to assist local farmers enhance quality storage standards and reduce post-harvest losses.

The establishment of the cold room facility was funded by ADRA Zimbabwe in partnership with the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation (ANCP).

The initiative is also meant to increase export building capacity for farmers and ensuring the country has adequate stocks for supply during off-seasons.

“As ADRA, we facilitate markets for smallholder farmers and consolidate them to get into groups so that they afford to get quality assessment for their produce to meet export market standards and also be able to get good prices,” Mrs Musvosvi.

The cold storage facility is mainly dealing with perishable products, which have short shelf life.

The products can then be sent to the market during the times of shortages when prices are favourable to farmers.

Zimbabwe has been a major producer and exporter of a variety of horticultural crops driven by favourable climatic conditions, strong farming skills and access to favourable export markets.

The export destinations were Europe for cut flowers, fruits and vegetables.

The sector used to be the fastest-growing after tobacco in foreign currency earnings.

Horticulture exports peaked at US$143 million in the 1990s then declined to US$72 million in 2005 and US$40 million in 2009.

President Mnangagwa has already given an indication that the agriculture sector and sectors such as mining are the key enablers in which the vision of an upper middle-income society by 2030 should be built on.

Government is targeting the transformation of rural economies, industries, and urban economies through enhancement of food, nutrition, markets, and jobs using several specific value chains and the horticulture sector included.

As envisaged, the horticulture recovery and growth plan will not just boost exports, but also drive rural incomes, adding US$2 000 to the average household income for participating small-scale farmers by 2030. — @mashnets

Article Source: The Chronicle