Background

Misheck Pepukai was born on 10 November 1951 in Chirumhanzu in Midlands Province. His family moved to Gokwe in 1964 in search of better and more spacious farmland. At that time, Gokwe was regarded as prime virgin land with a favourable climate. His family was one of several from Chirumhanzu who migrated to Gokwe; it was almost like there was a gold. They settled in the Gomoguru area in Njelele 3 and initially grew traditional crops such as maize, sorghum and groundnuts primarily to meet with household food requirements. Cotton was introduced into the area in the early 1970’s and family started growing the crop in 1974.

Misheck adopted cotton as his main cash crop when he started his own family. It did well for him, enabling him to build a decent rural home, acquire farming implements and provide for his young family. Cotton farming remained profitable until the mid-2000s when viability started to wane, a result of declining international commodity prices. In the absence of alternative cash crops, Misheck continued to endure the sub-economic prices, hoping that things would change for the better.

“I used to make a comfortable living from growing cotton before prices began to fall. Although I still grow cotton, my focus is now on livestock and other crops. The main reason for growing cotton is the government input support programme,” said Misheck.

In 2012 Misheck joined the ‘Promote Intensification and Sustainability in Agricultural Production’ (PISAP) programme which was being implemented by WHH. The programme promoted conservation agriculture (CA) which was considered the most effective way of mitigating the droughts that had become so common in Gokwe. Although the program focused on grains for food security, the principals could equally be applied to other crops. Misheck joined the CA programme because of recurring droughts in his area. The droughts impacted more on him because his fields have red soil, and are rocky. He was therefore willing to take any measures to mitigate against the rainfall shortfalls.

“We began to experience consecutive droughts in Gomoguru area and my situation was worsened by the kind of soils in my fields and their rocky nature. I had adequate draught power, having been a successful farmer for years. I therefore joined CA to mitigate against drought, not because zero tillage was more convenient,” explained Misheck.

Opportunity

In 2014, the SIMBA programme was introduced to Njelele 3 along with other wards in Gokwe South. The programme was riding on previous strides achieved by CA under the earlier PISAP programme.SIMBA sought to work with farmers who were practising CA and Misheck was one of the first people to join. He decided to grow Mama MQ623 – a quality protein maize (QPM) being promoted by Mukushi Seeds, after learning of the nutritional benefits that would improve the health of his family and livestock.

“I have always been very receptive to NGO programmes, knowing that I would benefit somehow. Although QPM is just like ordinary maize, I chose to grow it because I was told about its nutritional benefits for my family and livestock. I wanted to use QPM to feed my road-runner chickens and turkeys. I had always wanted to expand to a mixed farming system however was discouraged by food requirements of livestock,” said Misheck.

In the first year Misheck received a free seed pack from Mukushi. Subsequently, he bought his own seed. In 2016/17 he grew about 0.15 ha of QPM, applying 50 kg of Compound D and 100 kg of ammonium nitrate, managing to harvest 12 bags of QPM (600 kg) all of which was retained for own consumption – equivalent to a yield of 4 000 kg/ha.

Mukushi officer Norman (behind Mama sign) at a field day

What is QPM?

QPM is a conventionally bred maize variety that contains double the lysine and tryptophan protein compared to common maize. The quantity of protein is the same in both types – about 10%. It is the quality of protein that is enhanced in QPM. The biofortified variety looks and tastes like common or normal maize and can only be differentiated through laboratory tests. QPM has a protein quality equivalent to about 90 % of that of milk and is excellent for growing children, breastfeeding mothers and monogastric animals such as chickens and pigs.

Market development activities of Mukushi Seeds

As part of their marketing strategy, Mukushi Seeds developed demonstration plots in all 33 wards of Gokwe South District, training farmers four times during the season on the production of QPM through CA. The company works closely with Agritex in all the districts that it operates. These demonstration plots later formed hubs for the sale of Mukushi’s biofortified and non-biofortified maize seeds. In addition to these trainings, Mukushi also contracted 15 farmers throughout Gokwe South (7 in SIMBA wards) to each produce QPM on 1.0 ha during the 2014/15 season.

Impact

Misheck has benefited from the maize variety in various ways:

• Household nutrition: Misheck’s family eats QPM meal every day. Although there is no noticeable effect on their health (perhaps because they are all healthy!), Misheck is comforted that QPM is providing a more nutritious diet.
• Diversification: Misheck always struggled to set aside food for livestock. This has adversely affected his effort to practise mixed farming. The introduction of QPM has been the trigger for the establishment of his road-runner project. He is also rearing turkeys and goats. Livestock sales are now supplementing his cropping income.

In addition to the benefits derived from QPM, Misheck and his family have benefited from the SIMBA programme in other ways including training in hygiene, health, internal savings clubs, CA, compost making and nutrition gardens.Misheck is planning to expand his QPM farming activities in 2018.

Misheck is planning to expand his QPM farming activities in 2018.

“We now retain the QPM for household consumption, selling our normal maize to GMB, and using the money raised to buy household goods and farming inputs,” said Misheck. “My roadrunner and turkey projects have improved tremendously. The roadrunner chicks are growing faster, and mortality is lower. My turkey project has grown from two birds in 2016 to sixteen birds today.”

Sustainability

Mukusi’s marketing strategy has been successful in Gokwe South district. In 2016/17 the company sold 10 tonnes of seed, increasing to 21 tonnes in the 2016/17 season. Mukushi now has a strong foothold in Gokwe South, stocking its seed with small and large agrodealers. Farmers can rest assured that they will continue to access their biofortified seed, long after SIMBA has ended.