Zambia at 50! you had better be Running! By Eric K. Mwenda ‘’If your eyes are closed, you must take the hand of a man who sees so that he can show you the right road,’’Robert Thekiso, South Africas’ Emerging beef farmer for 2013 is quoted saying. It is interesting to note that we have some smallholder farmers in Africa who began from scratch and made it as giants in their own right. In Zambia we have the likes of Costain Chilala. but today’s message is centered on one emerging South African farmer. But how can you run your Agribusiness, your farm, on commercial principles? Let me borrow Phillip C.McGraw words; “You are your own most important resource for making your life work. Life rewards action. Until your Knowledge, awareness, insights and understandings are translated into action, they are of no value.” Truly Africa’s fertile lands lying from Algeria in the North extending west wide to Nigeria passing down to DR Congo, Zambia in the Central and going on to South Africa will be of no value if we do not change our mindset towards improved and innovative strategies that produce tangible results. Let us remove barriers of limitation like blaming governments, your family background, lack of capital … you name them. What you need dear farmer is an action oriented strategy involving good planning, getting knowledge or training, organizing your resources into a focused paradigm and blending them with stubborn faith, commitment and willingness to succeed. How many small farms in Zambia have grown from one hectare to five hectares in the last fifty (50) years since government started sub¬sidizing maize farmers with inputs? These are the farmers who contribute over 80% of staple food to the Zambian food basket but to the best of my knowledge most farmers get their produce from less than two hectares of land! One of my friend farmers in Botswana recently told me finance is not a problem in that country but technical knowhow among the farmers is a missing ingredient. Indeed I had been invited to address some of them at a workshop on October 18, 2014 in Gaborone. We may have different challenges as Africans but the bone of contention dear farmers is how we should find a formula to put food on the table and also to earn a respectable income from our sweat. This, therefore, explains why some farmers, especially small scale, of today and yesterday are still depending heavily on government and the rate at which there are being weaned off is very slow. We seem to be moving at a snail’s pace and what if government(s) one day decided to advise you the farmer to be independent and use last year’s income to buy your next inputs? It is time we faced realities and checked where we are to change the status quo. I am not talking to every farmer in this country because some farmers have actually moved from A to B; but my concern as an expert are the statistics of farmers moving from subsistence to commercial. Success principles are the same whether you are farming in South Africa, Brazil or Zambia. That is why I can get any example from anywhere. Some of the points mentioned above must form part of your goals to unleash your greatness in agribusiness. With the last World cup games in Brazil I thought Spain who were the then reigning cup holders would go past the preliminary stage; but alas yesterday’s victory doesn’t give any guarantee for tomorrow’s success. We danced to the same song last year in South Africa when former Chipolopolo trainer Herve Renard’s boys were booted out of the Africa Cup competition in the first round after being champions in 2012. To you dear farmer this is a great lesson that times are changing every day and today’s bumper harvest may not be there tomorrow due to droughts, change of governments and other factors beyond our control. Be focused, stay alert and be willing to adapt to change that can make you a champion or improve your agribusiness from good to great. Mr. Kasunga Simutowe a senior citizen from Muchinga Province in Mpika Northern Zambia at a meeting we had in Lusaka recently summed up this discussion by saying in Bemba; “Tu fwile twaipelesha ifwebene pamonga a balimi pakwebati twilachetekela sana pa buteko,” literally meaning; as farmers must be committed to our cause so that we do not always depend on government. His statement cannot be over emphasized. I will be in Mpika to teach them how to grow what most of you farmers call “Mkushi tomato.” As I write this article I am in Kasama the other Northern part of Zambia to help one farmer put up a Hectare of Garlic crop. On a serious note I feel it is time you let government(s) channel more resources to other pressing issues like research and development, creation of many modern markets, creation of venture capital for Agriculture so that some of YOU farmers can build factories to process bananas that you would normally leave rotting into banana juice, Pigs into tasty sausages, mangos from western province into juice, pineapples from Mwinilunga into pineapple juice labeled; “made in Zambia from the source of the great Zambezi river” and