The Sunday Mail
Fatima Bulla-Musakwa
An agricultural revolution is underway in Zimbabwe, and it is all hands on deck.
Government officials, technocrats, institutions of higher learning and farmers are rolling up their sleeves to enhance agricultural productivity.
Dam construction, which will significantly help in the country’s quest to shift from rain-fed agriculture, is underway in different parts of the country.
Marovanyati Dam in Buhera, Manicaland, has been completed and land is being prepared for irrigation.
Farms are being mechanised through facilities such as the US$51 million John Deere deal and the Belarus facility.
Emphasis, however, is not only on the production of food and cash crops, but on livestock as well.
Various programmes to boost the production of meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather and wool are already underway.
The results are beginning to show.
Last week, The Sunday Mail visited women farmers who benefited from a piggery scheme that was launched under the Presidential Livestock Inputs Support Programme.
Launched by President Mnangagwa in May this year, with 10 000 weaners being donated to smallholder farmers by Triple C — the largest private pig producer in the country — the programme is considered a game-changer.
The scheme targets women who are in groups that include agricultural colleges, research institutes, security services’ farms and youths. Having received at least two sows and a boar on a free loan, the women, like the rest of the beneficiaries, are expected to pass them on to the next approved farmer after the first litter.
Mrs Letwinner Nyagano, a farmer based in Norton, received 40 piglets.
She was expecting to wean off the pigs by May after they had produced litter.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga (right) speaks to Niesbert Taguta during the launch of Presidential Heifer pass-on programme and hand over of 194 heifers to beneficiaries in Middle Sabi in June. — Picture: Tawanda Mudimu
However, she has since sold 10 piglets and built another block divided into smaller pig sties.
“By December, I should have 10 pigs producing at least 13 piglets each. If I sell one pig, I expect to get about US$150. With good costing, I get myself a good profit. However, I intend to keep five gilts for breeding and one boar,” Mrs Nyagano said.
A sow can have two farrowings and produce more than 20 piglets every year, and can be sent to the market at six months, so farmers can generate revenue while still building their herd to the most viable size.
Since the scheme is an initiative to empower as many smallholder farmers as possible, Mrs Nyagano will pass on the pigs to other women within the Women in Agriculture Union (WAU) framework through which she received them.
Mrs Rose Munguni, who received two sows and boar, said she now needs a bigger piece of land.
“I think this project will take me far in terms of empowerment. I was even surprised with the rate at which the pigs grow. So we thank God that the President gave us good capital to kick-start our projects,” said Mrs Munguni.
“My desire is to have a bigger piece of land and expand my project. I am still buying stockfeed and supplementing by selling some commodities to get maize, soyabean or sunflower in other farming communities.
“My aim is to get to a place where I will be able to prepare my own stockfeed.”
Miss Elita Gochera, a farmer based in Nyabira, who is renting a piece of land for her piggery project, is now exploring opportunities available through the Women’s Bank to expand her project.
“We had interactions with people from the Women’s Bank and because of that knowledge I am now expecting to get a loan to build my own pig sty.”
Women in Agriculture Union (WAU), an association of women in agriculture, received 300 weaners from the Presidential Livestock Inputs Support Programme, which were distributed to 43 women in eight provinces.
Chairperson of WAU, Ms Olga Nhari, said women have a critical role to play in food security as they represent 70 percent of the labour force in the sector.
“The challenge that most women face in agriculture is similar; that is, when they try to penetrate bigger markets, they are not taken seriously as businesspeople. The moment we mention women there is this habit of taking women lightly,” she said.
The piggery scheme is within the broader framework of the Presidential Livestock Inputs Support Programme, which includes a heifer pass-on scheme.
It will play a complementary role to other running livestock schemes covering cattle, goats, sheep, poultry and fisheries.
Government is actively trying to grow the livestock sub-sector, which contributes up to 18 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
Last week, Government said it would soon roll out a tick-grease programme to benefit one million households ahead of the rainy season.
The programme is part of efforts to reduce the number of cattle succumbing to tick-borne diseases, especially theileriosis, which has killed thousands of livestock in the past few years.
Tertiary institutions are playing a crucial role, with the artificial insemination programme being spearheaded by Chinhoyi University of Technology already a runaway success.
Mrs Nyagano feeds some of the piglets she received from the Presidential Livestock Inputs Support Programme at her plot in Norton last week
Agro-industrial park
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said universities have to lead agricultural development and industrialisation.
“We are in the process of building an agro-industrial park at CUT and we intend to extend it to other universities as well. This comes after the huge success of the artificial insemination programme, which is now benefiting many farmers across the country,” said Prof Murwira.
“In addition to that, we have started a dairy project and since April, we have acquired 58 heifers.
The point of all these efforts is to help revive our national herd and improve its genetics.
“Government provides resources and policies for universities to carry out research. Universities then hand over concepts to industry for large-scale development and production.”
In June, 194 ranchers benefited from the first batch of 600 heifers which were bought by President Mnangagwa for distribution to farmers in Buhera District.
In 2018, President Mnangagwa launched the Command Livestock programme at Gwanda Showground to cater mainly for Matabeleland.
He handed over 1 660 heifers to 151 beneficiaries from Matabeleland South’s seven districts, with $10 million being channelled towards the scheme to empower communities in Matabeleland North and South.
