 Looking like a tree expert, you know, the advice that you're giving is so practical and simple And I can see that you really enjoy what you do because the passion just really comes out And shines through your face Wendy the next question I want to ask basically is with the farmers that you've dealt with, you know How have they bounced back through the very harsh climatic conditions that we've experienced? You know late last year and early this year. We've had some Good evening. Welcome to the private property farming podcast. My name is Mbali Nwokor and I am your host every Tuesdays and Thursdays Right here on the private property channel. This is the farming podcast where we discuss all things farming related Exposing you to the industry professionals that are making waves within their respective areas of profession and also exposing you to farmers getting to learn about their journeys How they've navigated through very difficult and challenging times within their agricultural businesses Connecting you to exporters, importers giving you insights in terms of how does this industry operate? And who do we as farmers rely on and what the what is what work do? Agri-professionals do across the sector we touch a little bit on the economy So there's a couple of things that we really discuss in this podcast And I truly believe that this is the podcast that you should be listening to Especially if you want to know more about the sector if you want to connect with farmers connect with agronomists For example, and today we have Show we've mentioned agronomists quite a number of times onto the show how they provide support to the farmers and today We're going to unpack that in our conversation. So if you have any questions comments, please feel free to ask Subscribe to our youtube channel like the different episodes on the podcast and also bring forth your suggestions On what you want to see in the podcast And so today we're joined by Wendy Mazura who is an agronomist at seed coat limited We get to find out what is her role within a company and how does she work with farmers Wendy, thank you so much for joining us. How are you doing? I'm well. Thank you so much for having me Bali It's a pleasure. It's a pleasure. So like I said, you know, we've had quite a number of conversations in our press episodes around the important role that agronomy or agronomists Provide to farmers, but just tell us about what is it that you do within seed co-limited? Thank you, Bali. So what happens is um as an agronomist at seed co-limited I'm tasked with the role of availing our product knowledge to our farmers, you know Making it in such a way that they can understand it Making it in such a way that they can also use it to add value in their farming enterprises Because now we are taking farming as a formidable business So we would want to then follow up with technical backup to make sure that our farmers are realizing the much needed value from The seeds that we sell at seed co we are mostly a seed business So we sell a wide range of seed crops and a wide range of varieties of those specific seed crops So our farmers would need technical assistance in terms of selection what they should do Then on top of that we also do trainings. We do demonstration plots where we will be also Going out to make sure that the team Understands and the farmers understand what they need to be doing for them to realize value out of the Genetics that they have then we also avail extension services like what we are doing now to make sure that out They people understand so we integrate traditional and digital marketing Efforts to make sure that At least we are also adapting to what you know, covid is brought where we cannot meet as regularly as we want But also just to provide information to our farmers in terms of the farming activities that they should be doing and should be tasked with Right. So when should a farmer start engaging or having a relationship with an agronomist? Is it before they start planting or during their production cycle? Farmers basically need to change their mindsets and they need to take mindset shift whereby we need to then Concentrate them that it starts with you acquiring the right skills or the right basic knowledge Before you venture into any cropping program. So we wouldn't want the situation whereby the farmer Is coming in at a later stage and maybe some mistakes have been made. Some of them. They cannot be rectified So you would want the farmer to be in a position to engage An agronomist or a technical expert in the field that they want to get into so that they can get the information Before hand in terms of what they need to prepare what they need to look out for as well as the profitability Since we say that farming is a business. So you need to know how profitable is it? And you need to understand the markets that are available So all this can only come if you plan in advance and you do it before you venture into the enterprise Fantastic, so I'm glad you've mentioned all these topics, you know, because yes farming is a business, right? And we need to take it seriously because we have experts like you who give proper good professional advice So you said planning in advance now. Let's take it into a detail I'm a farmer. Maybe I want to stop my new season. So maybe I might I'm probably a seasoned farmer, right? I just want to stop my new season and make sure that whatever challenges that I experienced in the previous season Do not return the next season furthermore. I'm also a farmer who maybe just wants to start At what type of discussions would you be having with these two different farmers and you entrant and the person that's trying to Perfect their season. So maybe give us an insight in terms of the type of conversation You'll have with a farmer that's just starting out Versus the type of conversation that you'll be having with the farmer who just wants to perfect his or her season going forward Okay, so I would basically say that both farmers still need to plan because if you fail to plan you plan to fail