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Fungai Lupande

Mashonaland Central Bureau

Mrs Judith Homba (55), a member of Siyalima Irrigation Scheme in Guruve, credits the unity and partnerships the scheme has created for the success of the farming venture.

She also says creating partnerships and bonds among members with the help of some stakeholders in the agricultural sector has helped their scheme to stay afloat and continue to positively contribute to the country.

“Most cooperatives have collapsed due to lack of unity and greediness,” Mrs Homba said.

“But for us at Siyalima Irrigation Scheme, unity of purpose and cooperation among our members has contributed positively to our survival.

“The scheme is now a shining example and it has helped to change our livelihoods for the better. We feel empowered and most of our members now have improved their financial status, as well as improved skills among other achievements.”

Located in Guruve, Siyalima Irrigation Scheme in Mashonaland Central province was commissioned by President Mnangagwa in 2018. The irrigation scheme has won several accolades and was named as the best irrigation scheme in 2018.

It was also named the seventh best scheme in the country in the same period.

“I’m earning enough money from crop sales for the upkeep of my family,” said Mrs Homba.

“Farming is the way to go. It is the key to survival of the majority of our farmers in this province. I’m very grateful to the President for establishing this scheme which has helped us to move out of poverty.”

The scheme started in 2015 and had 56 members. The scheme has a total of 157 communal farmers and only 56 committed to the irrigation scheme. They have 50 hectares of irrigable land and they plant as a group on 38 hectares. The remaining 12 hectares oan dry land is shared 0,2 hectares per member for horticulture.

Mrs Homba said technical advice has been extremely beneficial to them to understand gender equality issues.

“Through training and support, we are now understanding what gender equality is all about,” she said.

“Gender equality does not mean overpowering or divorcing husbands, but planning and making decisions together.

“When I joined the scheme in 2015 under the More Food for Africa programme, there were only 41 people committed to the project. The figure has gone up to 56. We now have a better appreciation of roles for men and women for the survival of the scheme.”

In 2018, the scheme received a centre pivot from President Mnangagwa and this has helped the farmers to boost productivity.

Additional support from the Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) also strengthened the farming activities.

“Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) came in 2019 and started to train us on how to properly manage our farming,” said Mrs Homba.

“It was hands on training and they encouraged women to become involved in the running of the scheme.

“With women taking a keen interest in the daily running of the scheme, we saw a change in attitude of our male counterparts as they incorporated us more, listened to our ideas and decisions.”

Mrs Homba said as scheme members worked in unison their yields increased and they managed to pay off the loan for the tractors and the centre pivot.

Instead of concentrating on cash crops and cereals, women brought up the idea of including traditional crops like ground nuts, finger millet and sorghum to improve nutritional value at household level.

“DAPP taught us how to use manure in the field instead of relying on fertilisers,” said Mrs Homba.

“We lacked knowledge on smart agriculture and the importance of traditional food in our diet. We see a change in our livelihood and I am aiming to buy a vehicle.

“We treat each other equally, both men and women, our shares are 50/50. We have seen the importance of working as a group. It lessens labour and cuts costs in procuring inputs because we will be able to get discounts.”

Mrs Homba noted that “there is strength in numbers”.

“It easier to search for a market when we are a group,” she said.

“Most importantly, it creates a strong relationship among members and we become a family. We show love to one another and we assist each other in times of difficulties.

“I have never owned a bank account before, but now I have one and another which I can access foreign currency.”

Liziwe Kondo, a member of the scheme, said it provided a platform for women’s empowerment.

“The scheme has opened our minds to possibilities and we have become economically empowered,” she said.

“We are employing others on our 0,2 hectares on dryland, while we manage the entire field.

“We are now taking farming as a business and assistance from stakeholders has helped us to improve how we manage our farming, including book keeping. Gender based violence has decreased as families have become food secure.”

Chairman of the scheme, Godfrey Chamboko, said they don’t look at gender while working at the scheme.

“The scheme has set aside a budget to start a chicken rearing project which will be led by women to enable them to earn extra money,” he said.

“We have equal opportunities and ideas don’t come from either a woman or man, but from a person. We planted 38 hectares of winter wheat and we produced over 200 tonnes and we have set aside a tonne for the President to thank him for transforming our lives.

“Through our MP Cde Patrick Dutiro we wrote letters to the President to invite him back so that he can see the fruits of the project he started for us.”

DAPP has selected women to be part of a gender equality programme to address embedded gender inequalities in the agriculture sector.

DAPP project officer Thomas Mazvidze said they started working at Siyalima Irrigation Scheme to complement Government efforts of reviving the agriculture sector by transforming communal farmers into commercial farmers.

“We work closely with Agritex,” he said. “We came in 2019 and we are here to assist. We train farmers on recording keeping, time management and proper farming methods.”

Members of the scheme were also trained on smart agriculture and business management. The revival of the country’s irrigation schemes is now a top priority for the Government as it presses ahead to help the country to regain its breadbasket status.

Government has also been pushing smallholder farmers to fully utilise their irrigation schemes to boost food security and reduce food imports.