By George Achia
Talent Ndige has been a seed producer since 2018, working as the field manager of Tocek Investments, a company involved in the production, processing, packaging, and distribution of various seed crops, including maize, soybean, sorghum, millet, sunflower, and cowpeas.
As a seasoned seed producer, one of his greatest challenges in seed maize production has been the devastating impact of frequent droughts and Fall Armyworm (FAW), a notorious pest that ravaged his crops season after season.
In 2018, the damage caused by FAW was so severe that it affected 20 percent of his 500-hectare seed maize production fields under his supervision. His efforts to control the pest using various chemicals were in vain.
Determined to turn things around, Ndige attended the Transition Support Fund (TSF) training workshop on seed maize production, which focused on production techniques for boosting seed maize yields, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with special emphasis on FAW management, among other aspects of seed production and climate-smart agriculture.
“The training was very realistic and gave practical solutions to challenges facing seed producers,” says Ndige, adding that the training emphasized the use of IPM to control FAW, combining chemical, biological, and cultural control methods, especially through crop rotation.
He notes that the training also focused on precision agriculture and good agricultural practices such as soil testing, land preparation, timely fertilizer application, good post-harvest procedures, and quality management to boost seed maize yields and quality.
The participants, drawn from the private seed companies from South Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, were expected to cascade the knowledge to seed out-growers in their respective countries.
Ndige proactively shared the knowledge he gained from the training with his out-growers.
“I was able to train 12 seed maize out-growers in my region,” he states, calling for more training for seed producers by TSF.
Jonathan Marambanhaka from Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe, an out-grower at Meanwood Farm, is one of the seed maize out-growers trained by Ndige.
Following the training, Marambanhaka implemented what he had learned from Ndige. He adopted a more proactive approach to weed management, planting on time, crop rotation, precise fertilizer application, and using IPM best practices.
The results were transformative.
Before the training, during the 2022/2023 season, he harvested 339 tons of hybrid seed maize from his 113 hectares, translating to 3 tons per hectare. In the season following the training, Marambanhaka harvested 395.5 tons from the same piece of land. This translated to 3.5 tons per hectare, which represents a 16.7 percent yield increase compared to the 2022/2023 season.
Encouraged by his success, Marambanhaka is now a vocal advocate of sustainable pest management practices and modern seed production techniques in his community. “Knowledge is the key to farming success,” he says.
Today, Marambanhaka’s story stands as an inspiration to other seed out-growers facing similar challenges posed by limited access to advanced seed production techniques, drought, and FAW. His journey proves that with the right knowledge and practices, seed production and farming in general can thrive in Zimbabwe, even in the face of adversity.
The regional seed production training workshop was conducted in November 2023 by the TAAT Maize Compact, led by AATF under the TSF programme, with funding from the AfDB.
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For more information contact:
Mr. George Achia: Communications Officer- Eastern and Southern Africa at AATF. Email address: g.achia@aatf-africa.org
