Chingwaru Organic Sunflower seed and oil production

I have this year begun another community food production project in Murehwa 96km from Harare . The project named Chingwaru Organic Sunflower seed and oil production is aimed at creating employment to the rural and unemployed householders of the Chingwaru rural area.

We will grow sunflower seeds, use it for different things as it is needed in the kitchen as well as cold pressing some of the seed to get cold pressed sunflower oil for the community. Cold pressed sunflower oil is too expensive for these villagers to get and it’s a valuable source of nutrients for rural families. So far the project have employed 23 women who have done the planting and will continue through harvesting , pressing and marketing of the oil. These sunflowers will be rotated with Alfa-alfa and groundnuts to help keep our soil rich in nitrogen and also get peanut butter from the nuts. The alfa-alfa will be used to supplement the feeding of our cattle and goats that also belong to this household food production project. Sun dried goat and beef are going to be part of our products by end of the year.

Interestingly we used draft power, ridges were made by an OX-DRAWN mouldbody plough. More news and pictures to come.