Agric thrust needs extension impetus

31 Dec, 2017 - 00:12 0 Views

The Sunday Mail

Clemence Machadu Insight
Howdy folks!
American poet Theodore Roethke wrote, “Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.”

Most folks attempt to keep their light by taking advantage of the festive season to embark on annual pilgrimages to reconnect with their respective roots in a bid to stay grounded.

Your countryboy was no exception to that tradition as he also sojourned to his rural village somewhere in Zaka, nestled between the mist-sharing Mbengwa, Machena and Chivavarire mountains, whose thick, green forests bear mazamera, tyondyondyo, nhengeni, nhuzwa and other fruits.

And from a distance, the overlooking Manyiri, Chimarara and Ngwana mountains also serve as good horizons to cast endless imaginations. The feeling is soothing; the feeling of being home, far from the madding crowd.

You get the opportunity to see how things are changing in the countryside, how the trees are now less compared to yesteryear and how new landforms are being created. In the fields, folks now seem to get less yield for more work as the soil is tired. And while Government has been promoting increased agriculture production, rural-folk continue to face a number of setbacks.

In districts like Zaka where I come from, growing the staple maize is almost an impossibility now as the planted seeds are devoured by crickets (makurwe) before they even get the opportunity to germinate. The little that survive past the germination phase still face the ruthless armyworm, which, again, unleashes an Armageddon on the maize, much to the deterioration of yields.

If this is extrapolated to all communal areas countrywide, then the issue of pests and disease is serious to communal farming. This should not go unaddressed as the new agricultural season unfolds. The free inputs that some folks are getting from Government will just go to waste if no attention is paid to adequate extension services.

Government is making significant investments in the agricultural sector both under Command Agriculture and the Presidential Well-Wishers Agricultural Inputs Support Scheme, with the private sector and banks also contributing; thus the return should be meaningful.

Over half a billion dollars has been set aside for 2017-18 summer cropping, with the Presidential Well-Wishers Agricultural Inputs Support Scheme greatly expanded from 800 000 households to 1,8 million households.

As we move forward, quality should also be prioritised over quantity. We need to bring competitiveness into agriculture across the board. You see, pests, disease and changing climatic conditions pose an additional cost to production and also affect productivity and yields. Some folks may not afford to keep buying seed to replenish the seed destroyed in underground warfare with pests.

It’s aptly summed in Isaiah 28:24-25 which says: “When a farmer ploughs for planting, does he plough continually? Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil? When he has levelled the surface, does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?” Other communal folks are not exposed to modern ways of dealing with pests.

My aunt, VaZvibwowa, has had to  sprinkle soil on every maize plant hit by the armyworm to try and salvage her pest-ridden crop. Her son, Sabhawa, also resorted to planting maize and cotton seed in the same hole as he believes that the chemical on the cotton seed will chase evil crickets away from maize seed, allowing it to germinate.

The cost of production for communal farmers should be managed through collaboration with Government otherwise the country will continue to be uncompetitive in agriculture. The price of maize in Zimbabwe at US$390 per tonne is very expensive compared to regional averages. Viability issues can also be observed in other crops.

In the 2018 National Budget, for instance, Government actually exempted tobacco buyers from withholding 10 percent tax in order to ease the tax burden on farmers of the crop, particularly at communal level, that are experiencing viability challenges on account of huge expenditures incurred during growing and marketing.

For our secondary agro-producers to be competitive, farmers have to be first supported to also play their part in the competitiveness matrix.

If prices of local agricultural commodities continue to be high, it will create an incentive for rent-seekers to smuggle or officially import them from other countries where they are cheap. Maize imports are an interesting case in point.

Between January and October 2017, maize imports amounting to US$113 million were realised. This is regardless of the fact that we had a bumper maize harvest, with production exceeding two million tonnes, which is in excess of the local national requirement.

Folks, extension services to communal farmers have been dwindling in recent years at a time when new pests and diseases have been proliferating.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Extension Services has been complaining about lack of demonstration material and inadequate technical staff. There is need to increase capacity and ensure farmers acquire enough training and adequate extension support.

Extension services in Zimbabwe can be traced to as far back as 1927 when Emory Alvord introduced about 10 agricultural demonstration workers (vadhumeni), with the Department of Agricultural Extension being later established to service indigenous smallholder farmers.

Given how farmers in the countryside are struggling with the vagaries of pests, disease and other climatic challenges, there is need for aggressive application of scientific research and knowledge to agricultural practices through intensive communal farmer education and support.

It has been observed in Zimbabwe that while many smallholder farmers have fully adopted use of maize hybrid seed, the adoption and use of supportive technologies such as fertilisers, pesticides and recommended agricultural management methods is still minimal.

More extension officers are, therefore, needed to interact with farmers on a number of issues, including crop health, animal welfare, natural resources, how to optimise land use, structuring irrigation systems and water harvesting.

When you look at our current agricultural productivity levels in comparison with our regional peers, you will realise that Zimbabwe is virtually at the bottom. While average maize yield in 2017 recorded a notable increase to reach 1.2 tonnes per hectare from the previous 0,4 tonnes per ha; the regional average is two tonnes per ha, with countries like South Africa actually realising about 4.5 tonnes per ha.

In light of the above, Government should not neglect extension services as it seeks to advance agriculture development, especially when it comes to communal farming. Otherwise, its significant investment in the sector will not bear fruit as intended.

A happy New Year to you all!

Later folks!

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