Masvingo (New Ziana) –It is a hive of activity around Masvingo City as residents prepare pieces of land for the forthcoming planting season.

Patches of land which had crops, mainly maize, last season have been cleared while new ones have been opened up with some of the fields situated on the banks of Mucheke and Shakashe rivers in what could cause soil erosion and siltation.

Many of the residents have adopted the Pfumvudza concept of farming which the government is championing throughout the country this season as it seeks to ensure food security for the country which has suffered from successive droughts.

Urban agriculture has increased over the years in the face of the economic challenges that the country is facing characterized by high unemployment and hyperinflation which has badly eroded incomes.

The ravaging Covid-19 pandemic and attendant lockdown has compounded the situation and has seen many residents who have been confined to their homes for the past six months turning to the land to occupy themselves.

News of possible above normal rains appears to have also spurred the frenzied land preparations as residents expect good harvests which will see them saving on the staple maize meal.

Some of the residents interviewed said they were targeting the early rains in case the precipitation did not last the full season.

New Ziana