Melinda Kusemachibi
Zvamahande Women Accountability News Club members over the weekend appealed to their local councilor for markets to sell their garden produce, as well inputs and resources to develop their project.
Speaking at an engagement meeting organized by TellZim News in partnership with ZIMCODD at Zvamahande Community Garden on April 29, 2022, the women told Masvingo Rural District Councilor Tawanda Dube that they were planning to improve their community garden but lack of resources was hindering them from achieving that, so they were appealing for funds to do so.
Club chairperson Esilinah Madzvamuse said despite lack of markets, they also wanted resources to enhance the garden and to also develop their area.
“We are appealing for developmental projects, especially when our products are ready for the market. We do not have a market to sell our products. We are also incapacitated with inputs, we were planning to plant winter maize but we do not have the inputs such fertilizer and seed. If we manage to get the inputs we will be in a position to plant winter maize,” said Madzvamuse.
She went on to say that in the gardens, there is need to build trenches or ponds which they can use to store water.
“The councilor can source materials so that we can get cement to develop trenches in the gardens as the tanks are producing lots of water so we want to build trenches which we can use to store water and can reuse it again for watering our crops,” said Madzvamuse.
Dube however promised to facilitate for a sewing training course for people in the area, as well as looking into the other issues they raised.
“I promise to look into the issues as they are. There are other people whom I talked to especially on the issue of having sewing trainers who can train and provide machines for sewing to the community,” said Dude.
A Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) officer who was present at the meeting also taught the community about best farming methods they can use in order to maximize productivity and also to have book-keeping since farming is a business.
