By Wallace Mawire
Small-scale farmers from across the various districts of Zimbabwe are set to celebrate milestone achievements at a national food and seed festival to be hosted by PELUM-Zimbabwe at the Harare Botanical Gardens on 29 to 30 September,2023 under the theme:Celebrating the wonder of Zimbabwean millets.
According to Getrude Pswarayi-Jabson,PELUM-Zimbabwe, Country Coordinator,the festival is expected to attract participants from eight African countries including Zimbabwe.
Most of the participants are expected to be drawn from organizations working with small-scale farmers from across various districts of Zimbabwe.
Pswarayi said that at least more than 20 participants are expected to come from Kenya,Uganda,Eswatini,Malawi,South Africa,Tanzania and Zambia.
She said that the national seed fairs are part of a two day event that has been running for the past 11 years.Last year,the organization and its partners celebrated their decade of running the festivals.
“The day that recognizes seed has been running since 2017,meaning we are in our seventh year of celebrating seed at a national level,”Pswarayi said.
She said that PELUM-Zimbabwe has been running the national festivals on the backdrop of different district seed festivals implemented by various stakeholders under the Zimbabwe Seed Sovereignty Programme.
According to Pswarayi,under the programme,support is extended for the implementation of district seed fairs in five districts of Zimbabwe.
PELUM-Zimbabwe has also extended an invitation to other civil society organizations working with farmers and facilitating seed fairs at district level.
Pswarayi said that currently, the programme is suporting the holding of district seed fairs in Chimanimani,Gutu,Mwenezi,Goromonzi and Rushinga.
“The support to hold seed fairs in other parts of the country is meant to galvanize farmers to gather and celebrate the seed that they hold,”Pswarayi said.
According to PELUM-Zimbabwe,benefits which have accrued to small-scale farmers over the years include means of recognizing the past,present and future contribution of farmers in conserving,improving and making available the plant genetic materials that are important for food and agriculture.
The national food and seed festival,according to Pswarayi, is expected to attract key strategic stakeholders that work closely with the seed sector in Zimbabwe and at an international level.
Professor Obert Jiri,Chief Director,Agricultural Advisory Services,Ministry of Lands,Agriculture,Fisheries,Water and Rural Development is expected to officially open the festival.
Other stakeholders expected to attend the festival include representatives from the SADC Plant Genetics Resources Centre,National Gene Bank,Seed Services Department of the Ministry of lands including the PELUM Regional Associations representatives from East,Central and Southern Africa.
The festival is also expected to be graced by small-scale farmers from across Zimbabwe to participate since they are the custodians of seed,government ministries,private sector,donors,the public,media and civil society organizations.
Pswarayi said that the stakeholders are expected to come together with farmers to recognize and celebrate the work that farmers are doing in growing,saving and exchanging diverse seed that they grow including the traditional varieties that sustain the nation.
She said that the festivals are meant to help ensure that the nation is food and nutrition secure.
Some of the PELUM-Zimbabwe partner organizations expected to attend and participate at the festival include TSURO Trust,Young Volunteers for the Environment,Muonde Trust and ZIMSOFF,just to mention a few.
