The ManicaPost
“To achieve great things, two things are needed. A plan, and not quite enough time.” For Zimbabwe farmers to succeed, they should plan and internalise this undisputed observation by revered American composer and author, Leonard Bernstein.
If our farmers fail to plan and prepare, then they are planning and preparing to fail. Yester year gains of agriculture will continuously be eroded for as long as our farmers keep losing it on the planning side of it.
We emphasise on proper planning because Zimbabwe is experiencing a debilitating food shortage, and more than half the country’s population require emergency food aid this year.
Zimbabwe cannot afford another poor cropping season. Farming is a business far more difficult than any other kind of business, which makes planning and preparation vital cogs for its success.
Planning and adequate preparation assist farmers to best manage risk and work towards achieving set targets.
This is October, and basic land preparation is lagging behind.
Land preparation is more than putting a tractor onto the field; it is a delicate science that will determine the overall output of a field.
It has an effect on the final output.
By now farmers should have burned or buried fallow vegetation or previous crop residues in order to clear the land. And by now the fields should be ready for planting. Agronomy wise, high yields lie in land preparations.
Secondly, it is not surprising that some farmers have not acquired or do not know the exact quantities of inputs for the forthcoming season. Yet the season is already around the corner.
The danger of such lackadaisical attitude is that the rainfall patterns have drifted due to climate change. It is advisable for farmers to plant using the early rain.
If the farmers miss the early rains, chances of making it will be remote.
However, this does not mean they should rush to plant following some drizzle (bumharutsva) received this week. No.
Instead farmers should instead exploit the slight wet spell to wind up their land preparation in anticipation of an early inception of the cropping season.
Farmers should not plant blindly, but act in accordance with the expert advice from agricultural extension officers, agronomists and weather experts.
The 2016/17 weather projections are that the country is likely to receive normal to below normal rains between mid-October 2016 and March 2017.
The October-March period is the main rainfall season and farmers should target early planting.
It is best that farmers plant early maturing to mid-maturing maize varieties. With the unpredictability of our weather patterns, planting long season varieties without viable irrigation infrastructure is not advisable.
Do not experiment.
Seed companies should make sure that seed varieties optimised for specific natural regions are available within the farmers’ reach at the right price. The same applies to fertilizer companies.
Government on its part should capacitate the department of Agritex so that extension officers are mobilised to teach farmers how to produce and take farming as a serious business.
For as long as our farmers lack the requisite agricultural and financial literacy, giving, even giving them millions of dollars of money and kilos of seed and fertilizers will never guarantee success.
Farmers unions must advocate for the training of farmers to make them knowledgeable. Farmers need to be taught to be hands-on people.
Our farmers should demonstrate the tremendous knowledge and skills which should enable them excel levels reached by former white commercial farmers.
