By Netho Francisco

TO boost yields and help mitigate the effects of climate change, farmers in drought prone areas must prioritise small grain crops that require less rainfall, the Zimbabwe Seed Traders Association (ZSTA) said.
Farmers in areas along the country’s borders and in natural agro-ecological regions 4 and 5 where rainfall is erratic and sometimes as low as 250mm per year have suffered from low or in some instances nil output from their fields.
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Farmers Union annual congress that was held under the theme ‘Coping with Drought and Climate Change for Sustainable Agricultural Practices’, ZSTA chairperson Walter Chigodora said small grains reduced the risk of farmers losing crops due to poor climatic conditions.
“Small grain crops like sorghum, millet and rapoko provide farmers with better crop options for natural region 4 and 5, where maize is a high risk crop.
“Most of the poor harvests repeatedly registered in these regions, are largely a result of growing crops that are inappropriate for the rainfall for a given region,” said Chigodora.
He said it was imperative for farmers to be aware of climatic conditions in their areas and rainfall patterns so as not to incur losses.
“It is vital to know your climatic conditions, by keeping records of your farming business,” he said.
“This will help you see errors in judgment, like planting too early, too late, or using the wrong maturity seed at a particular stage of a season.”
While much has been said about small grains, little has been done to promote their acceptability, planting, use and consumption.
It has not been easy to persuade farmers and villagers, who are in areas which receive less rainfall to concentrate on crops that are suitable for their regions as most now prefer to produce white maize.
But historically it is known that millet and sorghum do well in these areas.
Pundits contend that farmers must grow small grains as cash crops, which they can sell to generate money to buy maize and other crops that they prefer.
Chigodora said that there was need to increase the distribution and marketing of small grains.
“Maize seed is widely distributed by most companies but small grains are less evident, this is mainly because traders do not see these products as fast sellers,” he said.
Sorghum, Mhunga and Rapoko are indigenous to Africa and were grains that fed people since the advent of agriculture more than 2 000 years ago.
Despite the low uptake of small grains the country has continued to conduct research on small grains.
A great deal of research has been carried out on sorghum to produce varieties that give better yields and taste.
Meanwhile, Chigodora said farmers must procure agricultural inputs early to avoid missing the optimum planting time and ensure good yields.
“Many farmers have been late in seed procurement for various reasons such as awaiting handouts, lack of cash to buy in time and leaving purchases to when the season is already unfolding,” he said.
Government has since expressed concern over the performance of the agriculture sector which has remained depressed over the past years.
The sector has been negatively affected by recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall patterns and lack of adequate funding.
President Mugabe in his address during the opening of the first session of the Eighth Parliament this month said measures were being put in place to curb the effects of droughts.
“As part of strategies to mitigate the risks caused by droughts Government will emphasise increased reliance on irrigation agriculture, water harvesting and conservation techniques,” he said.
“To alleviate the plight of our farmers, who constantly bear the brunt of adverse weather conditions, Government will empower farmers through the provision of inputs support and marketing incentives.
“We must employ strategies that avert our country from developing an over-reliance on food imports and handouts from donors.”