By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, March 2, Mana: A mega farm under Greenbelt Authority (GBA) in Salima has transformed lives of community members who are benefiting from the initiative through employment.

Speaking during a media tour of the 100 hectare Chikwawa Irrigation Scheme located in the area of Senior Chief Khombedza, one of the beneficiaries, Owen Mwase, described his experience at the scheme as life changing.

He said before being employed at the farm he used to struggle to make ends meet especially feeding his family.

He said after being employed at the farm as a casual labourer he now affords a decent life.

"I have managed to buy twenty chickens and two goats and buying food for my household is not as difficult as it used to be. Our area is marred by food insufficiency since our crops did not do well the last farming season," he said.

Mwase is happy that he now affords to send his children to school saying he pays school development fund and buys notebooks for his primary school going children using wages realized from the farm.

Another beneficiary, Kerita Lyson, commended the initiative saying she is now independent and no longer depends on her relatives to take care of her four children as she receives K16,100 in wages every Friday.

Lyson said, through the wages, she has managed to rent one hectare of land where she has planted maize and is assured of food sufficiency.

Group Village Headman Mwazawala under Senior Chief Khombedza, in whose area the mega farm is located, is highly appreciative that most of his community members are employed at the farm.

"Government would have singled out any area in Salima but they chose this area. I do not take this for granted. Many people in this area were struggling financially and were food insufficient. Therefore, the timing for establishing this farm is good.

"One notable thing I have observed is that people working at the farm are organized and are jealously guarding it from ill intended people. The maize is doing well and we are anticipating bumper harvest,” he said.

BGA Chief Executive Officer, Eric Chidzungu, revealed that the Authority plans to expand the mega farms to scale up more job opportunities and ensure food security in the country.

"We believe in collaborating with communities to give them ownership hence solely depending on local workers for the success of the farm,” he said.

He expressed satisfaction that despite Salima having experienced dry spells in the past two weeks, Chikwawa Scheme is estimated to produce more than 280 metric tonnes of maize this season.

Chikwawa Irrigation Scheme has, currently, employed 140 locals manning the 100-hectare farm in the district.