Horticulture and Weather Mitigation in Zimbabwe! Mutasa District and the Mutasa Auction Floor

The following was extracted from the:

2017-18 SEASONAL RAINFALL FORECAST FOR ZIMBABWE

METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

28 August 2017

Rainfall outlook for the October to December 2017 period

Region I: Harare, much of Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central, north-eastern parts of Midlands, most of Manicaland

Increased chance of normal to above normal

Region II: The greater part of Matabeleland North, parts of Midlands and parts of Mashonaland West.

Increased chance of normal to below normal.

Region III: Masvingo, the bulk of Midlands, the extreme southern parts of Manicaland and the bulk of Matabeleland South.

Increased chance of normal to below normal.

 Rainfall outlook for the January to March 2018 period

Region I: Mashonaland Provinces, Harare, most of Manicaland, northern parts of Masvingo and northern parts of Midlands.

Increased chance of normal to above normal

Region II: The greater part of Matabeleland North, northwest Matebeleland South, Bulawayo.

Increased chance of normal to above normal

Region III: The greater part of Masvingo, the extreme southern parts of Manicaland, southeast Matabeleland South and the southern parts of Midlands

Increased chance of normal to above normal

Other relevant notes extracted:

In view of the moisture availability and suitable temperature thresholds, those with irrigation facilities should not wait for the main rains to fall. They can plant any time now, taking into account the high temperature needed for germination;

Flash floods and cyclones are likely as the season progresses

Updates will be issued periodically.

Weather and the Mutasa Auction Floor

We at Farmers’ Intersection believe we and districts should be proactive wherever we can. Farmers are always asking what to grow and while we generally advise farmers to build up expertise on a few crops and stick with them there is also room to advise farmers on what to expect, so they can incorporate this into their planning.

In early 2017 we had major challenges getting banana crops out of areas due to heavy rain, floods and poor roads. We are encouraging one company we trust to look into making available, two wheel tractors and trailers, under loan terms to suitable candidates, this we believe will go a long way in overcoming the transport problems being experienced by farmers. However, it is unlikely this initiative will be in place this year but hopefully early 2018.

Horticulture is part of the agricultural scene and should not be looked at in isolation. It has a general year in and year out role and in economies such as Zimbabwe in years of maize stress it has a particularly important role.

Farmers need to devise strategies for the coming season e.g. plant what they can under irrigation and possibly on dry land half the intended crop as usual and half of a short season variety later in case of delayed or erratic rains. This is especially relevant to those who cannot afford to plant seed twice.

Parts of the country are predicted to have normal to below normal rains in the early part of the coming season. As always, rainfall pattern is of significant importance too. Farmers must draw on past experience and understand/guess how this might impact on food supplies in those parts and possibly plan to plant crops to plug any stress periods expected to occur.

Farmers should consider the mitigating effects if they were able to plant potatoes, sweet potato, yams and such starches on anticipated food deficits.

Producing is one aspect, but equally important is the development of supply chains to aggregate it and get it from areas of surplus to areas of deficit, cost effectively.

The above needs planning such as:

1. Getting quality planting material and other inputs to those who can grow and in time.
2. The incorporation of these crops into the district’s drought management strategy and not just thinking of imported maize only.
3. How will it be bought from the grower and delivered to the nutritionally and financially stressed.

Incorporating these more traditional starch crops into the food strategy is important and sensible and it keeps our dollars in Zimbabwe and our reliance on foreign charity to a minimal.

The MAF will be an important aggregator in this strategy and a useful tool if understood and used logically.

Media can also help by promoting pumpkin for breakfast and sweet potato for dinner and so on and give people guidance on how to liven them up to make interesting meals.

Food for thought people!

How do we go about doing something practical?

Points to Consider

Previous Heavy Rain Seasons Experiences

• Splitting bananas
• Cabbage destroyed in fields due to water logging
• Weeds growing out of control
• Leaching of fertilisers
• Erosion damage
• Onions rotted as could not be dried due poor facilities and humidity

Wet Fields

• Low lying areas in fields prone to flooding
• Diseases that come with heavy rain?
• Leaching

Sandy Soils

• Leaching
• Erosion
• Pests that come with droughts.

Previous Poor Rain Seasons Experiences

• Moisture loss due to heat.
• Importance of weeding.
• Varieties that coped better.

Corrections Tool Box

• Contours up to standard
• Plant on the flat, raised beds, raised rows, zero tillage.
• Mulching to reduce moisture loss and slow down water movement.
• Early weed control.
• Crop storage and handling planned and prepared for.
• Plant smaller areas, intensify management and output.
  • Appropriate input levels for target yields, reduced area to weed and do it properly.
• Planting strategies and risk mitigation.
  • Varieties for seasons, aspects and planting dates.
• Inputs organised in time.
• Green houses to dry sugar beans?

Marketing Strategies

• Sell what can’t be stored properly regardless of price.
• Average price is the real price.