Economists say grain shortage will raise cereal, sushi prices

A worsening shortage of global grains, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will be the next affliction to hit American pocketbooks as the price of bread and rice increase by the end of the year, economists say. Ricky Volpe, an agricultural economist at California Polytechnic State University, said the rising cost of wheat and soybeans caused by…

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Livelihood projects improve refugees’ self-reliance in Tongogara Refugee Camp

A visit today by editors and senior journalists on a United Nations in Zimbabwe tour that focuses on development reporting witnessed the progress of an operation by the UNHCR Zimbabwe project on innovative solutions to support the livelihood of vulnerable communities. The project was implemented from October 2018 to December 2021 with USD 1.4M with…

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Maunganidze Irrigation Scheme demonstrates benefits of multi-stakeholder collaboration

Mr. Edward Kallon, the United Nations Zimbabwe Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator has said multi-stakeholder collaboration as demonstrated at Maunganidze Irrigation Scheme is a key ingredient for sustainable development. “I am pleased to see improved livelihoods and the work of UN agencies uniting together to bring positive results as evidenced by the works of UNOPS, FAO,…

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Media urged to articulate interesting climate stories

By Lovemore Chazingwa Climate stories hitting newsrooms are usually minimal and at the same time boring to audiences, a leading editor has noted. Zimpapers flagship publication, The Herald, Night Editor Isdore Guvamombe made the remarks in outlining his expectations at the ongoing media workshop on Progress In Phasing Out Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), in Kadoma…

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WTO In Talks With Member Countries To Prevent Food Crisis: Okonjo-Iweala

The World Trade Organisation has said that it is finding ways to prevent member countries from hoarding their food and avert a global food crisis. The WTO Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, said the over three-month Russia-Ukraine crisis is posing a huge threat to global grain supplies. She also admitted that the fertilizer industry was hit…

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United Nations Zimbabwe empowers editors, senior journalists on development reporting

In pursuit of empowering communicators on sustainable development, the United Nations in Zimbabwe is undertaking a week-long workshop on development reporting as well as embarking on field visits in Manicaland. Bringing together some 30 editors, sub-editors and senior reporters, and United Nations (UN) officials, the high-powered seminar will be followed by subsequent field visits to…

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Low grain deliveries: Government invokes SI 145 of 2019

By Elvis Dumba Harare – The government has claimed massive side-marketing of grains especially maize and soybeans as evidenced by low deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) – a situation that prompted corrective measures against the problem. According to Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary John Basera, about 30…

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Food security under severe threat in Buhera

By Marlvin Ngiza Residents in Buhera are faced with food insecurity due to price hikes, adverse climatic conditions, and poor road networks. In a statement released to mark Africa Day yesterday, Buhera Residents Network Trust coordinator Leonard Mabasa said current price hikes of basic commodities have seen residents failing to have nutritional meals. A bucket…

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Smart agriculture: NetOne offers Hurudza/Umlimi Omkhulu (rima pakuru) platform

State-owned mobile telecommunications service provider NetOne’s mandate and thrust is to provide digital solutions. As such, it has introduced an exciting and relevant innovation, Hurudza/Umlimi Omkhulu a new agricultural platform for farmers that allows them to subscribe and get access to diverse information in the farming ecosystem. The Hurudza/Umlimi Omkhulu platform is here to address…

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Seke-based champion farmer Tatenda Mhishi determined to scale greater heights

By Staff Writer For 32-year-old Seke rural district widow Tatenda Mishi, winning the champion farmer award for the year 2022 over the weekend was a dream come true. She believes it was criticism from people in the neighborhoods at the beginning of her farming journey which pushed her to work hard and reap the fruits….

