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Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]

WHEN the skies opened up in Content 1 Village, Ward 9 in Umguza District in January this year, local farmer Ms Agnes Moyo took a leap of faith by allocating more land for traditional grains compared to maize.

While maize, a staple crop that she has been growing consistently for over two decades is common, allocating more land for small grains like sorghum and millet, has proved to be a very good decision.

Ms Moyo does not regret this bold step as she is poised for a bumper harvest from the one-and-a-half hectares of land that she planted small grains.

By applying skills she learnt from farmer-field capacity building programmes that she and fellow villagers from Content 1 Village in Umguza District attended and were under the mentorship of their local Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS) officer, Ms Moyo meticulously checked on the state of her small grains and applied chemicals when she detected pests in the fields.

Yesterday, the communal farmer was awarded for her hard work, resilience and strong will for championing the planting of small grains as a response to climate change challenges that require farmers to shift to drought resistant crops during a field day held at her homestead.

Officials from ARDAS, Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU), Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and representatives of businesses that sell seeds and agro-chemicals, villagers as well as communal farmers from Ward 9 in Umguza District, attended the field day.

The event showcased a positive story about the resilience and success of planting small grains and that these are not only critical for household food security but are beneficial to health and are climate-smart.

“I have been planting maize for many years but the yields kept reducing hence I decided to take a risk and reserve a bigger portion of my land for small grains this year,” said Ms Moyo.

“The land where I planted small grains is slightly over one-and-a-half hectares, which is a lot considering that I am a communal farmer and I don’t own huge tracts of land.”

Owing to rains that came a bit late this season, Ms Moyo said she was encouraged to grow small grains because of their ability to survive harsh and hot conditions in the event of a drought.

“The first heavy rains came in early January, and I knew that I had to settle for short-seasoned small-grain crops, given that we only had two-and-a-half months to expect rains. Over the years, I have realised that growing maize has been risky because when we receive little rain, the entire crop is wiped out,” said Ms. Moyo.

She said she will deliver the bulk of her small grains to the GMB and only keep what is required for family consumption and stockfeed for her chickens. “I need money for my children’s school fees and other necessities so I will sell the bulk of the harvest to GMB. Looking back, I do not regret the decision to reserve more land for small grains. The maize crop is also doing well after the good rains so I’m happy,” she said.

Matabeleland North Ardas provincial agronomist Mrs Zenzele Ndlovu, called for the resuscitation of farmer field schools, which she described as vital for practical lessons.

Communal farmer Miss Agnes Moyo (right) receives farming inputs from Ardas provincial agronomist Mrs Zenzele Ndlovu at Content 1 village in Ward 9, Umguza District yesterday

A farmer field school is a group-based learning process where farmers carry out experimental learning activities that help them understand the ecology of their farming practices.

These activities involve simple experiments, regular field observations and group analysis. Knowledge gained from these activities enables participants to make the right farming decisions.

“It’s important to work hand in hand with local Ardas officers as they are able to tell farmers how much rain is expected each season and that information helps farmers to make decisions on which crops to grow,” she said.

“This season farmers were informed that normal to above normal rainfall was expected and those who worked closely with our officers used that information to make informed decisions,” said Mrs Ndlovu.

She said in the past farmers used to shun growing traditional crops such as sorghum, millet and rapoko but these small grains are now popular because people are now aware of their high nutritional value.

Government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, has been urging farmers in dry areas to grow traditional grains and those who took heed of this advice are expecting bumper harvest this cropping season Small grain crops are drought-tolerant and suitable for semi-arid areas such as the Matabeleland region and Masvingo provinces. In the past the value attached to small grains had been so low that some were viewing the crops as varieties for the vulnerable communities.