Gwanda Rural District Council (GRDC) Ward 14 Councilor Gilbert Ndlovu has called for consultations before distributing farming inputs so that communities can have a say in the type of seeds they want, as part of the efforts to ensure better harvests.
This came up during a recent Gwanda full council meeting when they were discussing food security.
The government has been subsidising farmers with maize seed and fertiliser.
While Gwanda District Coordinator Thabani Mpofu said this year’s farming season was interrupted by El Nino, there were recommendations that the agricultural inputs should be delivered on time for farmers to plan their land use.
“Another issue raised was the equitable distribution of projects reaching all wards regardless of hard-to-reach wards. It was noticed that most of our projects are along accessible roads; the recommendations call for even those without roads to benefit from the project distributions.”
Discussing the issue, Councilor Ndlovu highlighted the significance of consulting communities to align seed distribution with local weather conditions.
“Is it not possible for the distributors who bring seeds to consult districts? You will find that in our area we are being given maize, fertiliser, and other things. Are these the seeds that are produced under our weather conditions? If they could come and consult us on which seeds we want, which are in line with our weather conditions, maybe we would plant seeds that would benefit us. But we have been receiving maize ever since the distributions,” he said.
Expressing concern over the failure of the district to supply the local Grain Marketing Board (GMB) with grain, Councilor Ndlovu emphasised the potential benefits of community-driven seed selection in enhancing grain production and supply to the GMB.
“I have never seen our wards sending grain to the Grain Marketing Board. I think if there are consultations and we come up with seeds that we think may survive and grow in our region, we will be able to supply our GMB.”
Meanwhile, Ward 19 Councilor Andrew Ndlovu said there is a need to prioritise fertiliser distribution to farmers with irrigation schemes to optimise agricultural output and food production for communities.
“If you look at fertiliser, our area is just being given because it’s for free, but no one is using fertiliser. They should give the fertiliser to people who use irrigation schemes rather than giving it to other people who will then use it for barter trade. It does not benefit us when those with irrigation need it the most rather than certain individuals,” he said.
Ndlovu added, “Fertiliser should be given to those with irrigation schemes so that they can farm and produce food for communities.”
