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Ashton Mutyavaviri

GOVERNMENT’S growing calls for a multi-stakeholder approach to fight against climate change are falling on fertile ground with a local non-governmental organisation, Organic Farming Academy (OFA) introducing training for smallholder rosella farmers in Mbire and Binga on the potency of organic farming.

OFA is a non-governmental organisation funded under the ‘Organics4Zim’ campaign that is bankrolled by the Federal German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. It has trained over 15 000 smallholder farmers and wild plant collectors across the country’s 10 provinces.

It has been working with some farmers who are contracted with Organic Africa Holdings, a private company dealing with organic products. Last year alone, the organisation trained over 3 000 smallholder farmers in the two aforementioned areas with close to 2000 of them being women.

OFA senior training consultant Ms Doreen Ngwenyama yesterday said organic rosella farming in arid areas like Mbire and Binga had immense benefits because of its climate-resilience characteristics.

“The areas are arid and rosella is suitable for such dry conditions. Organic products are becoming popular on the export market. OFA is thus training the farmers to work in compliance with set standards by certification companies,” said Ms Ngwenyama.

She also said owing to the trainings they had undertaken in these areas, the farmers have been able to be certified for organic farming.

“I must applaud the farmers for their interest in our organic farming training on practices and techniques. As an organisation we pride ourselves for having been able to impart these training and satisfy auditors from various certification labels including European Union National Organic Programme, which certify the farmers,” she said.

Farmers who were undergoing training on organic farming in wildlife-infested areas welcomed rosella farming as a ‘game-changer’.

A farmer from Sikande Village of Ward 7, Mbire, Mrs Sirisca Bandazi said the project has enabled her to fend for her family.

“I can attest that ever since I joined this initiative, my socio-economic life has incredibly changed. I am managing to send my children to school and even do other income-generating projects from the proceeds from rosella farming,” said Mrs Bandazi.

A 69-year-old farmer from Ward 15, Kadzi Village, Mr Clever Guveya said proceeds from rosella farming had empowered him to buy an irrigation pump and fence.

“My life has considerably changed since I started rosella farming and I have bought an irrigation kit and fence,” said Mr Guveya.

Rosella farming dates back to 1687 in Java, Indonesia, where the leaves were sold as a food (a spicy spinach) and the calyces (dried fruits) as a medicinal tea. It fetched high prices and spread with speed into explorers’ ships where explorers made a tea from the red calyces to treat sailors’ scurvy, sore throats, colds, influenza and chest ailments.

Ever since it has been used in folk medicine as a diuretic, mild laxative and treatment for cardiac and nerve diseases particularly in Asia and East Africa.

The fleshy red calyces are used for making wine, juice, jam, jelly, syrup, spice, gelatine, ice cream and flavours and also brewed into tea, and used as sauce or filling for pies, tarts, and other desserts. The calyces can also be merely chopped and added to fruit salads. They are increasingly exported to the United States and Europe, where they are used as food colourings to replace some synthetic dyes.

The young leaves and tender stems are eaten raw in salads or cooked as greens alone or in combination with other vegetables and/or with meat. They are also added to curries as seasoning. A lotion made from the leaves is used on sores and wounds.

The seeds are considered excellent feed for chickens. Oil extracted from the seed is a pharmaceutical ingredient for ointments treating different skin conditions, as well as for skin moisturising. The residue after oil extraction is valued as cattle feed when available in quantity.

Rosella has numerous properties that make it beneficial to people’s health. It is very rich in Vitamin C and a good source of calcium and iron.

It has properties that are excellent in reducing hypertension (high blood pressure). It also carries a property that stops the absorption of carbohydrates which is great for those that have diabetes as well as those that are trying to control their weight. The calyces are rich in anti-oxidants, which are great for preventing premature ageing of the skin, as well as anti-viral properties

They are fruits from a type of hibiscus plant known scientifically as Hibiscus sabdariffa; commonly called Rosella.