In the hills near Thohoyandou, women farmers belonging to a group called the Mupo collective save maize varieties — red cobs, yellow, black, white and cobs that had all four colours on them — from year to year. The special skills needed to grow maize for seed collection were introduced to the women by agricultural trainer John Nzira. He taught them how to assess the moisture content in the kernels to prevent the seeds rotting, how to prevent insects biting the kernels, and how to weigh freshly shelled seeds in their hands. In this video, Nzira explains why he focuses on small-scale farmers.
Read the full story:
- How The Not-So-Free Seed Market Affects Small Farmers (link to https://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2016/12/12/how-the-not-so-free-seed-market-affects-small-farmers/?utm_hp_ref=za-homepage)
- A Dummy's Guide: Why Farmers Can't Afford The Seeds To Grow Your Food (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/2016/12/12/a-dummys-guide-why-farmers-cant-afford-the-seeds-to-grow-your/?utm_hp_ref=za-homepage)