Embrace partnerships, farmers urged

Resettled farmers have been urged to engage in smart-agricultural partnerships to improve food security as the nation moves towards achieving a middle class economy by 2030.

Speaking during a Women in Agriculture Union (WAU)’s organised Smart-Agro field schooling day at Summerhill Farm in Mhangura where he was the guest of honour, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Resettlement, Vangelis Haritatos, said partnerships in farming were going to help the nation retain its former regional bread basket status.

He said through partnerships, resettled farmers, particularly women, were bound to receive the much-needed knowledge and resources to help revolutionise land reform.

“Summerhill Farm has shown us positive impact of what a woman can do with a combination of the right partnership technology and mechanisation,” he said.

“Women in Agriculture Union (WAU), I am urging you to assist more women to get into such beneficial partnerships.

“As witnessed, it is important that once you have entered into a partnership, you become hands-on and not being a cellphone partner as we see in a lot of our farmers.

“Partnerships are important. Looking at the changing technological environment, as they can help yield positive results.”

As a way of mitigating women’s involvement in agriculture, Deputy Minister Haritatos, said moving in line with United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goal Number Five on gender quality, his ministry had recently opened a gender desk which was working towards opening up prospects for women and their inclusion in all Government projects and in Government.

“It is estimated that women account for 70 percent of the food production, but their work tends to be economically invisible, translating their role as not important, especially when it comes to gaining access to productive resources, markets and services, thus the move by my ministry to establish a gender desk.”

Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Minister Mary Mliswa-Chikoka told the same gathering that such synergies would promote provincial gross domestic product.

“Synergies and smart partnerships that we are seeing across the value chain will boost Mashonaland West’s gross domestic product and create serious value in the province,” she said.

Minister Mliswa-Chikoka said partnerships were a sign that land reform was irreversible and Zimbabweans were supposed to appreciate that.

She urged Government to ensure that the gains of the agrarian reforms were realised through supporting farmers that were productive.

Summerhill Farm managing director and owner, Nomhle Mliswa, took a swipe at some farmers who were politicising partnership farming, as that was derailing President Mnangagwa’s move to promote food security, productivity and trade.

Farming business, she said, required a lot of critical thinking, professionalism, leadership and collaboration.

“If we decide to enter into partnerships, lets also maintain business ethics, loyalty and no greediness which we have as black farmers to the extent of abusing our partners,” she said.

Speaking on the side-lines of the event, a local farmer and WaMambo Farm co-owner, Mrs Cecil Paradza, urged farmers struggling with resources and knowledge to enter into partnerships as it was a win-win situation to both partners as local farmers were to harness expertise, resources and economically whilst those that they partner benefit financially.

Women in Agriculture Union national chairperson, Ms Olga Nhari, implored women to unite and enter into farming business partnerships to help improve productivity.

The field day schooling was bankrolled by Seedco and the company’s national agronomist, Mrs Wendy Madzura gave field tour lectures.–herald.cl.zw