http://www.veritaszim.net/node/5630

May 4, 2022

 Students trained on specialised Cotton Pest Identification In the1st 100-Day Cycle for 2022 reporting, Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural  Development reported that a total of 420 students were trained on specialised Cotton Pest Identification.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Resettlement to Launch Digital Knowledge Resources

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Resettlement launches ZimAgriHub, the ZimAgricExtension In-Service Training Application and Lead Farmer Online Training Programme.

New Curriculum to Transform Agricultural Sector

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement launches the Agricultural Education for Development 5.0 curriculum for colleges.

Government, FAO Join Hands to Strengthen Agricultural Extension Services in Zimbabwe

GoZ launches a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) in partnership with FAO.

Ministry of Agriculture Has Developed an e-Extension Strategy In Partnership With ZAKIS

Since its inception in 2018, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Services (ZAKIS) project, which is part of the larger European Union-funded Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAGP), has made significant contributions to the country's agricultural education, extension, and research services. The ZAKIS goal will be met through the establishment of Agricultural Centres of Excellence (ACEs) at Chibero Agricultural College and Matopos Research Institute. District Agricultural Centres of Excellence (DACEs) have been established in Insiza, Mhondor-Ngezi, Matobo, and Chegutu to assist these efforts.

Ministry Formulates Policy To Develop Agricultural Education

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement is establishing a new Agriculture Education, Extension and Research (AEER) strategy to support the government's efforts to grow Zimbabwe's agriculture industry. The European Union is funding the policy-making process through the Zimbabwe Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Systems (ZAKIS) initiative.

Capacitation of extension services

3 170 motor bikes were distributed; and 4 800 tablets were distributed

Integrated Agricultural Information Management System Implementation Plan: 2021-2025

Cabinet considered and approved the Integrated Agricultural Information Management System Implementation Plan: 2021-2025, which was presented by the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, and Rural Resettlement. The Integrated Agricultural Information Management System Implementation Plan aims at consistently collecting accurate and timely statistical data and information which is essential for programming, monitoring and evaluation of development initiatives in agriculture. The purpose of Integrated Agricultural Information Management System is to provide reliable information to policy makers, planners, stakeholders and users of statistics for informed decision-making.  

Roll out of Reselience Program in Partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)

Trained 72 ward-based AGRITEX extension staff, of whom 20 were women, on good agricultural practices (GAPs) and market linkages focusing on small grain production and marketing. These extension officers then trained 450 lead farmers through the training of trainers (ToT) approach, who rolled-out training to ten farmers each, totalling 4 500 mentored farmers.

Distributed 13.75 tonnes of sorghum seed and 6.87 tonnes of cowpea seed to 2 750 (lead and mentored) farmers in Chiredzi and Mwenezi.

Procured 275 tonnes of topdressing fertilizer to be delivered in the coming agricultural season.

Conducted 15 field days (one per ward) in Chiredzi, Mount Darwin, Mwenezi and UMP to provide the wider community with an opportunity to gain knowledge, together with project beneficiaries, on the agronomy of small grains

Partnering with private players in the roll out of the Pfumvudza Conservation Agriculture Programme

Government  has collaborated with the Foundations for Farming and other stakeholders in capacitating extension workers on the Pfumvudza concept ahead of the 2020-2021 summer cropping season.

The extension officers will be capacitated to enable them to educate, track and monitor the Pfumvudza concept, which is aimed at climate-proofing agriculture by adopting conservation farming techniques.

It also involves the utilisation of small pieces of land and applying the correct agronomic practices for higher returns.