The Sunday News
Farming Issues: Mhlupheki Dube
ON Saturday the 6th of April I had the opportunity to address livestock farmers at a Farmers Great Indaba.
The Indaba was held at the Bulawayo Agricultural Society hall at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds. My presentation was on livestock drought mitigation measures at the back of the El Nino-induced drought.
It was a well-attended event with top-notch presenters and an audience of close to 200 farmers as well as players in the livestock industry.
I wish to share a few lessons from the event to help those who could not attend for one reason or another. Firstly, let me appreciate the organisers of the event led by Mrs Progress Moyo. The organisation was simply top-level and the presentations were enriching, a clear indication that a lot of effort, resources and thought had been invested in that event.
Thank you, Mrs Moyo and your team, you made farmers feel special and well respected. The principal lesson coming out of the Farmers Great Indaba was the fact that farmers are thirsty for knowledge and information.
This event demanded an investment of $50 for one to attend and that did not deter people from attending. They came in their numbers indicating that they value knowledge. This is a shift from the traditional smallholder farmers’ mindset, which always expects to be provided with services and information for free.
I have previously protested on this very platform that many times I get livestock farmers buzzing my phone and when I call back, the person starts to narrate problems with his animals!
The person is a farmer with a herd of over 50 animals but cannot recharge his phone to call me. He wants me to call him at my expense, giving him knowledge free of charge and still calls himself a farmer.
The second lesson for me was that there is so much knowledge out there derived from the personal experiences of farmers, not just textbook knowledge. Some farmers are doing it practically and it’s been working for them for years hence they speak from experience.
It’s a wealth of knowledge.
We had Mr Richard Chinhamo from Biano Farm sharing how he is producing over 300 tonnes of silage to feed his animals throughout the year. He has been doing it for years.
Mr Mcebisi Ndlovu from Camen Brahmans shared a few nuggets on beef production, again deriving from his lived experience on his farm. Some of his advice was blunt but unquestionably useful for livestock farmers. It was a rich day indeed.
The Farmers Great Indaba also revealed that other players within the livestock value chain are willing to walk with the farmer during this drought and ensure that he or she does not lose his or her animals.
These include stockfeed manufacturers like National Foods who were present and supported the event in a big way, CBZ Bank and other players were also present. These players shared information on different products they have for the farmers to help them survive the drought.
The presence of top Government officials especially from the Ministry of Agriculture, including the Chief Director who represented the Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri, provided a seal of approval as to the relevance and importance of the Farmers Great Indaba.
The Chief Director shared a 14-point plan on livestock drought mitigation plan from the ministry which will help provide a roadmap for the ministry interventions to help farmers survive the drought.
This was an enriching farmers’ session which I honestly hope can be replicated in other areas across different provinces of the country for farmers to benefit. Matabeleland North Province was poorly represented in the meeting which means many farmers from that region did not benefit from the information and knowledge provided.
I urge our farmers to keep investing in the search for information and knowledge as this cannot only provide positive transformation for one’s enterprise. We also invite other big livestock farmers to grace such platforms and share their lived experiences and help emerging farmers out there who are still very thirsty for knowledge.
Uyabonga umntakaMaKhumalo.
Mhlupheki Dube is a livestock specialist and farmer. He writes in his own capacity. Feedback [email protected] cell 0772851275
