UMGUZA villagers in Matabeleland North have been urged to adopt the dry planting method as a mitigatory measure against drought. BY DARLINGTON MWASHITA The call was made by Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo on Wednesday during an empowerment initiative programme conducted by Inspire Women, Men and Children Trust in partnership with the Women Affairs ministry at Maraposa Primary School. The programme also sought to educate community members on how to make sanitisers and masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “As the government has come up with a programme of dry planting for this year, everyone is encouraged to be part of it,” Moyo said. to practise dry planting, saying it improved harvesting in drought-prone areas. The presidential inputs scheme, he added, would only target villagers practising dry planting. “Maize seeds and fertilizers from the President will be given to those who are part of the dry planting programme,” Moyo said. He said government was giving vulnerable people maize, but was not enough to cover everyone and the long abandoned food for work programme would be introduced to assist families. The minister also acknowledged that mealie meal was only available on black market where it is expensive. Inspire Women, Men and Children Trust chairperson Joel Ndebele said they were working with the Women Affairs ministry to equip villagers with various self-help skills. “We have been promised land by Minister Moyo as he said he will try to look for land for the trust so that we can do irrigation projects for women in our community. This will enable us to put solar-powered boreholes to do our irrigation,” Ndebele said. Women Affairs ministry’s Umguza district development officer, Sikhethokuhle Moyo said they had various programmes in place to economically empower women.