Model farmers

Mkhululi Ncube (Left), Ezra Prescott (Centre) and Brilliant Khoza (Right)

The model farmers at Ebenezer are Simangaliso Ndlovu, Sithabiso Tshuma, Mqondisi Moyo, Mkhululi Ncube, Tawanda Moyo and Brilliant Khoza. The guys are focused on 3000 chickens while the girls team up and work on 10 plots.

The purpose of the model farmers are: 1. To be exemplary farmers for the current 1st and 2nd years. 2. Assist and facilitate the teaching process. 3. Hope they will desire to go to an irrigation scheme. I caught up with Simangaliso Ndlovu and this is what she said:

Simangaliso Ndlovu

Sithabiso and I have 10 fields between us and we grow cabbages, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, butternut and eggplant which are not yet planted. I find farming easy now because we work in team.

The Challenges so far: The donkeys at Ebenezer ate some of our cabbages – not too many as they were chased out of the fields. At first the butternuts didn’t germinate well. We have gap-filled and they are growing nicely now.

The joys so far: The tomatoes are growing really well. We are expecting a bumper harvest. Our tomatoes haven’t been affected by red spider mite. The cabbages are also looking great. No pests and diseases have affected them. The onions are still small. Not all of them have germinated well so we may have to dig and replant. We have just planted our green peppers and I’m hoping they’ll do well.

Farming is interesting. I’m really pleased with my tomatoes.

Tomatoes in the girl’s fields

By Molly Manhanga