Zimbabwe smallholders need tech to spur production

Harare, (New Ziana)- There is need to assist smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe to access technologies that will enable them to increase farm yields, achieve resilience, better nutrition to address poverty and food security, as well as economic growth, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Lands, Agriculture. Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Minister Anxious Masuka said this at a symposium on Combating Food Insecurity in Southern Africa in the Era of Climate Change Through Mitigation and Adaptation Measures which his Ministry held jointly with the Bindura University of Science Education in the capital on Wednesday.

In a speech which Ministry permanent secretary Obert Jiri read on his behalf, Masuka said there is need for a paradigm shift that enables smallholder farmers in the country, particularly in rural areas, to produce enough to feed themselves and to sell.

He said such technologies are simple conventional ones including irrigation, improved seed varieties, use of fertilisers and provision of infrastructure, which have been tested elsewhere.

Masuka said the era when large multinational organizations were considered the only solution to successful agricultural production in the developing world, Southern Africa included, has passed.

“The region’s agriculture has continued to underperform because it is not giving farmers enough yield to feed themselves and get more to take to the market,” he told representatives of government and parastatal officials, academics and educators, researchers, scientists, farmer organizations Non-Governmental organizations, development agencies, business leaders, entrepreneurs, students and young professionals.

“We are talking about when the rain does not come at the right time or the length of the [growing] season is shortened as a result of drought,” he told the high-level two-day symposium which ends Thursday.

He added that assisting small-scale farmers to adopt “climate-smart” farming techniques will “prepare them for even more serious challenges in the future”.

“An important factor of good land management is the effective and efficient use of water – groundwater, surface water, and rainwater,” he said.

“When we talk about smallholding farming in Zimbabwe we are talking about a system in which most people depend on rainfall. Therefore to build a climate-smart system, we need to find a way to preserve the water via rainwater harvesting, among other technologies.

“What we need to help farmers do is to be able to adopt good land management practices and improve seed stocks, with drought-resistant varieties.”

Masuka warned: “Whether we like it or not, climate change is a phenomenon the region is facing. The worst effects of climate change are yet to come, we already have many technologies available to face them and protect our future food supply.”

Speaking at the same occasion, Eddie Mwenje, vice-chancellor of the Bindura University of Science Education said a failed season poses a real threat to food security in Zimbabwe.

“Let’s engage in fruitful discussion as we actively participate and create partnerships. Let’s also seize this opportunity to collaborate, share ideas, and develop actionable recommendations that will guide our region towards a more prosperous, resilient, and food-secure future that is climate resilient,” he said.

Zimbabwe Red Cross disaster preparedness officer, Benjamin Kwenda said agriculture has been able to adapt to recent changes in climate.

“However, increased innovation will be needed to ensure the rate of adaptation of agriculture and the associated socioeconomic system can keep pace with climate change over the next 25 years,” he said.

New Ziana