All the Presidential Irrigation Initiative Programme (PIIP) are progressing well in Lavushimanda district of Muchinga Province as four schools implementing the programme have planted their winter Maize.
District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Beatus Nshenda says the progress in the four schools implementing the PIIP namely Lukulu Day Secondary, Salamo Day Secondary, Mununga Day Secondary and Mununga Primary school is visible with irrigation facilities working well in the planted fields.
Mr Nshenda said the one hectare piece of land at each of the implementing schools has been well secured with fences.
” As of now, all the four schools implementing the PIIP have planted the maize and are just waiting for the seed to germinate”, he said.
Mr Nshenda said the school was empowered with equipment for drilling boreholes which have been sunk and were given the farming inputs.
And Deputy Headteacher at Mununga Primary School, Mwangala Siyunyi, thanked the Government for the initiative which has also boosted knowledge on agriculture in the leaners.
Ms Siyunyi said the learners, especially those in grade four to seven, have been fully involved from the inception of the programme.
She added that the programme will allow the school to sell fresh maize within three months’ time.
“I thank the Government for this programme because we are also privileged to teach our learners real agriculture skills,” she said.
And one of the Grade Seven learners, from Mununga Primary School, Gift Mukuka said the programme has enabled her and other leaners to acquire skills on irrigation agriculture.
She stated that she will utilise the knowledge acquired in farming especially during calamities such as droughts or dry spells.
“Our teachers have taught us Irrigation agriculture skills through this project and how we can grow winter Maize,” she said.
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