Smallholder farmers embrace organic pesticides

Clever Rukumbo (68) [left] and his wife Lillian Rukumbo (54) [right] are smallholder farmers from Makoni district working with PELUM Zimbabwe Member, Food Environment Enterprise Trust (FEET). Prosper Muvandi (33) [centre] was student on attached at FEET studying for a Diploma in Agroecology with PELUM Zimbabwe Member Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre Clever and Lilian used Ashbrew to control maize and butternuts pests in their fields. Ash-brew targets all soft bodied pests which include cut worms, fall army worm, aphids and white flies. Photo: Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre

Prosper Muvandi (33) a student pursuing a diploma in Agroecology with PELUM Zimbabwe Member, Fambidzanai Permaculture Centre (FPC) says smallholder farmers in Makoni district are beginning to embrace organic pesticides.

This comes after Prosper conducted a training and demonstration of the preparation, application and effectiveness of Ash-brew, an organic pesticide.

“I facilitated the preparation of an organic pesticide, the Ash-brew type, with the company and guidance of the local AGRITEX Officer and carried out the application demonstration in one of the farmers’ fields,” says Prosper.

“The Ash-brew was made using 40 litres of clean water, 1 green bar washing soap, 10kg fine ash (sieved using a mosquito net or sieve), 1 litre cooking oil, firewood and a small metal drum,” adds Prosper.

Prosper says the results were amazing as compared to other synthetic pesticides used by some farmers in their fields and gardens.

“I noticed a number of fall army worms that succumbed to the ash-brew pesticide. Almost all white flies that had invaded the bottom parts of butternut and pumpkin plant leaves died due to the effectiveness of the pesticide,” says Prosper.

Witnessing the effectiveness of the Ash-brew many farmers became interested in making and using it.

“Most of the farmers who were present embraced the use of locally available resources in making organic pesticides whose effectiveness can nearly be equated and in some instances surpass that of most synthetic chemicals,” says Prosper.

Prosper says the results obtained were so impressive that some of the farmers who were not part of the group that witnessed the process also became interested in making and using the Ash-brew.

As a result of the effectiveness of the Ash-brew pesticide, farmers are requesting and suggesting the use of organic practices even to address animal health.