sold to some markets in Egypt or the United States of America (USA) through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Although this is currently on going through Industrial Clusters under INDECO, the question that begs is; how many of you are qualifying to participate? The funds still are limited to a few industries which the government advises you to go into depending on where you are. On a lighter note, Honorable Judge Kondolo one of my dedicated farmers (finding time at weekends when he is free) referring to his farm workers said; “These guys are robotic; they will not do anything until you tell them to.” How can we consistently achieve a reasonable bumper harvest if one of our “value chains” is broken? Kimberly Weisul from Atlanta in the USA reports that Jim Collins a researcher and management guru who authored “Good to Great” asks entrepreneurs (I am directing this to you African farmers) to do ten things that will dramatically improve your company and agribusiness. Let me just share two of those:- Get the right people in the key seats.This comes from Collins’ famous observation that building a company is like driving a bus.You need a driver, but also need the right people in all the key seats. So says Collins, figure out how many key seats you have, and make a plan that will make sure you get all the key seats filled by the end of the year. I have come to understand that assembling a capable TEAM at your farm can make a huge difference between success and failure. The farm owner is the driver who must ensure that he gets the right people in all key departments to drive the business to the right destination today and going forward. At some farms in Zambia, we do not have any structure of leadership; it is just bashi (Mr.) Mulenga in charge of everything. If he is sick everything comes to a halt! A few workers around just know that if they get paid and buy a bicycle, that is it they will not report for work until they need something again. This is a bad tendency for a country which is celebrating Golden Jubilee or let me simply say fifty years of independence from the colonial rule.These farm workers do not have any sense of ownership and responsibility and that is why the judge used the word “robotic”. Commit to a set of core values that you will want to build your enterprise on, without changing them, for 100 years. Yes, 100 years. This is what has made companies like Coca-cola to be where they are today. Some of our Agri-businesses, our farms will only last the day! God take us from this earth! I think it is very important that we follow the footsteps of the great. What values can we cultivate which can be passed on to future generations? Core values are the guiding principles that help to define how a firm or cooperation would behave. They are usually expressed in the corpo¬ration’s mission statement e.g commitment to innovation and excellence. I have an Asian friend, strong businessman in the Copperbelt of Zambia who started what I can call “Patels’ Shop” some 34 years ago with nothing to talk about but today with patience, commitment to certain core values and not giving up at a slight failure, he has managed to establish a firm that commands respect in the agro industry in this country. Africa is waiting for YOU smallholder farmers to feed it, not the International Monetary Fund (IMF), not the World Bank, but YOU. I like Zambia’s former first lady Christine Kaseba Sata’s call on all of us to think of how we can feed the growing population in Africa and the world. She made this call after witnessing Zambia’s youthful Debate Team beat South Africa in the 2014 finals of Southern Africa Grand finale Debate Time Competition in Livingstone. Congratulations my boys! I salute you Mama Christine Kaseba Sata and i support your call to Africans! WHAT IS MY GREATEST DESIRE TO YOU FARMERS IN 2014 Have a passionate drive and a burning desire to start from where you are to where your dreams are. I believe Jesus Christ is still on the throne and hear what he advises YOU and ME in Genesis 26:12-13; “Then Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.” Oh Lord of Heaven Jehovah, the scripture says you were with Isaac and gave him hundredfold blessings. We are still reminded that YOU are the same yesterday, today and forever more. Give your people the same favour, bless them a hundredfold as they till the land to feed this growing population. Give us Agronomists/ and or scientists in Africa a heart to help your people and wisdom to propel our farmers to greatness. Failure is not your portion, excellency is what you have shown us. We thank you Father for your blessings and I desire to see your people prosper in this year 2014 and beyond….AMEN Finally dear farmers I like what Abe Gubegna said; “Everyday in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.’’ Until next month… Be a farmer, be a millionaire! Mobile +260-977/966/955/784515 Email:agromotivator@gmail
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 11:28:56 +0000
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