Sithokozile Moyo (34), a smallholder farmer working with Mwenezi Development Training Centre (MDTC) says keeping livestock has helped her to achieve better food security and nutrition. Sithokozile says besides getting meat, livestock droppings play a crucial role in building rich soils for her crops.
“I started keeping chickens in September 2020. Currently I have 35 native chickens. Before that I relied on buying meat and eggs for my family. Since last year I no longer buy chicken. I also get eggs and this has improved nutrition for my family. When I have excess eggs, I sell to raise income to help me cover some family needs,” says Sithokozile.
Sithokozile says each time she cleans the fowl run, she collects a sizeable amount of chicken manure that she spreads on her farmland. This, she says is building rich soils and has contributed to improved crop yields.
“I use chicken end products such as manure for my field where l grow maize which is almost half a hectare. This season l had good yields as a result of the chicken manure that I was broadcasting on the crop fields,” says Sithokozile.
Through the help she gets from MDTC, Sithokozile said she has not faced any challenges in keeping the chickens.
Promise Makoni, the Director of Mwenezi Development Trust Centre says her organisation provided farmers with chicks to start the project. MDTC also availed training for the smallholder farmers so that they raise chickens successfully.
“We provide the farmers with 28 chicks and they have to hatch 20 more chicks which we will then give to the other farmers. We also provide the farmers with skills on how to use natural methods like Gavakava (Aloe Vera) for treating chicken diseases,” says Promise.
Osmond Mugweni (66), an expert in land and livestock management says organic manure from livestock such as chickens improves the soil texture, allowing it to hold water longer, and increase the bacterial and fungal activity in the soil. Osmond adds that the best way to apply organic matter is to dig a hole, put the manure there and leaving it to cure.
Osmond also adds that the application of organic manure maintains soil pH in a suitable range for crops, while inorganic fertilizers cause the soil to become more acidic.
“Organic manure improves the texture of the soil and increases the bacterial activity in the soil. The best way to apply organic matter is to dig a pit and leave it to cure. If you broadcast manure you lose the nitrogen because you exposure it to sunlight and it converts to Ammonia gas,” says Osmond.
Sithokozile and other smallholder farmers in Mwenezi have embraced the concept of raising livestock and are enjoying many benefits from the system. Their efforts are building into the government of Zimbabwe’s ambitious goal of improving the food security and nutrition of Zimbabwe through the development of the Food system policy.
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