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Livestock Growth Plan to address challenges constraining the sector

The Livestock Growth Plan seeks to address a number of challenges that are constraining livestock production, productivity, and profitability, a government official has said. Dr. Josphat Nyika, the Chief Director of the Department of Veterinary Services revealed this at a discussion by the Livestock Business Forum that focused on the many issues affecting the livestock…

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An African framework for commercialising indigenous food is long overdue

By Charles Dhewa As part of combatting the negative effects of pandemics such as COVID19 and distant wars on food systems, African countries have to develop frameworks for commercializing indigenous grains, fruits, vegetables, and livestock. There is no longer any doubt that depending on global value chains makes African countries vulnerable to international market forces….

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AFC-funded Mafuro Dairy Farming Project impressive

By Wellington Zimbowa Game changer milk producer, Mafuro Farming is basking in its pasture-based dairy farming model and is geared to enter its next growth phase mid this year. Only started in 2018 through financial support from government-controlled Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) formerly Agribank, the farm only milked 75 cows at the leased Marondera-based Grasslands…

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AfDB Board approves $1.5 billion facility to avert food crisis

The African Development Bank Group’s (www.AfDB.org) Board of Directors on Friday approved a $1.5 billion facility to help African countries avert a looming food crisis. With the disruption of food supplies arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, Africa now faces a shortage of at least 30 million metric tons of food, especially wheat, maize, and soybeans…

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Senegal Leading Africa’s Path to a Resilient Recovery

Senegal is on the front lines of the global climate challenge and will play a critical role in leading Africa’s response, Patrick Verkooijen – CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation said in closing remarks in Dakar, after meeting President Macky Sall on Friday.   Cutting climate finance risks stoking even bigger conflicts down the…

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Presidential Inputs Scheme targets 15 000 hectares for winter wheat season

By Elvis Dumba Banket – Government intends to finance small-scale wheat farmers under the presidential inputs scheme with free inputs. Professor Obert Jiri, Chief Director of Agriculture Extension Department (AREX) under the Ministry of Agriculture said the small farmers who have access to irrigation for three hectares will benefit from the facility as the government…

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AFC Potato Value Chain Financing Facility launched

The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, Dr. John Basera officially launched the Potato Value Chain Financing Facility being administered by AFC Holdings on Tuesday, 3 May 2022. The launch was hosted by one of the first beneficiaries of the scheme, Mr. Ronald Museka at Parklands Farm in…

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Matilda Manhambo finds greatness in agriculture, leads Gweru into global market

By Alfred Tembo Building on past experience and passion could also offer a lifetime vacation in anyone’s self gifted retirement package says prominent Gweru-based commercial farmer, Matilda Manhambo. Over the years, she realised that growing up in a rural setup, life choices would be influenced by nature and decided by opportunities at every stage and…

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Addressing hunger: African countries meet at UN forum on food and agriculture

On Equatorial Guinea’s capital island of Malabo, agriculture ministers from across Africa are meeting this week to discuss solutions to the growing hunger crisis, at a conference convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The 32nd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC32) opened with a call from the FAO Assistant…

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How far can consortiums deliver food security in developing countries?

By Charles Dhewa The past few years have seen development agencies working in African agriculture and food systems coming together to work as consortiums or consortia. The word consortium is a Latin word meaning partnership. Wikipedia defines a consortium as an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments with the objective of participating…

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How leveraging technology can help African farmers weather climate change

Case studies across Africa demonstrate the positive impact that access to even the most basic mobile technology can offer smallholder farmers. This underscores the importance of driving inclusive access to digital technology, especially mobile-based, to help the continent’s farmers mitigate the impact of climate change.  This assertion is championed by Vodacom, Vodafone, Safaricom, and the…

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Female farmers lead regenerative farming efforts globally

Many female farmers here are champions of sustainable farming, but their global counterparts have long been feeding the world using these management practices. “From my work as a writer, I’d argue that women farmers were already prioritizing sustainable agriculture practices long before this recent shift towards ‘regenerative agriculture,’” said Trina Moyles, author of Women Who Dig,…

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Urgent need for farm climate adaptation cash: report

