Gokwe Hit by a Dry Spell Following the First Rains 

A scorching sun has left Gokwe Communal Farmers in a state of a dry mouth with a white algae.

It’s two weeks now after Gokwe receivied the first rains, marking the beginning of the 2020/1 farming season.

In other parts such as Nemangwe, Sai and Kana there was a heavy downpour followed by the floods. Most water storage facilities as dams, rivers, valleys, lakes and wetlands were filled.

This gave communal farmers a false hope on the beginning of the new farming season. Thus, farmers did not hesitate to take the crop and chase the moisture.

This they did regardless advice given by the Agricultural Extension Officers but due to pressure from the climate changes.

“Our extension officer advised us to start planting by the Second week of November. However, in most years we miss the first rains and as of now we thought we had hit the target, only to realise we had fermented our only seed,” lamented Mrs Moyo.

Most crops wilt and dried as they tried to germinate due to lack of moisture and continued heat of the sun. Now these farmers are busy on the leg trying to gather the replacement seed.

The disturbance caused by this first rain leaves most farmers indecisive on whether to consider planting on the Second and successive rains.

Normally, most people from Gokwe prefer dry and early planting so that their crops grow before the weeds.

Most affected were those determined to experiment with Pfumvudza. They are now compelled to start digging again.

However, each incident have its success side. This is true for the farmers along the banks of Sengwa and Luthope Valleys. First Rains left them with a smile on their face. Their crops are health and doing well.

Thus, Mr Dube who is a communal farmer in the Chireya area advised farmers to listen to their teachers especially given three factors; seed is now expensive, climatic change working against farmers and the natural factors such as location.

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