Farmers embrace traditional grains

Farmers in Zvishavane are convinced that the traditional grains concept is the only way the district can be food secure following a promising bumper harvest of small grains.

Most farmers in Mtshingwe area of Zvishavane are staring at a successful season after planting traditional grains.

A field day held this Wednesday in Mtshingwe revealed that the farmers are expecting to harvest between five and eight tonnes per hectare.

"We are very happy as farmers because this initiative between government and its development partners has changed our lives for the better," a farmer said.

"As women who are into farming this is an opportunity for us to better ourselves and move away from solely relying on our husbands for financial assistance," another said.

In an effort to achieve food sufficiency, government and its development partners are on a drive to accelerate the uptake of traditional grains in areas that receive low rainfall.

"We thank MIMOSA for partnering with us because it gave our farmers the resources. We also chipped in as officers with the required knowledge making this a successful combination leading to the district's food sufficiency," noted Zvishavane District Agritex Officer, Mr Ellen Chivi.

Mimosa Mines General Manager Mr Steven Ndiyamba said, "We are committed to changing livelihoods by empowering them with resources to use."

The partnerships between government and private players have re-energised the country's agricultural sector and boosted production and setting the country back on track to food sufficiency.