But I'll start with the seasoned farmer. Yeah with the seasoned farmer You're speaking about someone who is already Understood the art of farming in terms of the enterprise that they're in if they are into field crops Maybe they are doing mains. They are doing multiple cropping if irrigation allows they also understand that The the times of seasons that they need to come in But they need to also constantly check on the new trends that might be existing So in their planning process, they need to engage their agronomist Get recent information in terms of the the trends the varieties that are available The new problematic diseases that they are most likely to face Because we have said that they've been in farming and they've been doing it They need to understand how they can add on their profitability and also reduce their input costs So that farming also remains a viable business for them because if they are going back It means they've seen value in it But they need to understand from a planning perspective how they need to manage certain things There might be an advent of new problematic diseases or insect pests But if they don't engage the relevant Stakeholders to provide this information to them They might not be in the know and get into their next cropping program assuming it's the same as the previous one When we have seen clearly that climate change has really changed a lot of things and No one season is identical to the other So the season farmer keeps to needs to check and also plan in advance After that the season farmer also needs to do the checklist Whereby they are looking at the good economic practices that they need to employ Such as the land preparation The planting time the management and all sorts. So at least if it's a season farmer They understand what they need to do and also they are also going to be doing it Timeously they just need some refreshers and reminders But if you're going to be dealing with a first time farmer You need to drill down the basics and also make sure that they understand that It's not an overnight victory. It's farming is not One of those professions where you can just get into it and You wake up tomorrow. You're a millionaire You need to put in the work and you also need to invest in in the acquisition of Of information and technologies that have also been to it So for a first time farmer, they might just hear the neighbor saying, oh no I made a lot of money But there's a lot of work that goes into it That our first time farmer needs to understand and appreciate and in some instances You find that it might take a season or two for you to realize profit Maybe you're running at a loss. Maybe you are recovering the cost that you left put into the into the farming venture So all of this you need to discuss at the beginning Once you have done so the first time farmer needs to understand the principle of soil management Whereby we are talking about them understanding what their soil requires and coming in with the correct Nutrient management principles for the cropping question Otherwise you would find that our farmers would just assume that fertilizer is fertilizer They go on the market. They just buy they come in then they don't get it But the first pot of hope for a first time farmer My knowledge is that it's for them to make sure that they Understand and do soil analysis It's a test that they need to do for them to get custom-made nutrient management for their farm After that, they also get into the good agronomic practices that we were mentioning for the season farmer But for them, they need to go into greater detail and understand the why The why I'm doing it. Why am I coming in with this type of land preparation? Why should I also control weeds within the 36 to eight weeks? Why is this insect pest a problem and how can I manage it before it reaches levels where it's going to reduce my yield? So all of these things they come into play for a first time farmer a first time farmer is more More work to do and they need to understand that even when the crop is established and it's looking lush green It's not the time when they should bring in their friends to just drive around the field And and not go inside the field to check. Otherwise some of these problematic diseases in Bali They start from inside the field. They then spread out what so if you're just going, you know taking a drive around the field You won't really get the feel of what's really happening So there is a lot that the first time farmer needs to do they need to invest their time to make sure that they understand the venture Yeah, like she's spoken like a tree expert, you know The advice that you're giving is so practical and simple And I could see that you really enjoy what you do because the passion just really comes out and shines through your face Wendy the next question I want to ask basically is with the farmers that you've dealt with, you know How have they bounced back through the very harsh climatic conditions that we've experienced? You know late last year and early this year. We've had some heavy rainfalls in various regions in the country You know, how are they bounced back? You know just basically keeping their enterprises afloat It well that's uh Now changing the mood a you know, it's not a smiling issue Climate change is really a menace amongst us at the past Three to five years. We've seen a lot of Unforeseen weather vulgar research have been going on where you find that in some instances is a false start to the season Where you think the season is started is October. Well, and and it's Mid-October when the season usually starts you get rains for three days Then it goes for two weeks without raining three weeks or a month So that that would be a false start Then you get a premature termination of the season mid-season dry spells that prolong for example Um in Zim we had about um four weeks with no rain in february Which is not a norm. So some of these changes are also uh things that have caused and red havoc amongst our farmers in terms of their Operation and yes, I'm talking