Zimpapers Logo

Sikhulekelani Moyo, [email protected]

MASIYEPHAMBILI Junior School in Bulawayo has a thriving agriculture project, which is enabling the institution to impart life skills to pupils at the same time raising money for running expenses.

Established on 1,5 hectares of land, the Masiyephambili plot has a drip and overhead irrigation and a 12 by 50-meter greenhouse producing baby marrows, strawberries and strawberry seedlings, tomatoes, green mealies, potatoes, butternuts, and green vegetables among other products.

The harvests are supplied to the fruits and vegetables market in the city, and parents also buy from the school garden, which also supplies the staff canteen.

When the Business Chronicle visited the plot recently, the agronomist who oversees the plot with other assistants was preparing the land to plant sugar beans with some parts of the garden already occupied by maize, tomatoes, potatoes, and baby marrow.

Masiyephambili Junior Headmaster Mr Robbert Sibanda said the plot is a demonstration farm meant to impart agriculture skills to learners, which is one of the life skills relevant in Zimbabwe where agriculture is among the main pillars of the economy.

He said the plot started with a small area where pupils would have a single bed for each grade for learning purposes, but they have introduced a large farm so that they can learn all divisions in agriculture with the main focus being commercial farming and agribusiness.

“Our focus is to capacitate pupils with life skills, you know agriculture is Zimbabwe’s mainstay and one of the main pillars of the economy.

“Even if you don’t have a large plot for commercial farming, one way or the other we all need backyard gardens which we use to sustain our families, so it’s important for us to instill this skill to pupils whilst they are still young,” he said.

“Now we have some students who are doing their secondary education and they have chosen agriculture as their main focus after learning from this plot.”

The Government adopted the competence-based curriculum in 2016 and that has transformed many schools into viable business enterprises.

The new curriculum compels schools to impart life skills to pupils so that even those not academically gifted, can take care of themselves when they leave school.

Mr Ayanda Kumalo who is the agriculture teacher at Masiyephambili Junior School said the agriculture initiative is a complement to the call from President Mnangagwa to drive agriculture as one of the major economic drivers and sustenance and food providers for the nation.

“The spine of this project is meant to top up on those views and instill those values in learners, they are still young but rather than waiting for them to start realising that there is money or employment in agriculture, we train them whilst there are still young, and get them to have that zeal for it,” he said.

Mr Kumalo said they are planning to introduce animal husbandry with poultry and rabbit projects already in the pipeline with future plans to introduce piggery.

He said pupils are showing interest in agriculture and exhibiting talents ranging from farm and agribusiness management, agriculture engineering, and animal husbandry.

Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector is on a recovery trajectory as the Government works to enhance food security and nutrition.

The Government launched the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy whose aim is to ensure the country produces enough maize, wheat, and soya beans to meet domestic demand and even produce surplus for export.

@SikhulekelaniM1