Brian Rungano Temba
Outgoing Masvingo Provincial Manager for Zimbabwe Farmer’s Union (ZFU), Adiere Dondo has encouraged urban farmers to join the union to unlock full value in the agricultural sector.
Speaking at during his tour of the Old People’s Home Green Valley Community Garden in Ward 4 Masvingo Urban, Dondo implored small scale farmers to take advantage of the services ZFU offers.
“Urban farmers should never underestimate their impact on the macro economics of the Agricultural sector.
When farming is taken as a business farmers can make a living from it,” said Mr Dondo.
“As government pursues fulfilling the targets of the National Development Strategy Phase 1, national food and nutritional security is paramount for butressing the health and sustenance of Zimbabweans.
Thats why these community Cooperative Gardens are included in the Presidential Horticulture Plan that will be run during 2021-2022 summer agricultural season,” he added.
Mr Dondo implored urban farmers to be in sync with the preparations by Government for the coming farming season.
ZFU offers services that assist farmers in the same direction.
Services that farmers can benefit from the union include financial literacy, horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry and pomology training workshops.
As a paid up member of the ZFU one has access to discount deals in purchasing seed and agriculture tools at Farm and City Wholesales.
They also assist in market finding for farmers growing specific crops.
“For conferencing and paper filing services paid up members are welcome to use the office facilities of ZFU at request,” added Mr Dondo.
Urban Small scale Farmers using from zero to five hectares of land pay a membership fee of $5 USD per year.
The Chairlady of the Green Valley Community Garden Kasongo Gondongwe confirmed that they have plans of going beyond mere sustenance farming.
Mrs Gondongwe said, ” We have plans of using the water at our disposal to venture into fish farming and fruit tree farming and we can use all the assistance we can get to learn how to do fish farming and find markets to sell.”
The Green Valley Garden is a community cooperative initiative that inherited their Gardens after Action Farm gardens ceased operations in Masvingo.
The Chesvingo residents in the surrounding neighbourhood took advantage of the borehole and cultivated the gardens. With aid from Government of Zimbabwe, some NGOs and Masvingo City Council, they added solar powered pumps and tanks to the garden.
“We are grateful to Government for the Devolution funds that were used to upgrade our gardens and now we can recognise true empowerment as farmers.
We began to farm intensively durimg the first Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We are now looking towards increasing returns as we use an intensive farming approach,” she added.
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