Long Lost Practice Holds Key to Food Security

National Farmers’ Seed Fair set to revive traditional seed

Pumpkin seed grown by smallholder farmers under the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme aimed at strengthening community based seed system. Picture: Theophilus Mudzindiko/PELUM-ZWE

The 2018th edition of the National Farmers’ Seed Fair, the first of its kind to be organised at national level, comes into life on Friday 19 October 2018 with smallholder farmers from different parts of Zimbabwe converging at the Harare Botanical Gardens from 8:30am to 2pm to interact with the public who are the crucial stakeholders in the food sector.

The theme for this year’s National Farmers’ Seed Fair is, “Alternative sources of protein” and in particular a variety of groundnuts known as ‘Bob white’ or Kabokokachena is being promoted. The name comes from its colour (white) and it is being promoted because it is a variety that is in danger of becoming extinct. Smallholder farmers are also bringing in other nutritious traditional seed that has sustained the lives of communities over the generations. Availing the traditional seed as part of the Food and Seed Festival will ensure that traditional seed takes its rightful place as the centre and pivot of ‘Good Food’ in Zimbabwe.

Some of the traditional seed to be availed at the National Farmers’ Seed Fair are rare and almost extinct in some parts of Zimbabwe and the smallholder farmers will be sharing, exchanging information, selling and buying from each other. The public will also have an opportunity to learn and access some of these traditional seeds.

“People often say when you want to go forward, do not look back and yet when it comes to food security and national development, that model has proven to be retrogressive. Instead, looking back on our culture and indigenous systems holds the key to moving forward. Farmer seed varieties, sharing and exchange has been long an efficient, cost effective, environmentally sustainable, climate appropriate, a food, nutrition and income secure practice for generations.,” says Theophilus Mudzindiko, the Programmes Officer for the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Zimbabwe.

This National Farmers’ Seed Fair is being facilitated by the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP), a multi-year programme aimed at strengthening farmer management seed systems that is being coordinated PELUM Zimbabwe.

A variety of other entertainment activities has been lined up to make sure that the general public in all their different age groups are kept on their toes. There will be several traditional dance and drama performances that show the link between culture and traditional seed. There will be a presentation on the Bob White groundnut variety by a local smallholder farmer.

PELUM Zimbabwe is a network of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working with smallholder farmers practicing diversified agroecological farming for improved livelihoods. The National Farmers Seed Fair is part of the Annual Good Food Festival organised the Traditional and Organic Food Forum, a movement promoting the production and consumption of healthy foods grown in Zimbabwe.