about the heavy rains as well because the misconception that is them Barley's that climate change is associated with no rain or drought But climate change just means that the norm what we are used to has been shifted or changed a bit So Heavy rains also go into climate change and the heavy rains that we experienced in South Africa in Mozambique The rains that the persistent rains that we received in Zim We've got persistent rains and a bit of flooding in some instances So those scenarios The farmer will not have prepared for because according to the weather forecast, which is the main guide That provides information into what the season is going to be like. They don't get to see some of these Um scenarios in advance. Maybe they get to see them three to five days before they okay But that means the farmer is ready if it's planting planted But then if the rains come in and they are heavy that crop is going to be swept off and if the Uh, the farmer has already planted their crop and did not do maybe some conservation agriculture principles or water management drainage system Management's uh principles you find that flooding may also okay in the field So it's difficult to really plan for climate change The best we can do is to mitigate the effects How so? You need to then understand Uh from the guidance that you get from the meteorological services department Which is the one which is um, which governs and understands the climatic issues that space that that's going to be Characteristic of that season if they tell you that you're expecting a normal to above normal rainfall Then the three to five day focus are the regular guides that you need to be Partaking in if you know that maybe your area is prone to flooding Then you come in with contour ridges you come in with drainage inside the field so that the water gets to wash off and not Flood inside the field if it's an area that tends to be dry drier than other areas, then you know that water Also need to come in with your pot hauling your tide ridges Different practices that are going to conserve as much moisture as possible mulching All those principles need to come in so I would say we have seen a lot of Disgruntlement Amongst our farmers both commercial and communal Where even for the commercial farmer in some instances even when they think they want to irrigate They don't get enough rains to fill their water bodies. So irrigation is also then affected Then the communal farmer thinks that maybe since I have done I've done my my ca my conservation agriculture There's minimum soil disturbance and oh when the rains come in They still come in and they flood the field because there's no deep Peculation of the water into the ground. So it's not easy for our farmers really climate change It's not easy for us as well as an industry whereby we are also tasked with availing crops that are also tolerant to some of these challenges that might be faced Be it the the the prolonged dry spell You need a drought tolerant variety that is going to Remain maybe at a particular stage for a certain time and then come back and resume growth when the conditions are allowing And then you also need maybe aliness a variety that matures earlier so that it escapes The effects of climate change by by maturing before the dry spell commences So there is a lot that the industry is trying to do to mitigate the effects of climate change But the farmer needs to also take it upon themselves to make sure that they are also doing some mitigation measures in their own right Wow, thank you for going very much in depth into that and you've brought in something that You know, it's quite an ongoing debate in the agri industry, especially when you talk about disease resistant seeds Drought tolerant seeds, etc. You know and the ongoing debate here is that you know There's certain countries and the certain organizations that have laws and policies around The different types of seeds that are meant to be sold, you know So the debate is about where the farmer should use GMO seeds non GMO seeds open pollinated seeds Hybrid seeds, what's your opinion around this? And maybe if you could just maybe touch on a little bit based on GMO non GMO hybrid open pollinated The difference the difference between all of these for our audience to understand In depth the different varieties that are out there. So what's your opinion around the use of these various seeds? and and you know You mentioned mitigating the risks. So when when when we are experiencing severe climate climatic conditions, should we then move move over to maybe hybrid seeds? Versus open pollinated. So what's your opinion? Around this topic and also maybe bring in your experience on what you've seen on the ground Thank you very much for that question. I would say you've really put me on the spot there, but I'll do my best So what happens, you know with the the different types of seeds? I'll start with the open pollinated seeds, which also speaks to the land races particularly looking at maize, it being a staple crop in most African countries You find that there are some land race varieties that have existed for a very long time on the market And they've been a farmer retained. It's like the seed that the farmers went to retain over and over and over again But initially it was enough for you to have that seed because that was the advent of agriculture in the as a technology, it was a good technology for us to have those land race varieties But over time, as you know that agriculture is not constant, it's also dynamic like any other sector Over time it was realized that the yields that are obtained from OPVs, open pollinated varieties or farm-saved varieties over years They tend to be lower compared to The need that was arising from the increase in population that was being experienced So there was a need for us to reach food security And food security then feeds into food surplus for us to then export to other countries that might still be in need So as Africa, we have not really mastered the The Ability to produce what is enough for