First Lady launches five Agric4she projects
Tendai Rupapa in HONDE VALLEY
AGRIC4SHE patron First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday torched wild celebrations among thousands of women at Hauna Business Centre in Mutasa District where she launched five farming programmes focusing on women, in a development tailored to boost productivity, end poverty and ensure they generate income to sustain themselves.
Coinciding with the onset of the rainy season, the Banana4She, Pfumvudza4She, Fisheries4She, Poultry4She and Horticulture4She programmes will certainly be game-changers in a nation that is emerging from an El Nino-induced drought which affected cropping last season.
Herself an avid farmer, Dr Mnangagwa gave the women inputs to start the projects including maize seed, vegetable and tomato seed combo, pest control chemicals, Compound D fertiliser, knapsack sprayers and Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser.
She also supplied chicks for poultry, banana plants for farming, fingerlings for fish farming as well as Christmas hampers for the elderly and tonnes of rice for communities.
Under the Agric4She initiative, women receive essential inputs, chemicals, and machinery to enhance their agricultural activities, thanks to their patron.
Dr Mnangagwa emphasises the crucial role women play in ensuring food security and nutrition, advocating for their recognition and support in agriculture.
The Agric4She programme encompasses Pfumvudza4She, Livestock4She, Fisheries4She, Horticulture4She, NEAPS4She, and Mechanisation4She, benefiting thousands of women across ongoing initiatives.
The First Lady actively participates in all farming stages, from planting to harvesting, fostering hands-on learning and support.
Amidst global challenges posed by climate change, Dr Mnangagwa champions the promotion of traditional grains like sorghum, rapoko, and millet, which are resilient to adverse weather conditions.
Her efforts in this regard have yielded resounding success, addressing food security concerns.
Yesterday, the First Lady enjoined the women to work hard to ensure success.
“I have come to launch farming programmes focusing on women and the girl child. As a woman you work, stay at the homestead, you are a caregiver, peacemaker, you are the cook, you settle disputes and you fill the earth. All these functions rest squarely on our shoulders as women. I have brought Banana4she, Pfumvudza4she, Fisheries4she, Poultry4she and Horticulture4she. Of all these programmes, why should you be left out as you expend time gossiping and breaking other people’s marriages when you are doing nothing productive for yourself?” she said to applause.
The First Lady gave a brief on the Agric4She programme.
“I launched the Agric4She programme in 2022 and it has grown exponentially. That we are farming as women does not in any way suggest that men are not playing their part. As women, we sought permission from the Government to take to the fields as women. The Government heard our plea and gave us the support and the ball is now in our court. As a mother I encourage all women to take to the fields. This area is famed for the production of fruits, therefore let us farm and assist our peers in other provinces who do not have similar crops. We have children who went to learn value addition in other countries so that we realise more from our ventures. In Gokwe they are also doing Banana farming and I have come with seeds from there so that you add to what you have here. I want to work with hard working people because I am personally a tireless worker. Let us work and be able to assist those who cannot produce for themselves like the elderly,” she said.
The mother of the nation warned beneficiaries against spending their profits to foster business growth. She said she will be introducing competitions where top performers will be rewarded for their excellence and hard work.
“When I come with such programmes, I expect you to expand them so that you transform yourselves and have financial discipline, and not blast the profits. I went to Dande with Pfumvudza4she and those people said they will come out tops in competitions that I will introduce and this bids you to work hard. No one must be left behind in taking to the fields. We have a better season this year unlike last year when we had an El Nino-induced drought. We wish to thank the Government which fought hard to ensure no one starved to death. I will stand by you. I am a woman just like you, therefore I seek to learn as well from you. Today I have also brought goodies through my Angel of Hope Foundation. Grandmothers, you taught us that when visiting, take with you something for your hosts. I have therefore brought Christmas gifts for the elderly and tonnes of rice for communities,” she said.
The beneficiaries erupted with joy, breaking into song and dance in honour of the First Lady.
“I am truly grateful for the Banana4She programme that has been rolled out by the First Lady. This area is suitable for the production of bananas and we will actually reap big, thanks to our mother. Her love is beyond measure,” said Mrs Bridget Mwatiza.
Her sentiments dovetailed with those of Mrs Lydia Zembe.
“I just do not know how best I should thank the First Lady. She has given us a sense of belonging and we feel so loved. She has given us knapsack sprayers and chemicals to kill parasites that affect the quality of our crops. I am truly thankful for the love shown,” she said with a broad smile.
Gogo Tecla Muzope said she was gratified for the Fisheries4She Programme.
“Since independence in 1980, I had never seen a First Lady as loving as Amai Mnangagwa. She has brought us fingerlings for the Fisheries4She Programme and all we need to do is follow instructions and work hard to ensure our project grows. Our mother has shown that she really cares for the people. I certainly look forward to inviting her back here some time so that she witnesses the success of her programmes,” the elderly woman said while ululating.
Also charmed was Sekai Chikwenhere, a youth who is involved in Poultry4She.
“After my Ordinary Level education last year, I was just sitting at home without anything to do. I am truly grateful to the First Lady because she has given me something to do with a poultry project. We have been given chicks, the feed and expertise needed to raise them. The ball is now squarely in our court to ensure we do not fail. I am very grateful to the First Lady for her great love and efforts to see to it that the children of the motherland use their hands to eke out a living. May the Lord bless her so that she continues doing wonders for the people of this nation,” she said with happiness written all over her face.
Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Misheck Mugadza paid tribute to the First Lady for the many life-transforming programmes that have been rolled in his province.
“I feel humbled to welcome you Amai here in Mutasa District. The province is happy to host you at this time when the agricultural season is just commencing. You have shown that you are moving true to President Mnangagwa’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind. Despite the terrain, you have travelled here to Honde Valley. We are proud of your works through Agric4She, Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba, short courses and girl child empowerment. Your footprints on women empowerment are visible in Manicaland. Our districts boast of weather which is suitable for the cultivation of crops like tea, bananas etc. Your vision to empower women with programmes like Banana4she, Poultry4forShe, Horticulture4she is commendable. We are grateful for your unwavering dedication to improving the lives of women countrywide, and your initiatives have inspired many. Amai in Manicaland we are trying, we have macadamia in Chipinge.
“The President opened the baobab plant and we now have our own juice. We have lots of bananas here in Honde. People are making banana chips, banana oil, banana flour. You told us that we have banana wine. We will now venture into that because we have bananas in abundance here in Honde. Policies by our President are providing an enabling environment for us to thrive in various agricultural projects. We are happy Amai because we know that whenever you come, you bring us more,” he said. – Herald