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Communal cattle management in austerity times

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THE first rains of the 2019-2020 summer season have kissed the land of Zimbabwe; replenishing the pastures, reviving the forests and restoring hope to the human and animal population of Zimbabwe.

With the first refreshing spate of showers, our indigenous instincts summon us to till the land and sow our crops.  

Given that, historically, such early rains normally signify a short rain season, farmers need to sow their crops soonest and ranchers need to dip their cattle more regularly – every week, with alternate dipping chemicals as recommended in professional cattle husbandry.

A recent notice of proposed Rural District Council (RDC) levies and tariff charges that have increased by a minimum of 200 percent and a maximum 1 000 percent, published in a major newspaper of late (dated Saturday, September 28 2019), is challenging news and stifling for most established and new indigenous farmers.

Most of these exorbitant levies are not conducive to the economic revival envisioned and expounded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and negatively affect the productive agricultural economies that are mainly domiciled in rural Zimbabwe.

With the current inflation and speculative behaviour that has become rife in our economic environment, working the land timeously and tending to our livestock judiciously has become a necessary commitment in order for local farmers to cope with inflationary trends and to stabilise our economy, are these high excessive RDC levies really conducive to the revival of our agriculture and livestock industry?

Sustainable and affordable development strategies pertaining to livestock rearing, crop agriculture and agro-chemical production in Zimbabwe need to be put into place to unlock its full socio-economic potential and profits.  

The current misplacement of value by the RDCs’ proposed exorbitant levies do not empower the rural farmer, nor do they improve the rural dipping facilities that were built in the shadow of the empire, in the colonial era, that are still in urgent need of rehabilitation and reconstruction, almost 40 years later.

While one acknowledges the era of austerity, with one rural farmer describing the new farming season as the ‘sunga dzisimbe’ era (tightening of our belts season), we cannot ignore the urgent and tangible needs and clarion calls of the rural farmer.  

As a consequence, identifying critical agricultural needs that necessitate Government supplementation and require livestock infrastructure funding in most of the communal ranching areas is crucial, especially in these times of austerity trials. 

Given the long and oppressive history of the colonial disempowerment of indigenous rural Zimbabweans, the revitalisation and rebuilding of rural infrastructure for our prized livestock breeding must be uppermost of our endeavours.

Furthermore, the peak agricultural preparation and farming periods in Zimbabwe, from late August to mid-October that is, unfortunately, also conducive to the high rate of tick-breeding; especially in unkempt pastures. 

For indigenous cattle ranches throughout Zimbabwe. the old adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ rings true in these circumstances, especially as far too many reports of cattle succumbing to various tick-borne diseases during the dry winter months of July and August have come to my attention lately and are now peaking as summer fast-approaches its zenith in mid-October

A case in point is the latest cattle disease outbreaks that have reached my desk, in Chihota, in the Seke/Chitungwiza area near Landaus, sometimes also known as kwaRandazi or Landasi, which has had several cattle deaths estimated to be a minimum 250 head plus/minus, in the last two months.

Several of these cattle herds have so far been decimated.   

A head count of 130 cattle was brought to my attention at the end of August.  

Numerous other worrying reports of whole village cattle herds dying in other areas have also been made. 

Apparently, the extension officers who were called to the cattle pens in Chihota, near Landaus, merely shrugged their shoulders.  

They were clueless about what to do, or what steps to take to mitigate against the spread of this current deadly murrain.

The inept extension officers also asked for fuel allowances from the unfortunate villagers in order for them to return at a later stage to take a second look at their cattle, but never returned.

Similarly, in the Glendale and Concession area — a prime cattle ranching zone in Mashonaland, which is also said to be lacking in the requisite extension services for cattle animal husbandry — has had a bad spell of cattle deaths, mostly all from tick-borne related diseases.  

Cattle immunisation is an important aspect of primary animal veterinary health care which is mandatory in most countries to safeguard cattle herds and other livestock from deadly and, at times, also contagious murrain and zoonotic diseases.

Given this period, between September and October is well-known for the timeous immunisation of cattle, it is important indigenous cattle ranches are given the necessary infrastructure and also made fully aware of how to protect their cattle

It is regrettable that the originally disease-resistant MaShona cattle breed has, over the recent decades, become less immune to the various murrain.  

This has been mainly due to the introduction of foreign herds, uncontrolled cross-breeding and the encroachment of tick-infested wildlife onto communal cattle pastures, giving our indigenous herd less resistance to tropical diseases.

As a result, Zimbabwean cattle have succumbed to many imported, deadly diseases over the recent past, such as Rift Valley fever and currently theileriosis, botulism and ephemeral fever (also known as three-day cattle stiffness), which is often mistaken for witchcraft in traditional circles due to its unusual symptoms – stiff legged cattle – described by an urban farmer as ‘kustika kwemombe’.

By law, it is mandatory to vaccinate and immunise one’s cattle from the various known diseases.  

It is often, therefore, our own negligent stewardship of our cattle herds that compromises our disease-free cattle status.  However, in Zimbabwe, cattle immunisation has a chequered, colonial history which still needs to be thoroughly re-aligned and re-structured to benefit the indigenous majority in order to save the national communal herd. 

Instituting a national Command Livestock Vaccination Programme, at this time of the year, to supplement the dipping sessions in the rural and communal areas in all cattle ranching areas is mandatory for the Command Livestock Programme to yield the desired results of plentitude for Zimbabwe. 

While a nationwide cattle immunisation programme needs to be implemented and, possibly, adequately supplemented by Government as soon as possible, it is also vital for the RDCs to play their part by providing adequate dipping facilities by repairing, building and increasing the number of cattle dips and other requisite rural facilities with the high levies they demand.  

Such a nationwide livestock programme will effectively save our coveted indigenous cattle herds – the MaShona cattle of Zimbabwe — from near extinction.

Dr Tony Monda holds a PhD in Art Theory and Philosophy and a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) and Post-Colonial Heritage Studies. He is a writer, lecturer and a specialist post-colonial scholar, Zimbabwean socio-economic analyst and researcher. 

For views and comments, email:  tonym.MONDA@gmail.com

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