Women in Mashonaland Central province have been urged to embrace the government initiated Pfumvudza farming programme and work tirelessly towards self-empowerment to attain sustainable development. BY FIDELITY MHLANGA Pfumvudza is a conservation farming method structured to till a small piece of land and attain big harvests. Speaking at the provincial launch of the Pfumvudza inputs scheme in Madziva, Women’s Bank official Barbra Muvengwa urged women to apply for loans to participate in income-generating activities. “The bank is there for you. You must use your gifts. Be it cooking, salons or other projects, come let us help you. We want women to rise,” she said. Senate president Mabel Chinomona said women should not look down upon themselves, adding that they were special and embark on productive projects. She urged women to join the Pfumvudza project so that they could attain food security. “If women don’t support Pfumvudza, it won’t flourish. We have our hands and let’s use them. Women must take centre stage to support this programme, to ensure that there is food in their houses,” Chinomona said. “This success of this programme will ensure that the country has food security and won’t import grain so that more money can be used for infrastructure development and healthcare,” she said. Chinomona also urged woman to venture into income-generating activities and secure money from financial institutions such as Women’s Bank to procure equipment to value-add their produce. Blessings Togarepi, managing director of Togabless Mining Investment, a company that has been supporting mining project by women, pledged to assist 240 women in Mashonaland Central to venture into gold mining. “We have assisted women in Mashonaland East and we are ready to offer the same support in Mashonaland Central. We want to empower women and ensure that we engender sustainable development and work towards eclipsing the 2023 US$12 billion mining economy,” Togarepi said.