Sharon Chikowore
SMALL-SCALE farmers, who have struggled to ensure their crops were not written off, are overjoyed by the sudden change in weather. The skies have opened up, bringing much needed rains to parched lands.
As the rains continue to pour down, farmers are rejoicing at the prospect of a good harvest.
“For months we have been praying for rains. Our crops were withering away and we were worried that we would lose everything like the experience we came across last year. But now with the rains coming we are hopeful that we will have a good harvest,” said Maria Gideon, a farmer from Banket.
Emily Mhonda, a small-scale farmer and a mother of three said: “We are expecting a bumper harvest this season. The rains have come at just the right time and our crops are thriving. We are looking forward to good yields, which will help us support our families. The rains are a blessing for us. We are not just farming for ourselves, but for our communities. A good harvest means that we will have food on the table and our children will have a better future.”
Mashonaland West Director of Agriculture and Rural Development Advisory Service (ARDAS), Madeline Magwenzi, said the province was happy with the rains and the crops were promising after experiencing a long dry spell.
“Most of our farmers planted their crop in November and their crop was looking good, but we had a long dry spell which saw everything dry. But we are happy as Mashonaland West because we had temporary wilting where it was promising and when the rains came all our crops resurrected, including the pastures,” she said.
She encourage farmers to make use of the rains and sunny days in order to maximise all operations during the wet spell to enhance yields.
“Farmers this is the time, when you see a day without the rains, put fertilizer on the crops that need it. If there is a crop that needs weeding, make sure you apply chemicals or weed. If it is Pfumvudza/ Intwasa, you were supposed to have put mulch. It’s not too late, put that mulch because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow as this wet spell can turn into another dry spell.
We urge farmers to continue scouting for pests, we have this notorious fall armyworm, which is really problematic for our maize production. This is also the time to spray, if you see any,” said Magwenzi.
