The Sunday Mail
Peter Matika
Bulawayo Bureau
IT was pomp and fanfare in Insiza district, Matabeleland South province, on Friday as female farmers won certificates and farming inputs during First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s Agric4She Field Day celebrations.
The First Lady launched the Agric4She programme, a women empowerment initiative that provides beneficiaries with inputs and skills required for agricultural productivity.
The theme of the field day — which was hosted by the Ministry of Lands Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Development — was “Going4Growth, leaving no woman and no place behind”.
The initiative is also geared towards empowering female farmers and eradicate hunger in vulnerable communities.
Farmers tour some produce exhibition stands during an AGRIC4SHE field day organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa in Matabeleland South
Dr Mnangagwa is the patron of the programme, which is already yielding positive results, mostly in semi-arid regions such as Matabeleland South.
Hundreds of people — mostly farmers from around the district — gathered at Miss Ottilia Pavari’s homestead in Insiza, Ward 20, to pay homage to her success.
Farmers exhibited their produce — which ranged from groundnuts, grains, dried vegetables, beans and mopane worms.
Miss Pavari said she was proud of her success and hoped others would emulate and complement Amai Mnangagwa’s empowerment programmes.
Women follow proceedings during the AGRIC4SHE field day in Matabeleland South organised by First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. — Pictures: Dennis Mudzamiri
“I am glad to be an example to other farmers. The inputs we receive from the First Lady should not go to waste and we should also embrace farming techniques Government has introduced such as Pfumvudza/Intwasa. It is, of course, not a new farming method, but it is the best when it comes to semi-arid regions such as ours,” she said.
Miss Pavari realised a bumper harvest of 1,1 tonnes of maize per plot, which translates to 15 tonnes per hectare; and high yields of sunflower, groundnuts, traditional grains, beans and cotton.
She also practices livestock farming, and boasts a large herd of cattle, while her water conservation projects have helped boost production.
The First Lady’s speech was read by an official in Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Mrs Dlamini Maseko’s office, Miss Sikhangele Ndlovu.
She said: “We reckon that rural-based women are the ones enhancing national wealth through agriculture.
“Women are a key pillar in the provision of sufficient nutritious foods.
“The nation must not underestimate the importance of women and their work in the agriculture sector, but should really appreciate all their efforts.
“For the nation to fulfil the goal of attaining food and nutrition security through Vision 2030, it needs women who work very hard to achieve good harvests and, in turn, increase their family income.
“Today, we are celebrating the benefits of Pfumvudza/Intwasa in the Insiza district of Matabeleland South.
“As patron of Agric4She, I promised to award outstanding performers through field days and women farmer competitions.
“Field days are platforms for sharing ideas, technologies, as well as rewarding the best farmers.”
Dr Mnangagwa last year supported 30 000 women — mostly widows, the elderly, disabled youths, orphans and former sex workers — with inputs countrywide.
She urged female farmers to adopt Pfumvudza/Intwasa to achieve good yields, even during drought years.
“Matabeleland South province is associated with high temperatures and less rainfall, therefore, I encourage you to grow traditional grains such as pearl millet and sorghum that are drought-tolerant and highly nutritious,” said the First Lady.
“Sunflowers give us cooking oil; groundnuts give us peanut butter and cowpeas can be both relish and mutakura.”
Amai Mnangagwa encouraged women to venture into horticulture during the winter season under the Horticulture4She initiative.
“This will improve your income, as well as give a balanced diet to your families,” she added.
“I also urge women to be fully involved in winter wheat production.
“As part of rural development, women should take an active role and come together as groups or clubs to partake in this opportunity to start bakeries.”
