Farmers’ seeds play a crucial role in the development of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. This is because they offer diversity, are culturally and geographically appropriate and easily accessible to resource poor farmers.
In Rushinga district, Mashonaland Central province, Zimbabwe, smallholder farmers have formed Seed Study Groups where they learn and share seed and knowledge among themselves. This has enabled farmers to grow diverse crops such as sorghum, groundnuts and cow peas. In turn, farmers produce adequate and nutritious foods for their families and they have surplus to sell and gain income for household expenses.
One of the smallholder farmers whose life has changed is Winai Kasamudanga (42) who lives with her eight children and one daughter in law in Rushinga district. Winai owns a 3 hectare plot and her household depends solely on agriculture for livelihood.
Winai is working with PELUM-ZWE member and the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme (ZSSP) partner, Farmers' Association of Community self-Help Investment Groups (FACHIG), a farmer-owned grassroots organization operating in Rushinga to alleviate poverty, ensure food security and income generation among the smallholder farmers. Under the ZSSP, FACHIG is strengthening the capacity of smallholder farmers in Rushinga to produce and store farmer seed varieties.
“Before I started growing farm saved seeds, I faced perennial problems in securing seed for planting. I could not afford to buy seed and I usually planted my crops late,” says Winai.
Winai was first involved in the ZSSP when she was invited by a lead farmer of a Seed Study Group that Winai is now a part of. She says FACHIG has organized various platforms for her and other group members to learn sustainable farming practices.
“Learning about farm saved seeds has lessened my burden in procuring farm inputs. I have participated in exchange visits and this has enabled me to learn what smallholder farmers organized in Seed Study Groups in other parts of the country are doing. After seeing new initiatives or practices in other places, I implement them. This has boosted my yields,” says Winai.
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