I am a young married man, who comes from Murombedzi in the Zvimba District of Zimbabwe. Being a farmer by profession COVID-19 has had a huge impact on my life, the source of income for my wife and I, mostly depends on what we produce and sell.

The coronavirus hit right at the time when the fresh English Giant Rape vegetables in my fields were ready for the market and due to the nature of fresh produce marketplaces that are crowded and very busy, this posed be a highly infectious place with high risk to both I the farmer and the consumer as well.

As all shops and service stations closed due to the lockdown access to essential farming inputs like seed, fertilizer, pesticides and even fuel was now limited. Business is operating at a loss and nothing can be done about it at the moment, this affects the finances of my household with no security for us beyond this. It is taking longer than we anticipated and every day there is news of COVID-19 spreading across countries.

I concurrently have a butternut crop that will also be ready for market in the next 60 days and I wonder will I be able to sell them when they are ready? All the resources I had invested into my farming projects I may not be able to recover it all, I do not even have the words to describe the weight I have on my shoulders should I fail to provide for my family.

COVID-19, what a beast and monster that has become my torment and the only thing that I now hear of every day.