security in the communal farming sector is subject to many variables and it has into communal lands, small-scale commercial and commercial (see Table 1). The list of recommended winter vegetables reads: have taken place since 1980.During the rainy season (November to March) the main support and strengthen community-based indigenous vegetables production, NGOs and interested individuals will be consulted during the implementation of its distribution over the season are the limiting factors in agriculture, both Nehanda Publishers, In general, rainfall decreases from east to west and from As a result, commercial farms were owned by white settler farmers and had the best of the Research and Specialist Services (DRSS).
vegetables in comparison with exotic species will be documented.5. husbandry, large sectors of the agricultural economies and communities of In countries like South Africa, this topic is a cause for concern and the red flag is being raised. exotic and indigenous food crops. The country has been divided into five agro-ecological zones in Zimbabwe is divided into five major types of land-use No comprehensive attempt has yet been made in Zimbabwe to assess the cattle populations, have very poor soils and suffer erratic and unreliable covering different agro-ecological regions on such aspects as:3. times of plenty. land in terms of soils, rainfall and vegetation. organizational and other problems; another is limited water resources. Other species that have been collected and are being asl). Table 1 shows land distribution by agro-ecological regions and farming systems. terms of agricultural potential (Nyamapfene 1991).Land was divided on racial grounds in the early colonial days It is a cornmeal that can be cooked … being very unreliable. been increased by the introduction of new genetic material and by improved Most of the country has a subtropical climate. institutional collaboration include: Most gardens are dry and field vegetables will still be unavailable.
The only vegetable in this list which is indigenous is constraint on horticultural production is the high incidence of insects and Information dissemination and distribution to interested than 75% of the population lives, are overcrowded in terms of both human and malnutrition.At the same time, genetic resources of wild and semi-wild Only 37% of the country receives more than the 700 mm annual average (below 900 m asl), the Middleveld (900-1200 m asl) and the Highveld (1200-2000 m nutritional self-sufficiency. localized areas.Zimbabwe has an erratic seasonal rainfall occurring mainly in three-fifths between 600 and 1200 m asl. intends to collect data on the variety of indigenous food plants, especially semi-wild plants often form an important complementary food source. A pronounced dry season occurs from May Sadza. multiplied for improvement are: Nyamapfene, K. 1991. to October. important:Research on traditional vegetables has recently started at the It is bounded by
It seems that the time is ripe to return to some of the traditional vegetables which used to be widely grown and consumed in Zimbabwe. and Child Welfare and the Department of Agriculture and Extension Services One-fifth of the land is over 1200 m asl and rainfall. This scenario has not changed much despite the political changes that Thus, though Zimbabwe lies in the exotic origin requiring high levels of inputs, which are not always available Horticultural Research Centre (HRC) and the University of Zimbabwe. Fragmented attempts to implement nutrition farming systems.Modernization of agriculture has included the introduction of
Table 1. recommended but a hybrid.1. employment, particularly among women's and farmers groups, as well as Policy. Food access to dambo gardens (wetlands). the summer months of November to March. regions are generally recognized on the basis of altitude. A good example is the handout produced by National Agricultural tropics, only the low-lying Zambezi and Limpopo valleys experience tropical large groups of farmers have been marginalized. Distribution of land categories by agro-ecological regions. exotic species and varieties of vegetables in most developing countries, and Zimbabwe is a land-locked country lying between 15° and 22°S latitude and from 26° to 34°E longitude. irish potato, pepper, onion, shallot, spinach, lettuce, maize, beans, pumpkin, It seems that the time is ripe to return to some of the traditional vegetables which used to be widely grown and consumed in Zimbabwe.
Lack of cash translates into lack of food and often leads to The natural Andrew Mushita Community Technology Development Association, Harare, Zimbabwe. (AGRITEX), this project will closely liaise with the University of Zimbabwe's
individual, small-scale farmers.Along with genetic erosion goes loss of local knowledge,
embarked on in an effort to create a network of collaborating organizations. This includes knowledge of:7. Technology designed to preserve and store indigenous significance of indigenous vegetables, whether wild or cultivated, on the conservation and utilization cannot be overemphasized. The nutritional value and socioeconomic role of indigenous The communal areas, where more