Small farms and agricultural firms in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia are facing a billion-dollar cash black hole for climate change adaptation, a report says. Overall there is a gap of US$106 billion in available investment in agricultural small- and medium-sized enterprises (agri-SME) ranging from farms to rice millers and agricultural data firms, according to…

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Preserve forests to combat climate change: stakeholders urged

By Baboloki Semele Extending over 624 million hectares, forests in Africa covering 20.6 percent of the continent’s land area and 15.6 percent of the world’s forest cover underpin key sectors of many African countries, including energy, forestry, agriculture, tourism, and water, and support the livelihoods of millions of people. Forests are crucial at a continental…

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Timely funding and response critical as Ethiopia’s Agriculture sector recovers from multiple disasters

By Ms. Fatouma Seid (FAO Representative in Ethiopia) Agriculture is a source of livelihood for over 80 percent of the population in Ethiopia. However, the sector has faced complex and overlapping threats over the past decade. Since 2019, the country has been responding to the worst desert locust invasion in over 25 years. Although the…

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African regional forest management workshop off to a good start

By Baboloki Semele Today, in the white and blue city in Kenya, Mombasa, African Forest Forum stakeholders are meeting via hybrid, a regional workshop to share information and experiences on challenges and opportunities in forest management for sustainable development in Africa in the context of climate change. Addressing the delegates, during the official opening, the…

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FAO workshop to focus on sustainable growth of tilapia fish sector

Tilapia fish farming is getting increasingly widespread in Zimbabwe. However, many operations are struggling to grow beyond subsistence production and access reliable markets that pay competitively. Production is highly polarised, with one large-scale company accounting for 94 percent of output. The Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association (ZFPA) estimates there are 600 small-scale tilapia farmers that produce…

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The value of balancing tensions between two different African economies

By Charles Dhewa That most African economies have two different economies – formal and informal- is no longer debatable. Besides supporting the formal economy, during shocks like COVID19, the informal economy has become a source of resilience for the majority of farmers, vendors, traders, and low-income consumers. The same applies during drought periods when formal…

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Sweet potato export initiative a shot in the arm for women

By Elvis Dumba Raffingora – Rural women from three provinces are set to benefit from the government sweet potato export initiative with Zvimba women undergoing sweet potato farming training. The government through the Ministry of Agriculture signed an agreement with a local company, Fuchs, which will see the company train rural women from Mashonaland West,…

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Ukraine Crisis Highlights Importance of Food Security

Regardless of your business, South Africa sits at the very end of very long global supply lines. Even before Covid-19 and the July 2021 civil unrest bought home the importance of shortening and diversifying supply chains, South Africa’s balance of trade and ZAR volatility and weakness were already prompting a re-think as businesses pivoted to local – or…

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Tick and Tick-borne Disease Control Strategy (2022-2030) launched

Zimbabwe yesterday launched the Tick and Tick-borne Disease Control Strategy (2022-2030) in order to fight against a myriad of livestock diseases that pose a threat to the livestock industry. Speaking during the launch, the Guest of Honour who is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr. John…

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Improved governance of land tenure, fisheries and forests critical: FAO

Dr. Patrice Talla Takoukam, the Sub Regional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative for Zimbabwe and Eswatini said his organisation, in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe, is implementing Voluntary Guidelines meant to improve governance of tenure of land, fisheries, and forests. He made the remarks during the National Comprehensive and Gender-Sensitive Land Policy…

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Draft National Gender-sensitive land policy framework to be reviewed

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) are holding review meetings of the draft land policy framework with traditional leaders and Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs in Zimbabwe. The National Comprehensive and Gender-Sensitive Land Policy Framework review meetings will take place in Bulawayo from 3-…

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How have African agro-based countries allowed politics to destroy the potential for home-grown solutions?

By Charles Dhewa Following the success of politics in liberating African countries from colonial injustice, a mindset that has been planted in Africa is that politics has a monopoly on all solutions. Unfortunately, this has overridden people’s capacity to explore solutions outside politics. For resource-rich countries like Zimbabwe, politics has been allowed to dominate the…

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