Varsity graduate transforms village with quality herd
MR Dumisani Mantula Sibanda (52) from Diba Village in Bulilima District, Matabeleland South province is a beneficiary of the Command Livestock Scheme who is applying what he learnt at university to improve the quality of his herd.
After securing three heifers from the Government in 2019 under the Command Livestock Scheme, Mr Sibanda (52) has gone a step further by enhancing the quality of his breed. He has also managed to grow his herd to 70, six of which are Brahman breeds.
President Mnangagwa launched the Command Livestock Programme in 2018 targeting farmers mostly in southern parts of the country.
In launching the programme, he said the Government had noted that due to the varied ecological regions in the country, the Matabeleland region did not perform well in the initial Command Agriculture programme which focused on crop production.
Being a holder of an MSc degree in Development Studies from the National University of Science and Technology (Nust), Mr Sibanda is applying concepts learnt in lecture rooms to transform the village.
This is in sync with President Mnangagwa’s message that university graduates should apply classroom concepts to make a difference in their communities.
The three heifers that Mr Sibanda received from the Government have each given him calves. They are now all in calf and expecting to give birth next year in February.
Mr Sibanda is pen feeding his cattle. He is involved in seasonal horticulture farming and poultry farming.
“It all started with associating myself with the right people as well as sharing information and the zeal to learn helped me. I’m a holder of a Master’s Degree in Development Studies and most of the things that I studied are precisely what I’m doing,” he said.
Mr Sibanda said through development studies he now has a better understanding and appreciation of the environment and translating natural resources into livelihoods.
“The person who first taught me about cattle farming said I should have my own water source. He said nxa ufuna ukuba right ndoda fuya amanzi that is why I have two 5 000litre water storage tanks,” he said.
“I pump up to 10 000 litres of water every day and around 7 500 litres go towards production. I also supply Diba Primary School and the local community with water.”
Mr Sibanda said as a beneficiary of the Command Livestock, which seeks to improve the quality of the national herd, he was inspired to move away from the traditional cattle to the highquality breed of Brahman.
“If you look at the animals, which I got from the Government under the Command Livestock Scheme, one would wish that the entire herd was of the same quality. I had three and each of them have calved once and right now I’m expecting them to give birth by February next year,” he said.
Mr Sibanda has created a separate pen feeding area for cows that are about to give birth.
He said before delivering, cows that are about to give birth, require attention.
“In the event that it struggles to deliver, it’s easy for me to call a veterinary doctor. I make sure that besides feeding them I give them all the necessary medication,” said Mr Sibanda.
“In the event that a cow would be ill, I consult the veterinary doctors and if it happens that it doesn’t make it, I make sure that a post-mortem is conducted to establish the cause of death.”
Mr Sibanda said he is in the process of using local resources to make stockfeed as opposed to outsourcing.
He is also involved in seasonal poultry and horticulture farming to maximise on profits.
“We do our enterprise depending on seasons. We are going to be putting our broilers in preparation for Christmas. I have also started planting cabbages, onions, and potatoes and some of them have not germinated,” he said.
Mr Sibanda said going forward he intends to establish a greenhouse targeting growing tomatoes.
He keeps between 500 and 700 chickens for poultry. Mr Sibanda said he considers his business a family business. — @nqotshili