Jozef Behr, A Farmer in Zimbabwe Inspire Other Farmers to Boost the Productivity of Farming

Jozef Behr, A Farmer in Zimbabwe Inspire Other Farmers to Boost the Productivity of Farming Implementation of innovative agriculture technology has proven to be a challenging shift for many Zimbabwean rural farmers who have been doing things the same way for years. However, Jozef Behr of Chimundege Village did not take too much time to understand the urge of implementation of new technologies Farming in a region prone to mid-season dry periods may be dangerous for someone like Jozef Behr from Zimbabwe, who is struggling to feed his two children. He reared his family on his own before learning new techniques and skills via the ENTERPRIZE (Ensuring Nutrition, Transforming and Empowering Rural Farmers and Promoting Resilience in Zimbabwe) program.

Jozef cultivated a single crop type, sorghum, with just a hand-held hoe. He had a bad habit of under-harvesting. He learnt a lot and changed the way he farms as a result of the training. He reflected on how difficult it was for him to manage his home, raise cattle, and farm a three-hectare plot.

The 60-year-old farmer began to profit from the initiative, which aims to increase food and nutrition security via the adoption of excellent agricultural techniques, as he began to apply what he had learnt.

Mr. Jozef Behr very excitedly said “I am capable of producing successfully with the use of agricultural tools and expertise. Considering the drought, I was able to harvest 11 sacks of corn weighing 50 kilograms apiece during the previous cultivation period. I used to farm the land with a hoe, and it took me about 2-3 months to finish a field. I'm now sowing with a ripper and spending less time at the range”.

He stated with a smile on his face, "This technology has provided me time to grow a range of body-building plants such as bio-fortified maize, beans, sorghum, and groundnuts”. Mr. Jozef Behr can now afford three meals every day, unlike in the past when his family could only afford one.

“I am able to have tea in the morning with boiled ground nuts, at lunch I eat beans and then sadza in the evening,” he said. Jozef has become the lead farmer in the area

teaching other villagers on the improved farming practices such as using certified seed varieties instead of using those from the previous harvest.

Mr. Jozef Behr a poor farmer of Zimbabwe has become a role model for other farmers who have adopted his ideas. Farmers in Mt Darwin typically harvest 600 kg per hectare, but now that the rains have arrived, Jozef might harvest at least two tonnes of corn per hectare. Fungisai Makuzwa, an Agricultural Officer, explained that he is able to collect such large numbers because he has properly implemented the technique.

The approach is unusual in that it does not need a lot of effort. Farmers spend less time growing crops, allowing them to focus on other home tasks. Farmers using climate smart instruments like a ripper, which she describes as weather smart agricultural equipment, is promising, according to Agricultural Specialist Lilian Zheke.