Makone promotes drip irrigation

Makone who is also the MDC-T’s candidate for Goromonzi West is funding drip irrigation projects in five wards in the constituency to encourage farmers to make use of the system.

The project will entail the selection of one farmer per ward who will be funded by Makone and used as a model for the other farmers.

In an interview with The Zimbabwean during a field day he hosted for local farmers Makone said farming in the area was viable and the use of technology would help improve the quality of life for the farmers.

“This scheme is very viable for the small scale farmer but people are very hesitant. It is only when they see one of their own undertaking a successful project that they will want to participate. That will help the system catch on and expand.

“We have asked Agritex to nominate a beneficiary from among their farmers – one who is exemplary and one who will ensure that the system donated is put to good use. It has to be someone that everyone would want to emulate. It will be one farmer per ward meaning that we will have five farmers,” Makone said.

He said that he expected the project to be successful because most people in the area depended on horticulture for survival.

“We will work closely with Pedstock who are the technology partners and Agritex to ensure good farming practices. we would like, one of these days, for one of these farmers to host a field day where small farmers using traditional methods can see one of their own using advanced methods.

“This is a horticultural area and these farmers are very eager. Each farmer has got a motorised pump and a portion which they are irrigating in the traditional way using hose pipes. This makes use of a lot of water so there is a lot of time spent and a lot of fuel as well. Under the drip system you use a minute amount of fuel and you use very little water and you get excellent yields,” Makone said.

He used his own drip irrigation project to demonstrate to the farmers how the system worked.