All smiles for Pfumvudza

AMID pomp and fanfare, a group of women who had gathered at the Cave Affair Coffee Shop and Restaurant in Domboshava, Goromonzi district, took turns to showcase their dancing skills.

One would be pardoned for assuming this was a dancing competition.

The group of women danced in a synchronised manner that kept many enchanted.

But what was the occasion?

Some 60 women, who are champion farmers drawn from Goromonzi Rural District Council’s Ward 4, had every reason to be happy. They had done exceptionally well and came out tops in a Pfumvudza/ Intwasa farming competition.

Pfumvudza is a climate-proofing agricultural concept that emphasises the use of conservation farming techniques to make the most out of small pieces of land, even during drought periods.

The concept is meant to ensure household and national food nutritional security.

“From my plots, I am able to produce maize that will take my family through to the next farming season. Apart from maize, I also produce legumes such as groundnuts, round nuts and sweet potatoes,”said Memory Mazanhi, of Zimbiru Village.

At least 2,6 million small-scale farming households signed up for this programme in the current farming season.

Pfumvudza falls under the Presidential Input Scheme Programme. When the programme was initiated, it was mostly confined to rural and resettled farmers. Urban and peri-urban farmers were slow to embrace this concept, which has transformed livelihoods.

Over the years, however, the number of farmers that have embraced this programme both in urban and peri-urban areas has greatly increased, with Domboshava seemingly in the lead. Another beneficiary,

Goteke, praised the programme.

“I have learnt valuable lessons in land preparation and crop maintenance from

experts and I am blending it with my previous experience in farming,” she said.

Samuel Nyatowa, the Agriculture Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) officer for Goromonzi Ward 4, reckons Pfumvudza was a game-changer.

“This programme was a well-calculated approach to farming which will not only guarantee food self-sufficiency, but also ensure environmental preservation. I can best describe this programme as a stone that kills two birds at once,” he said.

Nyatowa, however, bemoaned the dwindling sizes of the farming plots.

“This is a peri-urban area and more families are settling in this area. Over the years, there has been a gradual decrease in the land size which is being set aside for Pfumvudza,” added Nyatowa.

Traditional leaders also gave Pfumvudza thumbs up. “As a father, farmer and traditional leader, I would want to say that this programme is one of the best things that have happened in our area.

“Our people are now occupied all the time as they will be working on their plots and this has resulted in a dramatic reduction in crime, prostitution, alcohol and drug abuse,” Headman Gwende (born Francis Guwe) said. Pasipanodya Goredema, who organised the party for the champion farmers, said businesses in the area have a win-win relationship with the farmers.

“As businesses, we are getting most of the food that we are consuming and selling from these local farmers. In return, the farmers organise farming competitions and donate the winning prizes.

‘‘This encourages them to produce more. At the end of the day, both our businesses and the farmers benefit,”Goredema said.

When Pfumvudza was started, it targeted 1,8 million households to be registered, trained and receive inputs.