A local agronomist, Davison Masendeke, has advised farmers in drought-prone areas to grow traditional grains such as millet, sorghum, and others in the 2022-2023 cropping season as they are more drought-tolerant compared to maize.
Weather forecasters have projected normal to above-normal rainfall for Zimbabwe in the current cropping season but its distribution pattern remains unknown.
Masendeke said farmers should prioritise the growing of traditional grains as maize cannot withstand seasonal drought spells that are increasingly becoming common. He said:
The importance of growing crops such as millet and sorghum is in that these are traditional grains.
They (traditional grains) are drought resistant in that they originate in Africa and can withstand the climate of the continent.
Secondly, rainfall patterns have changed unlike in the past when we would receive enough rain throughout the cropping season until crops such as maize would mature.
Rainfall distribution is no longer predictable.
The rainy season no longer begins at the usual time that we have always known, rains now delay a little bit.
Again during the course of the season, we usually experience a dry spell.
Crops such as maize cannot withstand a dry spell like sorghum which explains why farmers should prioritise such crops.
During a dry spell, crops such as millet have a tendency of stopping growing and only resume after rains.
The importance of growing such grains is in that they are able to withstand dry spells.
We now have shorter rainy seasons meaning to say early maturing crops can give a farmer a better harvest.
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