…..as Chief Chitina says he has been on the thrown for 38 years but he has not seen his subjects graduating from peasant to commercial farmers because of poor farming methods
Kasempa District Administration has implored educationalists in the district to emulate best practices from other successful districts to improve the performance of pupils in the district. Chief Shaibila of Mkushi district said food security lies in the hands of small holder farmers because they contribute a lot to the national food basket hence the need to involve them in new farming techniques. He said this during maize field day on liming organised by Global Grains director Stewart Parks funded by the Commonwealth Partnership for Technology Management held in Mkushi’s farm bloc. Chief Shaibila further said improvement could be made to the production with education,awareness and implementation of sustainable conservation practices “Once we establish the basis of successful farming practices the doors of opportunities opens up and the product and resources we will use to make a difference,” he said. The Chief further urged the corporate world to organise more field days and demo sites on the customary land where there were a lot of small holder farmers who contributes to national food security. He noted that subjects feared to cross to the farm bloc and it was a cost to access valuable information. And Chief Chitina said he has been on the thrown for 38 years but he has not seen his subjects graduating from peasant to commercial farmers because of poor farming methods. “The method that have been able to learn today, l think lets trickle to the lowest of my chiefdom subjects. The method of liming is vital. “I would ask Stewart Parks and the team to ensure that you come down to all the three chiefdoms, Shaibila,Mulungwe and Chitina which is my chiefdom in making sure that these subjects we are looking after learns these farming methods,” he said. He said the move will reduce government expenditure on Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP). And acting Mkushi District Agriculture Coordinator Kennedy Nyirenda stressed the need for farmers in the area to embrace smart agriculture as well as conservation farming practices for improved yields.
