By Thomas Ndlovu
Nomalanga Nxumalo (38) is a small-scale farmer from Insiza district who says her family has escaped the clutches of poverty through poultry farming. Being a young widow and mother of 4 young children, Nomalanga is the breadwinner in her family.
“After the death of my husband l had no choice but to stand up for my young family. I got training from Zimbabwe Project Trust (ZimPro) who came to my homestead and trained me on small livestock production,” she says
Nomalanga says she started her project with only 15 indigenous chickens but now boasts of more than 100 chickens which she sells to take care of her family.
“l started with only 15 chickens due to limited finances. I decided to begin by selling eggs which I got from the chickens and this enabled me to buy more chickens. Now I have over 100 chickens which I sell. My family is also food secure as I have a reliable source of protein for my family and I also use the money I get from my project to supplement my family’s dietary needs. I also use the money to send my children to school,” says Nomalanga.
Bongani Mbedzi (46) is the Agricultural Technical Extension (AGRITEX) Officer for ward 17, lnsiza. Bongani says poultry projects are manageable and have great potential to help small scale farmers earn a living.
“Small livestock production is a good business opportunity that one can embark on. Indigenous chicken production is not labour intensive hence even one woman can be enough for the project and can successfully feed their family, just like what Nomalanga has been doing,” says Bongani.
Simangani Dube (50) the village head for Bolo D village where Nomalanga resides says he is glad to see women like Nomalanga and other villagers partaking in different agroecological activities that are helping to alleviate food and financial insecurity in his village.
“Women are the custodians of our communities. For them to have livelihood projects like the poultry project that Nomalanga is doing is a huge step for women as they will pass on the knowledge and skills to future generations,” says village head Simangani.