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Zimbabwe

Farmer Profile — Cornelius Tavuyanago

Cornelius Tavuyanago first became interested in farming as a child in Zimbabwe, where he would help his parents with their small farm plot before school; as he watched the crops grow, he developed a relationship with farming that continues today at the New Entry's WhiteGate Farm. "Sometimes, when I'm frustrated, when I feel depressed, and I go look at crops growing, I feel better" says Cornelius. "Once you grow and plant your own things, you have the satisfaction of being able to eat things that are coming directly from your farm. It's good for even exercising."

After several years in the U.S., "we ended up attending the 18 week course. It was helpful, because the farming season and the crops here are very different from Africa." Although he hopes one day to be able to transition to farming full time, Cornelius is
currently only able to farm part-time. Since he works as an accountant during the day, he has only one or two hours remaining to work on the farm during spring and summer nights. Cornelius says, "I think here in New England, farming as a profession is very difficult because the season is very short. The timing is everything. If you just miss the timing by about two weeks things won't work right."

Time constraints are one factor that has propelled Cornelius's family to primarily grow corn, which requires less watering and allows the use of a rototiller and other machinery. In contrast to Zimbabwe, where "you have to use an ox-drawn plow, and that's how you plant," machinery and automation allows Cornelius to plant a bigger portion with less manual labor, "even single-handedly."

The first year was difficult, when "the frost came and destroyed everything." Fortunately, during the last two years, Cornelius has had better fortune with his corn crop, especially in the most recent season.

As opposed to rice, which is expensive, "corn is the main staple in Zimbabwe," explained Cornelius, "we make a thick corn porridge called sadza, (see Zimbabwe Cuisine, below)" but it can only be grown when there's lots of water." In Zimbabwe, Cornelius's family used to grow corn, groundnuts, peanuts, and sweet reeds (which look like sorghum, but are eaten like sugar cane) and tomatoes. Recently, he has been experimenting with selling the corn to a number of African communities in the area. And the popularity of their African "hard-kernel" corn spread so quickly by word-of-mouth that they "couldn't meet a fraction of the demand." So he's had to limit selling to a smaller area.One thing that Cornelius has discovered is that even the taste of fruits like corn and tomatoes is different in the U.S. from Zimbabwe. "I don't know if it is caused by the type of soil, but it tastes different."

Language was not a problem for Cornelius when he first came to the U.S., since he was exposed to the English language while in Zimbabwean schools. However, he was challenged by American food that sometimes "doesn't taste as good as what you are used to." He also notes, "sometimes when you use a lot of fertilizer, certain crops lose some taste." But otherwise, Cornelius says, "this is the land of opportunity- if you are willing to work hard, you always get something to help you."

In the future, Cornelius would like to venture into animal husbandry, an area of interest since he was a child. Cornelius is looking forward to securing his own land one day soon, and being able to pursue his dreams of keeping dairy cows and goats and farming full time on his own property. He has tremendous appreciation for all of the support of the project organizers, especially for granting him access to all of the expensive equipment. 

Country Facts

Zimbabwe is home to the Victoria Falls, one of the wonders of the world. President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have been in control since the country's independence in 1980. Hoping to put the country on a stable course, President Robert Mugabe and his party wrested control away from white owners of commercial farms. This political move had the opposite effect however, causing sharp rises in the agricultural commodity prices and the collapse of the country's economy, from which the country is still recovering.

Location: South Africa, between South Africa and Zambia
Capital: Harare
Area: Slightly larger than Montana with a total area of 390,580 sq km, Land: 386,670 sq km, Water: 3,910 sq km
Climate: Generally tropical, moderated by Altitude in some locations
Terrain: Mountainous in the east, mostly plateau with a higher central plateau
Land Use: Arable land: 8.32%, Permanent crops: 0.34%
Irrigated Land: 1,170 sq km
Environmental Issues: deforestation, soil erosion, land degradation, air and water pollution (mainly from poor mining practices), poaching of wildlife like black rhinoceros
Population: 12,746,990
Life Expectancy: 39.13
GDP per capita: $480
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births): 129
Ethnic Groups: Shona, Ndebele, and other African groups
Languages: English, Shona, Sindebele, and numerous tribal dialects
Major Religions: Syncretic (Christianity combined with indigenous beliefs), Christianity, indigenous beliefs, and Islam

Agriculture

Because it is generally so dry, farmers in Zimbabwe must be creative in order to keep their crops watered. There are a number of dry land farming techniques used such as: rock water harvesting, roof and road water harvesting, open pits, small dams and wells, deepened contours, infiltration pits, reservoirs, and drip irrigation. The drip irrigation is done with clay pots or pipes which have not been glazed so that when filled, water will slowly seep out of the pores in the clay.

Agriculture Products: Corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs

Traditional Foods

Snacks: madora/mancimbi (mopani worms), roast groundnuts, boiled mealies, biltong.
Staples: mealie sadza (thick porridge) and mhunga sadza (millet).
Soups: nhedzi (wild mushroom), muboora (pumpkin leaves) and game soup.
Wild game: impala, warthog, ostrich, and crocodile.
Fish dishes: Nyanga trout, Kariba bream and Kapenta (fresh and dry small fish).