ourselves enough for us to then sell to other countries So there was a need, a gap there that existed that then prompted Breeders to come in with what we are terming hybrid seed because with hybrid seed now You are now getting More value out of the same amount of seed that you will have established for example in the in some Varieties like Hagrid King, which is also an OPV or the eight line variety that our farmers do or the colorful nays that we have seen You find that the number of rows Per cob tends to be around eight six to eight and then the number of The length of the cob as well tends to be shorter So it tends to produce less grain when we are talking about farming being a business Where you need to push in terms of the grain that you get Which comes from the yield components that that also include the number of rows of on the plant The size of the cob and also the The weight of the grain that you're also going to get so the hybrid seed came in and it outweighed The OPV seed in terms of these characteristics Then we also saw that over time there was the development of problematic diseases like your gray leaf sports You find like mainstream virus and all those so in those land race varieties OPV varieties There was not much that could be done to safeguard the grain from From the challenges that were caused by these new diseases and new strains of diseases that might have been existing before But with the hybrid seed you are able to introduce new genes That you are going to say because of this particular gene We are now safeguarded against this problem because of this gene. We are now safeguarded against gray leaf spot So now we have hybrid seed that is resistant, which means it will not be affected by the leaf spot It will not be affected by leaf rust if it's leaf rust some whatever problematic diseases might exist So hybrid seeds have resistance and tolerance to problematic diseases that the OPV seed might not have so You are seeing that the OPV seed so far it might have lower yields It might be susceptible to diseases It might also not be drought tolerant because when it was developed climate change It or it started the climate has been changing for like it always changes But the rate at which it's changing now was not the same as what happened when those varieties we We are failed So you find that the hybrid seed is able to withstand Long periods of dry spells challenges that come with climate change Falling in the fields from wind excess wind or excess rain More than what the OPV seed will do Then moving from the from the OPV seed I think Concurrently I also mentioned what the hybrid seed would also be doing But just to add on in terms of the hybrid seed you find that it comes with a wide range of options Where you find that Based on the farmers the agroecological region where they are also doing their cropping There are varieties that mature very early 90 to 120 days. There are varieties that take 115 days There will be varieties that take longer in the field, but also giving higher yields like Maybe the late maturing varieties that will give 160 to 100 150 to 160 days But giving very high yields So there are options with hybrid seeds that don't exist with OPG seeds because with OPV is only one seed The the the yield potential is the same No matter what you do no matter what you increase even with soil analysis and the good agronomic practices We were mentioning you are unable to reach a certain level There is a there is a ceiling to what you can do with your OPV, but with hybrid There are a lot of options then moving away from that So that I don't over explain on this particular question alone, but it's you who put me on the spot So So for GMOs It's an interesting topic really where There's a lot of misconceptions that exist one There is a lack of knowledge Amongst our farmers who are the implementers or the people who are supposed to take on the new technology so In some instances it might appear as if it's bringing in negative side effects To to to get into the GMO technology in farming But sometimes it's because of the ignorance or lack of adequate knowledge on how it works Because currently you would find that there are some GMO maize seeds that are available on the market in Zimbabwe We have not adopted GMO technology yet. I'll tell you why But in some countries the GMO technologies have been adopted But having been adopted you find that they come in with a reduction in cost of production Where where a farmer is able to go in because the seeds GMO They can spray a particular product without the risk of damaging the crop and it becomes cheaper for them Increasing then on their bottom line Which is the yield because profitability is what you are looking for since farming is also a business Even at the communal level farming should be a business a person should just think of Should not just think of producing enough for them and them their family They should think of producing excess so that they can sell and also make a living out of farming So this is what we are talking about. So this uh, basically the technology that what that's what it does It allows you to do some things that you maybe were not able to do if you were to be applying a chemical that was going to Also affect the crop but affecting all the other weeds like your glyphosates Which is a head decide if you're going to apply it In GMO maze you find that You can apply it over the crop without risks So GMO is a technology that people need to understand in my opinion I think it has a chance in the place But we just need to understand how far we can go with it What we can take and what we can leave for example here in Zimbabwe We try to carry out a bit of a survey on one of our farmer Uh interactive interactive sessions or meetings where we put that we gave them a questionnaire About GMOs so the first question was do you like do you like GMOs or do you accept them? Then everyone was saying no Then the next question was uh, is GMO technology good and everyone was saying no Then the third question was saying what is GMO