By SHARON ZULU
AGRO-DEALERS need to gain technical knowledge so that they can effectively educate farmers about selecting and using the appropriate herbicides and fungicides, says Conservation Farming Unit Project Coordinator, Oliver Kandela Bulaya.
Dr Bulaya says that some agro-dealers sell herbicides without understanding how to guide farmers on the proper selection and application.
He says misuse of these products by uninformed farmers can lead to long-lasting soil residue which negatively impacts crop rotation.
Dr Bulaya says it prudent that farmers are given proper information which can lead to higher yields.
He however advised farmers to prepare their necessary inputs in advance, including seeds, fertilisers, lime, pesticides, herbicides and other essentials before the rains y season begins. Dr Bulaya stressed the importance of having the necessary technical skills for each unit of land, noting that the yield per unit area for smallholder farmers is often very low hence, with the correct implementation of conservation agriculture tillage systems and the technologies provided by CFU, including seed selection and proper input application, farmers achieve better yields.
He was speaking during a farmer coordinator training programme in the Shimukuni area of Chibombo aimed at building the capacity of farmer coordinators to better understand and educate local farmers on input application, seed selection and weed management.
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