Maravi

(HERALD) Small-scale farmers to benefit from training programmes

Small-scale farmers to benefit from training programmes
Business Reporter

SMALL-scale farmers from all over the country are set to benefit from farm management training programmes which commence in Harare next week. According to the organisers — ASF Enterprises — the programme would be held nationwide in preparation for the 2007/08 agricultural season.

The training will cover both theoretical and practical management. Among the topics will be effective ways of sourcing inputs, the benefits and demerits of contract farming, cost management, product marketing and value addition. ASF Enterprises director Mr Farai Chirimhanzi said the training was aimed at enhancing farmers’ effectiveness while at the same time addressing some basic farming concepts.

He added that this was also the right time to educate the nation on the importance of agriculture as the backbone of the economy. To this end, it was essential to ensure people treated farming as a business which has the potential to turn around the country’s economic fortunes if well managed.

"The programmes have been broken down into two parts, which are the logical management aspects and practical management. Logical management concentrates on aspects prior to the actual planting, and these programmes are aimed at enhancing the farmers’ effectiveness as we address the basic issues that farmers must adhere to and treat it as a business," he said.

On practical management, Mr Chirimhanzi said his organisation was looking at assisting farmers in livestock and crop management techniques in the face of scarce resources such as water.

Both A1 and A2 farmers have been hard hit by erratic power supplies, which disrupt irrigation, thereby affecting yields.

"We also look at issues of dealing with scarce water resources and time management as well as techniques that yield best results in conserving water. These training programmes endeavour to bring our farmers back to the basics of farming and make them professionals of the trade," said Mr Chirimhanzi.

Agriculture is the mainstay of Zimbabwe’s economy, and Government, through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, has come up various initiatives to improve production with the aim of improving food security.

Labels: FARMERS, LAND REFORM, THE HERALD, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 3:38 AM