technology? All the answers that we were getting they were wrong So what it means is people don't understand what they're saying no to So we really need to just get more information so that more informed decisions can be made Wow, Wendy. Thank you so much for unpacking the the difference between GMO open pollinated and hybrid And I think you know, we should have you back onto the show where you could unpack what GMO technology is because I myself am not vastly experiencing that space. Um, and Like you said with this survey, it just shows that even us as farmers have limited knowledge around this and maybe just consumers because you know This is how maybe shops have just been able to Capitalize on the marketing of versus around GMO versus non GMO But it's important that we understand why we should vote for something and why we should go against something You know and especially at farm level, how does this impact a farmer on the ground because again All the risk relies on the farmer at the end of the day. However, I wish we had more time Um, you know to unpack these things and hopefully maybe we could get you back onto the show once again But thank you so much for also just breaking the the the importance of why we as farmers should have A relationship with an agronomist a relationship with an individual like yourself To understand the various varieties that can take us through seasons Understanding the geographic locations in which we farm in and the best varieties that will obviously Ensure that we meet our yield at the end of the day But just before I say goodbye to you Wendy Maybe just give us the top two or three advices that you believe a farmer should like look out for prior to starting their season Prior to starting the season what I think our farmers should really Take into account is the fact that whatever they are growing do they have a market for it Because if you're going to be establishing a crop and don't know the ends the end user Where you're going to be selling it? It means you might end up producing something that you will fail to sell At one point there was a farmer who did water culture and then they heard about brussel sprouts You know, they are very small little cabbages for a niche market And then they had a friend saying no I made money with them Then they went on to establish about half a hectare only to realize that at the local market People don't understand them. They think they're underground cabbages So you really need to make to invest in understanding your markets That's one thing that I want our farmers to understand Then you also need to understand the principles of farming which feed into the umbrella term good economic practices That term has been used extensively But I think the understanding of which still needs to be unpacked Where a farmer needs to know from the land preparation, soil management, insect paste management It goes into that So it's like a full module that you really need to understand Before you start not to start saying at a later stage you're starting to see some insect paste in your field That's when you want to come in with remedial measures. That would be too late So you need to plan planning in advance will ensure security and success Fantastic, thank you so much Wendy for your time and for your insights more so continue to help farmers in your regions Whether it's working within Zimbabwe or South Africa, but trust me. I think this conversation Taught a lot of farmers something new maybe gave them a refresher course You know because sometimes you do tend to feel that we know everything we've experienced everything Therefore, why should I be seeking advice? But thank you so much for your insights and Hopefully you can come back onto the show and unpack to us GMO, but yeah all the best with your week ahead And uh with the farmers that you're working with Thank you very much. We are tasked with weed production. So we really need to make sure that everything goes well Thank you for having me and thank you for these great initiatives Thank you. That was Wendy Matsuda everybody. Uh, she's an agronomist at seed co limited and we spoke about Her role as an agronomist agronomy The purpose of agronomy why farmers should work with agronomists, especially from the seed companies where they procure their seeds I mean, there's so much to learn and unpack and have an understanding in terms of what the what white seeds are best What seeds are best for your uh for your farm? Are they the right seeds? Are they the right varieties that you should explore in this coming season in the next? And she unpacked the importance of planning before a seed before you start a season whether you're uh a new ancient farmer Or just an experienced farmer Continuing with their production because every single year we experience and encounter new pest and diseases So it's important to make sure that you have the planning From the onset with an agronomist to mitigate Against those pest and diseases and I like what she said about climate change that climate change has always been there Climate change does not necessarily mean it's drought or we're experiencing minimal rainfall, but climate change could be Extreme weather conditions could be extreme rainy conditions It could just be anything that is just changing in the climate within those months Something different to what you were previously exposed to and that is what climate change is We can't stop it But obviously we have to protect our farms our businesses Against it and mitigate against those risks if you have any questions for wendy. Please feel free to comment We will reach out to her on your behalf to ensure that the questions that you have posed are answered and continue to subscribe to subscribe to our Private property channel follow the farming podcast playlist This is where you could get the interview for wendy and yeah, thank you so much for watching the show Look out for the next episode that we're going to have right here on the farming podcast brought to you by private property That's it for me. Take care