4-H Zimbabwe held a Urea Treatment of Stover (UTS) training in Ward 11, Chiwundura. The activity aimed to enhance communal farmers’ knowledge of livestock feed management. Consequently, the communal farmers were educated and capacitated through demonstrations facilitated by Mandla Mlilo, an Agritex officer from the district.
Mlilo broke down the units required in the process, including stover, coarse salt, molasses, water, urea, polythene paper and urea. A pit was also dug, whereby all these contents were to be mixed. The polythene paper was then put inside the pit, be the contents. The stover was first chopped into pieces, a solution of urea and water was added to this mixture, and 5 litres of molasses were also added. Community members were hands-on throughout the entire process, from weighing the stover to mixing the contents. The treated stover was then sealed and covered with airtight polythene paper. He then explained that the mixture will be left for 2-3 weeks, and during this time, urea breaks down into ammonia, which softens the stover and increases its digestibility and protein content.
4-H Zimbabwe Director, John Muchenje, outlined the importance of the training towards reducing feed costs using readily available waste and making better use of resources. He then went on to explain the background of the work done by 4-H Zimbabwe in the district. He gave an insight as to why this particular training was necessary, stating that having healthy and well-fed livestock benefits the community members by providing fresh food and more income for them.
This intervention seeks to contribute to climate change education and enhancement of adaptation at local level. The project targets women and young people as vulnerable groups to climate change with support from International Climate Initiative (IKI).The project has practical handles anchored on climate smart education through field demonstrations of conservative climate smart agriculture.