From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:ZIMBABWE: PEASANTS OPMISTIC ABOUT A GOOD SEASON
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 13:44:20 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Agriculture
Title: ZIMBABWE: PEASANTS OPMISTIC ABOUT A GOOD SEASON


an inter press service feature

by andrew zhakata

goromonzi, zimbabwe, jan 18 (ips) -- undulating lush green maize
fields stretch over the landscape in north-eastern zimbabwe's
chinamora communal lands painting an optimistic picture about
this year's harvests.

''things look promising this year. we have already received
good rains since december and all we need now is a little more
in february and march to ensure a bumper harvest,'' says peasant
lawrence chonyera.

the rains began falling in the area -- as in the rest of
zimbabwe -- in december after many rain-making rituals and
prayers.

''people spent days and nights in the hills and in churches
praying for rain and we are glad our prayers were answered'',
says 70-year-old chonyera, a resident of makumbe village in
goromonzi district, 60 km north of the zimbabwean capital,
harare.

''rivers are flowing again, grazing has improved and our
livestock is recovering from the devastating drought'', adds the
father of five.

phibeon dakudzwa, a supervisor with the parastatal
agricultural, technical and extension services (agritex), is
also confident this year is going to be a better season for
chinamora peasants.

''prospects look bright because the area has already recorded
400 mm of rainfall. this is what we received for the whole
season (november to march) last year'', dakudzwa told ips
sunday.

chinamora, which is situated in a good rainfall area, needs
an average of 800 mm of rain per year

in its recent fortnightly crop and livestock report, agritex
says almost 75 percent of the maize crop is in good condition
throughout the country. the rest of the maize crops is
fair.

but, says the report, widespread nitrogen deficiency and weed
problem threaten the yield potential of the well-established
maize crop in communal areas.

as soon as the first rains fell in december, chinamora farmers
''got down to some serious business'' in their fields with inputs
such as maize seeds and fertilizer from the government's drought
recovery programme. (more/ips)


zimbabwe: peasants (2)

although the rains came late, the 5,000 farmers in the
chinamora area have already finished cultivating and planting
their fields.

the early planted maize crop is beginning to flower. about 80
percent of the late planted crop is knee-high and the rest is in
the early vegetative stage.

most of the farmers in chinamora, which is suitable for
maize, groundnuts, rapoko and sunflowers, have increased their
hectarages because of the good rains.

from 1.2 ha of the maize crop he has this year, chonyera
expects to harvest about 90 bags and plans to sell 30 bags to
the parastatal grain marketing board (gmb).

''i will keep the rest for consumption. to me the good rains
signal an end to government food-handouts. it is better to be
self-sufficient than queuing all day long for the food that
doesn't come'', says chonyera.

the good rains have also seen alois zinyama at nyakudya
village increasing his hectarage. zinyama has 1.6 ha of the
maize crop from which he expects to reap over 130 bags.

the new price of maize of 180 u.s. dollars per tonne might
lure zinyama to sell more of his maize.

''i think i will sell 90 bags to the gmb because i want to
raise money to replace five of my cattle which perished in the
drought'', says zinyama, who is left with only two cattle.

however, chinamora farmers complain the land is ''over-used''
and this is threatening their yield potential.

''our land is no longer productive because of over usage.
twenty years ago we could grow our crops without applying any
form of manure but today if you want to have a good yield you
have to rely on fertilizer'', says henry chonyera.

chonyera, head of chonyera village, says most farmers have
been made poor by the drought and cannot afford to buy a bag of
fertilizer which costs about 11 u.s. dollars.

''an acre (o.4 ha) requires at least seven bags of various
types of fertilizer. this means a farmer with three acres
must buy 21 bags. who can afford that with these high
prices'', says chonyera. (end/ips/az/apc/93)
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