The Chronicle
Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
URBAN farmers in Bulawayo metropolitan province have started land preparations for the 2022/2023 farming season under the climate-proofed Presidential Inputs Scheme, popularly known as Intwasa/Pfumvudza, with the latest seasonal forecast predicting normal to above normal rains across the country.
In the previous season, Bulawayo farmers harvested 5 000 tonnes of maize under the Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme.
The seed types and varieties will depend on the farming region. Riding on the success of the Government-funded scheme during the 2020/21 agriculture season, the programme has this year attracted interest from many farmers in Bulawayo, mostly youths who did not participate last season.
According to the Meteorological Services Department (MSD), although there are chances of normal to below normal rainfall in regions two and three at the very start of the season, the outlook is generally positive for the Zimbabwean farmer.
The MSD also warned that there could be prolonged dry spells during the season and tropical cyclones highly likely. There could be major storms and flash flooding with dams and rivers likely to fill.
There are now five weather radar sets that can cover the country and track storms and automatic stations are filling gaps in the recording network.
Updated forecasts will be issued each month from the end of October.
Government has since started delivering agricultural inputs for the 2022/2023 farming season in Bulawayo with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development finalising the process of distributing the inputs.
Intwasa is a concept aimed at climate-proofing agriculture by adopting conservation farming techniques and involves use of small plots and applying the correct agronomic practices for higher returns.
The programme will support five Intwasa/Pfumvudza plots of 39m x 16m for each household with a standardised crop input package drawn from maize, sorghum, pearl millet, soya beans, sunflower, groundnuts, vegetables and cow peas.
In the low potential areas, the five plots will comprise three maize plots, one for family food and two to produce grain for sale, one plot on soya beans and another plot under either sugar beans, groundnuts or cow peas.
In low rainfall agro-ecological regions, three plots will be put under cereals maize, sorghum and pearl millet. The maize plot is for household food and the other two plots under traditional grains for commercial sale.
This year the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme will be extended to 3,5 million households, including a special smaller pack for 500 000 urban farmers.
Government has already released $20 billion towards the programme.
This year’s target means an additional 1,2 million households will benefit from the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, after 2,3 million households participated last year.
Under the programme, each farming household will get an input package comprising 10kg maize seed, 5kg sorghum, 2kg pearl millet, 5kg soya beans, 2kg sunflower/castor beans and 5kg of either sugar beans, 5kg cowpeas or roundnuts.
Some farmers will get 5kg of summer wheat, long season variety, 2x50kg of Compound D fertiliser, 1x50kg top dressing fertiliser and chemicals for fall armyworm or stalk borer control.
A Chronicle news crew yesterday moved around the city’s suburbs and observed farmers preparing land ahead of the roll out of inputs.
Farmers who spoke to the news crew said they are excited at this year’s prospects. Weather patterns are crucial as they guide farmers on what to grow.
Mr Philemon Bepe (85) of Emganwini suburb said he is looking forward to another successful season after harvesting two tonnes of maize under Intwasa/Pfumvudza scheme.
“For the past 20 years, I have been farming in this open space along the Bulawayo-Plumtree Road. However, I started recording high yields in 2020 under the Government funded Intwasa and since then I have never looked back,” he said.
“I have started preparing land and looking forward to receiving inputs. For us as pensioners, this scheme is proving to be a source of livelihood.”
Ms Roseline Ngwenya of Nketa suburb said: “Through this programme, we are also boosting food security in our country and in the previous season, I managed to deliver one tonne of maize to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB). I have started preparing land based on what we were taught by Agritex officers.
Grain Marketing BoardThrough Intwasa programme, Mr Lazarus Ndlovu of Rangemore said he raised money to pay tuition fees for his three children as well as feed his family.
Mrs Khanyiso Nkala of Nketa suburb said: “Pfumvudza or Intwasa has proved to be a lifesaver for most small-scale farmers in the city. I have been doing this farming method for the past five years and in 2020, I managed to harvest 29 bags of maize since we had good rains.
Ms Lethubuhle Dlamini of Emganwini, who is participating in Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme for the second time, lauded the Government for introducing the scheme.
“I remember sometime in 2020 when this Intwasa programme was introduced, I was a doubting Thomas, but through intensive training by Agritex officers, I decided to give it a try and I have no regrets because it has proved to be a game changer” she said.
Mr Musa Sibanda of Rangemore said after land preparation, the next stage will be dry planting towards the end of next month.
“We usually start land preparations in September and then do dry planting in October. We are looking forward to a good harvest since the weather forecast predicted normal to above normal rains across the country,” he said.
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union (ZCFU) president Dr Shadreck Makombe urged farmers to start preparing land for the forthcoming cropping season and also take advantage of the expected good rains to maximise on production. “Farmers must adequately prepare so that they produce good results. Unlike the previous season, the 2022/23 agricultural season is quite promising considering that we have been assured of good rains by weather experts,” he said.
ZFCUDr Makombe also urged farmers to seek advice from Agritex to make informed decisions and work towards attaining a bumper harvest.
He said if farmers get inputs on time there is a probability that the country will record a bumper harvest.
Acting director of agricultural rural development and advisory services for Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces, Mr Dumisani Nyoni said early preparations are very crucial in farming.
He said the department was in the process of training both new and old farmers in the province.
“It is quite encouraging to note that most of the farmers in both eastern and western suburbs including peri-urban areas around Bulawayo have started preparing for the 2022/23 season. We are targeting 25 000 households in all 29 wards of Bulawayo metropolitan province,” he said.
“We are in the process of finalising the process of distributing inputs to those who would have finished the recommended land preparations.”
Mr Nyoni said peri-urban farmers will access an input package comprising 2kg of maize seed, 10kg of basal fertiliser and top-dressing fertiliser.
“We will only distribute inputs to those who would have finished the recommended land preparations. The intention is to support as many farmers as possible but looking at the past two seasons, the highest number that benefited was 25 000 farmers,” he said.
Mr Nyoni urged farmers to intensify land preparation to ensure high yields.
“The thrust of this Intwasa/Pfumvudza concept is that we don’t waste input anymore hence we want to ensure that the inputs we are distributing out there give us a return which is in the form of household food security and surplus going to GMB,” he said.
Mr Nyoni said the support from Government under the programme is for the five plots but farmers can augment this using their own resources.
He said in Matabeleland North, they are targeting at least 90 000 hectares of maize and 65 000 hectares of traditional grains across all programmes.
Mr Nyoni said due to limited spaces for farming in the city, farmers will only receive maize seed packs and fertiliser.
“We have noted that a lot of urbanites have joined the programme where they are farming in open space within the confines of cities. They also embrace soil and moisture conservation techniques hence we are training them to do Intwasa/Pfumvudza,” he said.
“We are training farmers with the emphasis to minimise the disturbance of the soil besides the application of nutrients to maximise on yields. The use of mulching also helps increase the conservation of moisture thereby improving chances of a good harvest.”
Mr Nyoni said the success of the Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme at its inception saw a number of farmers adopting the cropping technique.
The scheme provides training in a scientifically-proven system of conservation agriculture as well as the proper use of inputs.
“The aim is to ensure that farming becomes a proper businesses whereby farmers enjoy profits of their sweat after selling their produce,” said Mr Nyoni.
Farmers adopted the Pfumvudza/Intwasa concept based on the principles of minimum soil disturbance (holing out), mulching to conserve moisture, timeliness of operations and adoption of good agronomic practices.
National food self-sufficiency is key to the Government’s economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1, which identifies food security and nutrition as key drivers of economic revival. – @mashnets.
Article Source: The Chronicle