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Manicaland Bureau
A TOTAL of 4 830 farmers from Mutare District have completed water harvesting training conducted by Bindura University of Science Education in collaboration with Agritex.

The programme, which started in the Marange-Zimunya area last year, recently saw 200 farmers receiving certificates during a ceremony held in Marange and was attended by officials from Mutare District Administrator’s office, Agritex officials, Chief Marange, Bindura University staff and fellow farmers from the area.

The training involves making tied contours and infiltrations pits through which water seeps through the soils into the fields, nourishing crops even when there are no rains. Water collects in the pits every time it rains and is later used by plants.

Professor George Nyamadzawo of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Bindura University of Science Education said the university decided to undertake the programme after realising that Zimbabwe’s climate was changing in line with the current challenges of global warming, which was making rain-fed agriculture difficult.

“We are targeting smallholder farmers in Natural Regions 3,4 and 5 where rainfall amounts are very low and successful crop farming needs to be supported by irrigation,” he said.

“So far we have covered the whole of Mutare district except areas such as Vumba and Himalaya that fall under Natural Region 1 where rainfall amounts are very high. All the farmers you see here were trained on site, as we would move to their fields and work with them there.”

Prof Nyamadzawo said farmers’ implementation of skills learnt from training had seen yields improving significantly, especially last season.

“Some have seen their yields jump from as low as 0,4 tonnes per hectare to between three and five tonnes for crops such as maize, while sorghum and other small grains such as groundnuts have also recorded significant improvements,” he said.

A farmer who received a certificate on the occasion, Ms Jane Momberume, said she had harvested 15 bags of sorghum this year compared to three or less in previous seasons, while she had also reaped five bags of maize, against a yearly paltry one bag or even less. Mutare district agronomist, Mr Pasipanodya Chiturike, said the programme had vastly improved food security in the district.

He challenged farmers to do away with food aid. In a speech delivered on his behalf by an administration assistant in his office, Mr Winson Mandipaka, Mutare district administrator, Mr Wilson Bore, challenged the farmers to use knowledge gained from the training to improve their livelihoods.

“Farmers who are privileged to receive free training from development partners must fully apply that knowledge to up production levels and boost food security, thereby contributing to the country’s agro-based economy,” Mr Bore said.