Farmers must start preparations for 2014-15 agricultural season

Now that winter is gone, farmers have a major role to play in preparation for the next cropping season which is just a door step from now. Preparations for the next agricultural season should be done well before the first rain falls.

It is imperative to note that the Government is making efforts to find monetary resources that can be used to acquire farming inputs such as fertilizers and grain seeds before the farming season.

Lack of proper farming planning will affect the production output of crops.
For that reason, farmers in the entire nation should not only wait for government to supply them with farming inputs, instead they should run around looking for funds to purchase inputs as well.

It is well known that the Government is currently facing financial challenges hence there might be delays in supplying of those farming inputs. The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) should find better ways of reviving its operations with the aim of boosting the food security in the country. For a number of years the parastatal has been lying idle without any production taking place.

Instead, the Government should try and utilize this parastatal as a way of increasing food security. It will be prudent if Government considers giving farming inputs to ARDA instead of continuously supplying these inputs to underperforming farmers. By so doing, the agricultural sector will be revived and commercialized.

Commercialization is about increasing engagement with markets both locally and abroad. If ARDA manages to revitalize its farming industry, the rate at which the country imports food, some which may be genetically modified will decline hence maximizing international markets through selling the agricultural crops abroad.

The Government introduced the Presidential input scheme, a programme which is meant to assist communal farmers with farming inputs. This programme bridged the gap that existed between the A2 farmers who can afford to buy the inputs and the communal farmers who cannot afford to buy inputs.

However, the big problem arises when the officials responsible for input distributing consider themselves and take most of the inputs at the expense of the poor farmers who lack funds to purchase inputs.  For a long time, input distributors have been looting farming inputs, selling them at a higher price which most of the communal farmers cannot afford.

The responsible authorities should punish all those input distributors who engage themselves in looting agricultural inputs that are intended to benefit small scale farmers.


In efforts to improve the food production in the country, it is imperative that Government engages itself in a five year land review programme checking on all land users, assessing on their performance. If a farmer is not performing well the land should be given to other potential farmers. If one farmer is underperforming automatically food security is threatened.