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Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
FAILURE to proceed with her studies or even get a glimpse of her Ordinary Level results due to lack of funds has made Nonhlanhla Dube (17) resort to farming which is proving to be a blessing.

She came out tops at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) produce exhibitions last week, scooping the first prize as the best young farmer exhibiting.

Nonhlahla who told Chronicle that she has a “talent as a productive farmer” showcased millet, sorghum, maize, wheat, pumpkins, water melons, ground nuts, and round nuts she grew in Ward 8, Bidi, Matobo District in Matabeleland South.

Having been born as the ninth child out of 10, to unemployed parents made things worse during her upbringing.

She ventured into farming last year after heeding the advice of agricultural extension officers who were moving around her community encouraging people, especially school leavers like her to start farming.

“I’m so happy about this prize. I feel like I deserve it after all the hard work and effort I put into my first-time farming. I’m glad that I scooped the prize despite the number of young people who had exhibited their products as well,” said Nonhlanhla.

The 17-year-old did her primary school at Bidi primary, and proceeded to Mqabuko Nkomo High up to Form Four in Matobo.

 

“I wrote my O-level examinations but never got a chance to see or even hear about my results, a thing which pains me. The thought of wondering if I passed but remaining still in the darkness always pierced my heart until I found a passion in farming. My family is not financially stable so I understood the situation and just accepted even if it was killing me,” said Nonhanhla.

She said both her 52-year-old mother and her 58-year-old father have never been employed since she was born.

“At first, I thought these guys were just wasting our time teaching us something that our parents, grandparents and even our forefathers had always done. I did not get the point of learning new techniques because in my mind farming was farming whether one plants in whatever way I thought the results were the same,” she said.

She said as time went on, she decided to give it a try since she was not doing anything at home while others were going to school, and eventually the passion for farming was born.

“I then started listening to what they were saying, started farming last year in September, and guess what? Since then, I have fallen in love with farming. I’m not letting go, rather I want to grow to be one of the greatest farmers that have ever existed in Zimbabwe. I still wish to go back to school, but I’m not leaving farming,” she said.

“I learn from the agricultural extension officers then pass on the knowledge to my family members who team up with me and we produce the best of the best products. I, as the leader, think that we have greatly improved our production from what we usually got, because I have taught them a lot and I am now the most zealous farmer in the family who makes sure that everything is the order.”

She said if she gets an opportunity to go back to school — which she believes will miraculously happen — she would want to study something related to agriculture to perfect the practical skills that she already possesses.

She urged youths not to lose hope after failing at school, and to accept the financial statuses of their families. She said youths should just venture into farming so as to earn a living.

Her agricultural extension officer, Ms Samukeliso Ncube hailed her youth trainee for the hard work which paid off at ZITF. She applauded her for being one of the few who conquered the dry spells.

“The last farming season was one of the worst, the rains came and vanished, but because we taught people about Intwasa they managed to farm and harvest the little that they could. It was not easy, but due to the use of climate smart agriculture we harvested something,” she said.

The Intwasa/Pfumvudza programme has been bearing fruit and changing lives of farmers particularly rural farmers countrywide.

The National Development Strategy 1 policy document, states that Government intends to uplift the people’s lives so that by 2030 Zimbabwe attains an upper middle income economy status and this can be achieved by adopting Climate Smart Agricultural practices such as Intwasa/Pfumvudza.

Zadzamatura Managing Director, Dr Daniel Myers who commended the young farmer for attaining an award on her first exhibition, said it’s high time farmers and everyone else accepted the reality of climate change and find ways to mitigate its effects.

“Climate change and variability is now a reality. We should install rain gauges on our farms so that we know the rainfall trends on our farms. This helps farmers with better planning. Irrigation is one of the most sustainable ways of farming which we should use in order to increase our yields. There is a need for rehabilitation and modernising small scale irrigation systems in the provinces in order to increase our production,” said Dr Myers.

He said farmers should continue growing crops like groundnuts, cowpeas, pearl millet, finger millet and sorghum which are important for healthy nutrition at household level.

“Horticulture has also become big business the world over. You get quick returns from your horticultural crops and they also provide healthy nutrition at household level,” said Dr Myers.