4-H Zimbabwe in conjunction with The Change Makers held a three-day program aimed at capacitating community garden farmers on good agronomic practices (GAPs), agribusiness and value addition. The capacity building training was held at Matekaire garden, Ward 24, Hurungwe West Constituency, Mashonaland West Province in one of the community gardens established by 4-H Zimbabwe.
On day 1, the community farmers were educated on good agronomic practices, agribusiness and financial management. During the training, the garden members were taught how and why they should always consider soil type, crop type, season and the market. The community farmers were also given demonstrations on the appropriate use of a knapsack sprayer, and the proper way of wearing a work suit whilst spraying chemicals on the crops.
On day 2, on the second day, the training was focused on value addition. The session was facilitated by The Change Makers who demonstrated how to convert tomatoes into tomato sauce and how to further delve into the process of enhancing the quality of their various crops. Manuals on how to enhance the quality of their products, processing, branding and market linkages were also distributed to the members for their consumption after the training. The training incorporated a representative from Chinhoyi University of Technology, Professor Robert Musundire. Mr Musundire is a researcher who focuses on agricultural sciences.
The training is to ensure that the community farmers understand the best ways of farming and how to add value to their produce.
After the second day training, the farmers were given certificates upon completion of their training. The certificates are a way to recognize that the members have acquired the necessary knowledge and skills when it comes to farming.
On day 3, community farmers from the garden visited one of the the most prosperous farms in the District, Mr Forte`s farm. Mr Forte gave the community farmers advice on how to farm their tomatoes, cabbages and maize. His emphasis was on the need to buy appropriate seeds, the need to apply fertilizer frequently, consistency and constant monitoring.
The farmers were grateful for this program, saying that it has empowered them. One of the beneficiaries, Miriam Takarutya, expressed her gratitude for the program by 4-H Zimbabwe.
“This is such a great initiative as it ensures that us, especially women, are empowered and given the adequate knowledge to consistently work and make money out of it”