Cultivation Practices and Utilisation of Moringa oleifera Provenances by Small Holder Farmers: Case of Zimbabwe

摘要

The study sought to establish the cultivation practices and utilisation of Moringa oleifera provenances grown by small holder farmers in Zimbabwe. Focus group interviews, questionnaires and field observations were used to collect data. The snowball technique was used to identify farmers to be interviewed in the targeted study site. Eight focus group discussions, in four districts, disaggregated by sex were conducted, one per district. Questionnaires were administered to farmers who were growing Moringa oleifera trees. Data from questionnaires was analysed using Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) version 9.13 in order to come up with descriptive statistics of the responses to the questionnaires. The study established that, the common innovative cultivation system for Moringa is mixed cropping, where Moringa is planted together with fruit trees in the orchards or grown together with garden crops around homesteads. The leaf biomass was used as mulch and as organic fertiliser. A significant number of farmers, 63%, use Moringa for both medicinal purposes and household nutrition and, 9%, use it for household uses only such as water purification. The main Moringa provenances grown by farmers are Malawi, Binga and Mutoko. However, there is need for an efficient production system that enhances full realisation of the benefits of Moringa oleifera in the small holder farming sector.