Page 60 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

HEALTH & WELLNESS

price of a generic product.
Sanctions Busting
Not to mention that if it’s an It is also a very smart means of
heirloom you don’t have to buy it busting sanctions, which have main-
once you have inherited seeds from ly targeted Zimbabwe’s fertilizer
neighbors or your family because and chemical industries, rendering
the seeds can be replanted. Zimbabwean farmers uncompetitive
because of high input costs.
Case Study With a hectare of maize costing
A study in the Academia Journal anything from $370-$1200 to
in 2017 showed that using 20kgs of produce today. It has become
bird manure on a hectare of wheat unattractive for most Zimbabwe-
improved the yield by 6% in the an farmers to produce maize and
first year and up to 50% in com- cotton as they can’t compete against
parison with synthetic fertilizers in industrial farming nations.
periods over 5yrs as the land where However, organic farming aided
It is this combination synthetic fertilizers were used be- by organic fertilizers will be a game
of spirituality, nature, came less fertile overtime while that changer for local farmers. Holding
were organic bird manure was used
the propensity to position Zimba-
nurture and skill that improved overtime. bwe as a leader in producing quality
made our grains, dairy, organic animal feed, meat, dairy,
meats, sugar, fruits, fish, Certification horticulture, aquaculture and cash-
tea, coffee, horticultural More importantly, using this organ- crop products at a competitive cost.
ic fertilizer on a field without any
produce, cotton, tobac- other chemicals for three years can We can also become leaders in
co, timber, and wildlife clean up a field and qualify it for downline industries like organic
wholesome. organic certification. fertilizer production, pest and
Opening the door for preferential herbicide control, while we turn our
export licenses of organic produce weeds and herbs into power foods
pled with organic open variety seeds to other African countries, Asia, Ja- and medicines.
it can produce food with nutritious pan, Singapore and Europe where Let’s start on the journey of this
and medicinal benefits for both high prices of up to four times the organic farming revolution now as
animals and humans. prices paid for generic produce are nations like Zambia and Malawi are
attainable. all working on strategies to position
Cost Benefit themselves in this niche.
From a cost perspective, a farmer Asset Appreciation
needs anything from 6-12 bags of Additionally, as bird manure is If anyone is interested in this or-
top and basal fertilizer to cultivate used in conjunction with other ganic revolution and wants to start
a hectare of maize at a cost of sustainable farming techniques like using organic manure, please get in
anything between US$270-$790/ crop rotation. It improves soil qual- touch with me in my inbox:
hectare. This is before we add the ity, water retention, water quality, iamrutendo@gmail.com
cost of hybrid seeds that have to be increasing plant immunity, living
bought every season. micro-organisms in the soil, fertility,
The result is a non-organic, substi- insect populations and yield. Note: At Msingi Afrika Magazine, we
tutable harvest that will fetch low see it as a mandate to connect Afrikans
market prices, influenced by the In turn reducing the cost of growing to Afrikans with the intention of cre-
ating a chain of change makers for the
volume of product available from crops and increasing returns in the liberation of Afrika. Any connections
the local and foreign markets. long run. made, become and remain purely the
Whereas with bird droppings, one Organic farming is Zimbabwe’s responsibility of the interacting parties.
only needs 50-150kg/hectare, which niche to leapfrog it back into mak- We trust that these will all be handled
works out to about $20-$60/hectare. ing farming profitable and sustain- with mutual respect, brotherhood,
This produces an organic crop that able for wheat, maize, horticulture, honor and kindess. All the values that
will collect twice or three times the cotton, meat and cash-crop prod- Afrikans ought to espouse.
ucts.

60 | Heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika