Over the years, the majority of Zimbabwean soils have been losing their fertility, in addition to low rainfall patterns, reducing food crop ...
Over the years, the majority of Zimbabwean soils have been losing their fertility, in addition to low rainfall patterns, reducing food crop production. A low yield was caused by poor farming practices, climate change, and taking farming as a luxury, rather than a business. Now, the latest farming, Pfumvudza, a method of farming that holds the future for the country’s agriculture. To attain maximum yields, farmers undergo training (attached image) on how to utilize a 16m x 39m piece of land which should accommodate close to 1,456 planting stations.
The concept was developed Brian Oldereive of the Foundations of Farming in 1982, however the name was only adopted in 2007. And ever since, it has been adopted by 40 other countries in Africa. The Zimbabwe government adopted the concept into a national policy after Oldereive presented it to the local government, which visited some of the farmers already doing it and they were impressed by the concept. For the 2022-23 season alone, the government was targeting 2 million households, in both urban and rural areas.
Pvumvudza, in local vernacular means spring, or a new season of increased productivity, has been widely adopted by farmers as a climate-proofing and conversation to ensure food sustenance for Zimbabwe. The technique, which is bankrolled by the state, and NGOs, through the provision of yearly farming inputs to farmers, both in rural and urban areas of the country, has revived good yields. In return, the beneficiaries must submit a certain percentage of their grain harvest to the government reserves as payment for the inputs. The technique involves the digging of pits as small planting basins to concentrate water and nutrients.
Pfumvudza commences as early as October, before the first rains, with the application of lime and basal or compost in plant points. Weeding is done earlier. So far, the government has targeted 1.8 million households to benefit from the program. A year after its launch, Zimbabwe attained almost 2.8 million tonnes of maize/cereal grain, the staple food, planted across 1.9 million hectares, the highest since the early 1980s. According to the Zimbabwe government’s own data, the average national maize yield for the 2020/21 season was 1,39 tonnes per hectare. The agriculture ministry has said this 2020/21 yield is the highest recorded in the country since 2000/1. Below is a Q & A with FAO.
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO): FAO is a technical partner to the Government of Zimbabwe. As such, it works with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development (MLAFWRD) to help realise the government’s food and nutrition security goals. In that regard, FAO offers technical support to MLAFWRD in implementing projects promoting various technologies/interventions, among them Pfumvudza.
Tinzwei: How has the involvement of FAO helped farmers who are implementing the Pfumvudza concept?
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| Pfumvudza Q & A: Climate Proofing Ensures Food Sustenance |
A typical example is the Livelihoods and Food Security Programme (LFSP) which was implemented by FAO over a 7-year period ending on 31st August 2021, which embarked on a Pfumvudza pilot in 10 districts during the 2019/20 season. The project entailed training of extension service providers on Pfumvudza, who subsequently trained farmers on the technology. The success of this pilot influenced the government to adopt Pfumvudza under the Presidential Input Scheme.
Tinzwei: How sustainable is Pfumvudza in Zimbabwe and do we have figures that we can use to support this?
FAO: From the preliminary observations and results, Pfumvudza is sustainable. It is sustainable in the sense that farmers only need to crop a small area (16m x 39m) to ensure cereal sufficiency for a family of 6 over one year. The input cost for the Pfumvudza plot, pegged at less than US$50 is also within farmers’ reach. This cost can come down when other nature-based management options (e.g. use of organic fertilizers, integrated pest management) are taken on board. The yield potential for the Pfumvudza plot also renders the technology sustainable.
However, there is a need to address drudgery, which may adversely affect uptake of the technology. The government of Zimbabwe supported 1.8 million households who practised Pfumvudza during the 2020/21 season, and has plans to increase the numbers to 2.3 million households in the current season. Pfumvudzva is a moisture conserving approach. Too much rainfall results in waterlogging and this may reduce yields if it is not managed properly through drainage of excess water.
Tinzwei: Do we have examples where Pfumvudza has been implemented successfully and what are the scientific advantages of the concept over the traditional way of farming?
FAO: A study on the impact of Pfumvudza during the 2020/21 season was recently completed and the results show the impact of the practice. This is despite 2020/21 having been a season blessed with above normal rainfall. Pfumvudza plots were found to yield more than 1,500kg per hectare (136 percent), more than non-Pfumvudza plots, ceteris paribus.
The scientific benefits of the practice are derived from enhanced management (smaller area cropped), application of appropriate nutrients at the right time and in the right quantities and proper placement and early planting, due to planting basins that harvest/capture early rains and moisture conservation. Thanks to mulching, enhanced weed management due to smothering of weeds by mulch, appropriate/recommended plant populations (low yields by smallholder farmers are largely attributed to low plant populations), early crop planting, meticulous pest and disease management.
Tinzwei: Is Pfumvudza the future of Zimbabwean agriculture, if so, then are we noticing a shift from the traditional form of agriculture?
FAO: Given the challenges of climate change and the adverse economic environment, the future of smallholder agriculture should be premised on low external input sustainable agriculture. And Pfumvudza falls under such a category. So yes, Pfumvudza holds the future for Zimbabwe agriculture.
However, need to mention that the technology can still be enhanced through appropriate mechanization to address drudgery, e.g. brought about by manual digging of planting basins. There is also scope to reduce external synthetic inputs by promoting use of organic fertilizers (thermal compost, liquid fertilizers (plant and/or livestock excreta based), animal manure, vermicompost), integrated pest management through use of nature-based bio-pesticides.
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