Crops write off in Chivi

TATENDA CHIKARA IN CHIVI

Villagers in Chivi district, Masvingo Province have said crops planted this season are now write off due to erratic rains and have shifted focus to farming in their small community gardens to sustain their families.

A Chitsaka villager said they have turned to gardens as “it’s now useless to stay in our farms as crops are now a write off”.

“The rains disappeared early February at a time our crops needed it most. This is hunger at our doorsteps,” said the villager, who requested anonymity.

Another villager from Maregere Village under Chief Maregere who also did not want to be named said they had started “preparing our gardens so maybe we can grow tomatoes and vegetables for sale”.

“This help us a lot so that we afford to buy food in future but our biggest let down are our dams which no longer hold enough water.

“These dams need to be scooped, we also have raised this issue to our leaders but nothing have materialised so far,” the villager said.

Chief Madyangove confirmed the drought situation in his area but however bemoaned the partisan distribution of food hampers according to political affiliation.

He urged the government to let kraal heads distribute food to their subordinates since they are the ones who know the seriously affected homesteads.

“To tell the truth hunger is written all over my area. The crops dried up and  we are no longer expecting anything,” Chief Madyangove said.

The District Development Coordinator for Chivi, Innocent Matingwina said almost 90% of the district was badly affected by drought. He said the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZimVAC) would assist  in ascertaining vulnerable households.

“Maybe, only a few wards like wards 25 at Ngundu and 15 near Chivi growth point are better. The small grains were also affected because they were planted late because of erratic rainfall,” Matingwina said.

“We await the ZimVAC assessment that is done by government. That will assist us in terms of programming. We will expand   food depth mitigation strategy that is already covering about 67000.”