daglous masveta
Tendai Rupapa -Senior Reporter
AGRIC4She patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday held an emphatic launch of the 2024/25 Pfumvudza4She Programme in Kaitano, near Mukumbura Border Post in Mashonaland Central Province, at an event attended by thousands of people.
This came as Amai Mnangagwa established a first-of-its-kind nutrition garden in the area with a dedicated solar-powered borehole and water tanks for the community as part of her nationwide empowerment initiatives.
Kaitano has extremely hot temperatures and the First Lady braved the scorching heat showing the inclusivity of her programmes which leave no place and no one behind.
She also held an interactive session with members of the community, hammering on the need for respect, hard work and observance of the country’s traditional norms and values.
At the same event, the mother of the nation honoured liberation war veterans who excelled in farming activities after receiving training in sustainable agriculture by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development with medals, fostering in them a spirit of hard work.
The First Lady was also honoured by the Ministry of Agriculture for being a champion of Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental management.
As environmental patron, however, the First Lady expressed dismay at the rampant cutting down of trees and burning of forests in the area.
An avid farmer with a hands-on approach, the First Lady joined the women in digging Pfumvudza holes, mulching and watering the plots.
The women were trained by experts from the Ministry of Agriculture who taught them to dig the holes.
Amai Mnangagwa told the women that Pfumvudza increases resilience against climate change-induced drought impacts and improved yields in rural communities of Zimbabwe where it is implemented.
The research recommends farmers to fully embrace the Pfumvudza strategy so as to realise high yields and improve food security.
The mother of the nation distributed traditional grains, inputs and fertiliser to the community.
“I am happy to be with you as we await the onset of the rains. Last season, the rains were low and I have come to give you inputs so that we can get into the fields under Pfumvudza4She.
“We assessed the crops that are suitable for each district and saw that traditional grains thrive here. These are crops that were grown by our ancestors and do not require many chemicals.
“I have come to launch programmes concerning families, especially women because they carry heavy burdens in households.
“It, however, requires dignified women who are capable of teaching families including those they do not belong to. It is once again time to farm and as women let us go out and enter the fields.
“I launched Agric4She to enable women to plough and it has helped many women countrywide. Agric4she has clusters that include Pfumvudza4She.
“I therefore humbly ask vana baba to give vana mai reasonable pieces of land for them to grow meaningful crops. Though it’s called Agric4she, it does not exclude men from participating vachishanda vese pamwechete nana mai nevana,” she said.
“Are you working together in the home semhuri? Why did your husbands choose to marry you madzimai?” the First Lady asked.
The question elicited a lot of responses with Mrs Judith Museredza describing herself as a dedicated helper.
“I personally am a hard worker who assists my husband to look after the family. I am like a plough when I get into the field. Ndinoshandira mhuri yangu using my hands,” she said.
Gogo Susan Chimutara said she was smart during her heyday.
“My husband started drooling for me while at school because I was bright and smart. We were in the same class. Ever since I got married, I have never cheated on my husband. My children belong to one man, that is my husband, and even Tinashe Mugabe can come to my house and I would never be ashamed.”
This, however, differed from the contributions of another respondent who said she was prayerful.
“I am a prayerful woman and my husband took me from church because he knew I would pray for the family. In whatever we do, we put God first,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa commended the women and encouraged them to continue working hard for their families. She encouraged women to utilise the inputs productively and not to sell them.
She also asked newly-married daughters-in-law as to how they were faring.
“Newly-married women, how are you doing vanangu?”
One of the women responded saying: “I focus on looking after the family where I was married without forgetting my roots. I also participate in all programmes focusing on women like Agric4She. In all this, I do not forget to respect my husband knowing the time to return home after doing projects.”
The First Lady explained that Agric4She has many arms including Pfumvudza4She, Neap4She, Horticulture4She, Livestock4she, Fisheries4She, Mechanisation4She, Irrigation4She and Veterinary4She, which enable women to realise income.
