Diversified farming cushions smallholder farmers from adverse climate

Smallholder farmers selling different types of produce which includes beans, bananas, avocadoes, okra and many others at Mbare Musika in Harare (the largest fresh produce market in Zimbabwe).Market access in areas close to smallholder farmers remains a challenge and many of them travel from various parts of the country to come and market in Harare. PELUM ZWE programme partner eMkambo is working to decentralize markets in the hope that smallholder farmers’ access to markets can be improved. Photo: Witness Dhliwayo / Knowledge Transfer Africa.

Mukai Chikobvu (69) says unlike the majority of smallholder farmers in her area who practice monoculture, she opts to grow diverse crops.

“On my one hectare land, I grew beans, cow peas, sweet potatoes, groundnuts and maize. I also have fruit trees such as guavas and mango trees. Most of the products are for household consumption but I also sell the surplus,” says Mukai.

Mukai, a smallholder farmer working with PELUM Zimbabwe member Chinyika Community Development Trust says early diversified agroecological farming has enabled her to earn more compared to other smallholder farmers. She says smallholder farmers who grew maize are now earning less because the product has flooded the market. Mukai says instead of selling maize, she is selling other products that are not readily available on the market and are in high demand.

Charles Dhewa (50), the Founder and Chief Executive Officer for Knowledge Transfer Africa says diversified farming is important especially in the era of unpredictable climatic conditions.

“When smallholder farmers focus on a single commodity, they face a very high risk of very low yields in the event of inadequate rains. There is also a risk of low income according to the laws of supply and demand,” says Charles.

Besides diversification, Mukai planted her crops in November, earlier than the planting season. She says she was one of the first farmers to harvest beans and cow-peas in her community. Mukai says she was the main supplier of beans in her community.

Mukai took advantage of the early rains that came in October 2021 and she says this contributed to her better harvests. Other smallholder farmers in her community planted their crops in January 2021 and got lower yields.

"I was the first person to harvest beans and cow peas in January 2021 after l planted in November. I sold the beans to other local smallholder farmers for planting, says Mukai.

Charity Kwazekani (47) is the Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX) Officer working with the smallholder farmers in Chinyika community. Charity says the best time for planting beans in Gutu is December and January, but many smallholder farmers often delay planting.

Mukai says she got an approximation of 10 by 20 litre buckets of beans and sold each cup for $ USD 0.50, the income she got from selling the surplus harvest enabled her to meet her other financial needs.

“The money helped me to pay the labourers for harvesting my finger millet and maize,” says Mukai.

Mukai also says diversifying played a crucial role in ensuring her financial security.

“This year l will never be hungry because l have lots of different crops and l can sell some if l face any challenge to sustain myself,” says Mukai.

Other smallholder farmers working with Chinyika Community Development Trust and practicing diversified farming are also seeing its benefits.

“We are now realizing the importance of diversity. It has improved soil fertility and increased our crop yields,” says Sheila Zishiri (43), a smallholder farmer working with Chinyika Community Development Trust.