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Ruth Butaumocho-African Agenda

Months of anticipating a better farming season this year were dashed after the Meteorological Services Department predicted a below normal rainy season, leaving Zimbabwe facing one of the worst droughts in recent times.

With most farmers still smarting from the effects of drought, what is now clear is that farming is no longer about looking for signs of rainfall from trees, or sounds of crickets and birds.

It is now about irrigation and proper planning. Farming is a business. It is the foundation of life.

This year’s rainfall season has taught us that drought is a reality.

Zimbabwe faces a food shortage, with nearly three million people in need of relief aid.

President Mnangagwa has since declared the 2023-2024 agricultural season a State of National Disaster following the El Niño-induced subdued rainfall pattern that resulted in a food deficit in many areas.

The declaration of the State of National Disaster will trigger resource mobilisation on a huge scale targeting stakeholders that include those in the diaspora, the United Nations agencies, the international community, and the private sector among others.

Addressing journalists at State House in Harare yesterday President Mnangagwa said at least 2, 7 million people would need relief food.

Consequently, the President invoked Section 27 (1) of the Civil Protection Act to declare a state of national disaster.

“By this declaration, I also call upon all Zimbabweans of goodwill, including those in the diaspora, the international community, United Nations agencies, development and humanitarian partners, international financial institutions, the private sector, churches and other faith based organisations, as well as individuals to generously

The declaration requires everyone to put their hands on the deck and chip in with whatever help to fend off hunger facing thousands who are looking up to the Government for assistance.

The scenario that Zimbabwe finds itself in could not have been this dire had the country received adequate rains as nearly 1,8million of hectares had been put under maize. 

The food crisis was also worsened by the outbreak of armyworm across the country.

The crop failure will have a paralysis effect on the farmer who had grown accustomed to maize as a source of food and income for years. Rightly so as many Zimbabweans regard maize and wheat as the cornerstone of food security at household and at community level.

But upending weather conditions in the last 10 years owing to climate change that has affected rainfall patterns require farmers to diversify from traditional crops to fight hunger.

Outside the effects of weather, several researches conducted by agricultural experts show that future farming productions are expected to decline by marginal proportions in years ahead owing to pest infestation, the high cost of agricultural inputs and declining soil quality.

Such a scenario calls for the farmer to put in place measures to fight these challenges. 

Perusing global reports from different institutions — with most pointing to reduced rainfall in the future — investing in irrigation has become a priority that all farmers across the country should take heed of.

By now each commercial farmer in Zimbabwe should be able to put just one hectare under irrigation to boost food yields

With many dams having been constructed by the Government across all provinces, farmers will not struggle to access water for irrigation.

The reduction in rainfall also calls for farmers to be innovative and consider turning to traditional grains which over the years had been confined to regions that receive less rainfall.

Although the Government last year called for the compulsory traditional grain production in agro-ecological regions 4 and 5, as outlined in the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme in the 2023/24 season, farmers in other regions should now also consider diversifying to ease food shortages.

In announcing the move, the call by Government was meant to ensure adequate staple grain production in view of the forecast El Niño weather pattern.

Farmers can also diversify their cropping systems by cultivating locally adapted drought-tolerant and nutrient-dense crops such as sorghum, sweet potatoes, cowpeas and groundnuts.

With more local people being conscious of the need to eat healthy, such crops will earn farmers more money while making the household food secure for the whole year.

Export markets for these crops are already available in neighbouring countries such as Botswana where sorghum is the staple food.

Most farmers in Zimbabwe are aware of the benefits of traditional grains, but they have been slow in adopting them on their farming charts despite their economic and social benefits.

A recent study by CARE Zimbabwe found that female farmers were more receptive to these ideas than their male counterparts. 

But they could not always use such information to their advantage due to a culture of male dominance of the household. Women did not get to decide what crops to grow and when – a development that has resulted in the slow uptake of these crops.

The prevailing weather conditions call for a paradigm shift by farmers so that they can migrate to crops that are viable and can produce a good yield when the country receive less rains than anticipated.

The changing climatic conditions and several other challenges in farming calls for mindset shift and constant innovations in farming, so that our agriculture does not become moribund, but actually increase in line with international trends.