She encouraged women to be part of these programmes.
“A nation is built by its own citizens therefore let us unite and work together. I want to thank the Ministry of Agriculture for their support and for enabling the programme to proceed.
“We also started growing bananas and value adding them which we started in Gokwe and we want to take it to all provinces focusing on families,” she said.
As environment patron the First Lady said she was worried by the indiscriminate cutting down of trees and encouraged people to plant them as she highlighted the advantages of trees.
She asked the local leadership to engage youths and assist them to write project proposals to access loans from Empower Bank and start projects and stay away from drugs.
Projects, she said, need hard workers and not drunkards who lack financial discipline.
Liberation war veterans were trained in sustainable agriculture and those who excelled during the past season were adorned with medals by the First Lady.
“These are the people who brought freedom and we want to respect them as we also remember those who perished,” she said to applause.
Beneficiaries of the programme sang praises to the First Lady for her thoughtfulness and unconditional love.
Mrs Naome Sande said she had learnt something valuable.
“I am a woman of today. We are in Pfumvudza4she that has been brought to us by our mother Dr Mnangagwa. This programme essentially provides us with the wherewithal to send our children to school. We receive low rainfall here and the holes help us retain moisture. We thank our mother verily for this Pfumvudza4She programme,” she said with happiness written all over her face.
Mrs Abigail Musangira (35) beamed with pride.
“I am grateful for what our mother, Amai Mnangagwa has done. I had never seen such a wonderful and caring mother of the nation, but I have seen that our nation is being transformed through various self-help projects benefitting mainly women. Amai established a community garden for us and taught us about Pfumvudza4She so that we can use our own hands to sustain our families and be able to send them to school on full stomachs. Now that we have a borehole through the programme, our projects will thrive. Violence in the homes will lessen because we have something to do,” she said.
Similar words were echoed by Mrs Hazvineyi Changata (49).
“I am overjoyed by what the First Lady has done here in Kaitano. She has done wonders for us by setting up a garden for us under Pfumvudza4she. This will ease prostitution so that we can work using our hands and look after our children. This is new and we are thankful. We do not expect anyone going back to the oldest profession because we now have something to do that will occupy us,” she said.
Mrs Annah Josiah (35) was equally overjoyed.
“I am thankful and happy for what our mother has done for us. We had never seen such good things here since time immemorial here in Kaitano. She is the first First Lady to come here to this extremely hot area which is far from Harare but to her distance is not a barrier, Amai vanoda vana vavo vese,” she said.
Earlier, Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Christopher Magomo said he was elated by the First Lady’s visit.
“We have gathered under the auspices of the Pfumvudza4She initiative to celebrate and embrace the remarkable progress and achievement of women in the agricultural sector. This is a momentous occasion as we come together to recognise the vital contributions of women who have been the backbone of our communities ensuring food security, sustainability, livelihoods and the well-being of families. Allow me to extend a singular and heartfelt welcome to our guest of honour Her Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Amai, we are truly honoured and humbled by your presence with us. Your commitment to the empowerment of women and your tireless efforts in driving positive change in the livelihoods of vulnerable groups inspires us all. The Agric4She programme, your focus on empowering women as primary caregivers is a strategic approach to drive a transformative change in the sector,” he said.
Since its inception, Minister Magomo said, the Agric4She programme has been a huge force in empowering and encouraging the participation of women in various sectors of agriculture from crop cultivation to livestock management, post-harvest processing and health. “Your Excellency, all this is through your visionary leadership and innovative strategy.
Amai what strikes me most about your community development activities is your passion for assisting vulnerable communities. Your love and compassion to see the empowerment of the disadvantaged groups in our society is second to none and knows no boundary. Indeed, your programmes are leaving no one and no place behind reaching even the most remote and marginalised areas. May the Almighty God continue to bless you and provide you with more resources and energy to reach every person in need,” he said.
