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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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Among many daunting challenges currently facing the grain industry and food ingredient buyers and sellers, logistics remain at the top of the list for many, and it’s been going on for more than two years. Just as it seemed the impact from COVID was winding down in most countries, Russia invaded Ukraine and another round…
By Charles Dhewa Information about producing any food commodity is now abundant on the internet and in diverse manuals. For anyone who wants to know about how to bake bread or process fruits into drinks or jams, a quick search on the internet can produce tons of documents with step-by-step information on who to add…
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…
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…
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…
By Elvis Dumba Banket – It looked coincidental that on the day the country joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Health Day running under the theme ‘Our planet, our health ” which focuses on climate change, farmers in Mapinga and Banket were counting losses following heavy rains that fell on the day…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Food and nutrition security in Africa is off track: In 2020, more than one in five people in Africa faced hunger—more than double the proportion of hungry people in any other region. In fact, the continent remains a net food importer at an annual cost of $43 billion. Food security in Africa demands urgent and serious…
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…
Mutorashanga – Beneficiaries of the land reform program have been urged to productively utilize the land or risk losing rights to it as government moves to ensure food security with unproductive farm owners facing a two week ultimatum. Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works Marian Chombo made the call during a Pfumvudza field…
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is playing a key role in the management of forests in line with its mandate as a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. This was revealed during the 2022 commemoration of International Day of Forests yesterday by Dr…
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…
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,…
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…
By Elvis Dumba Zvimba – Maria Madheu of Noro Village in Zvimba has shown that disability is not inability as she has been farming her thriving maize and groundnuts fields near Mutorashanga. Madheu, who crawls to her fields, had her two legs amputated due to diabetes nine years ago. Madheu’s exploits caught the attention of…
By Elvis Dumba Mutorashanga – Zvimba North Constituency Member of the House of Assembly Marian Chombo has urged tobacco farmers to be wary of losing their hard-earned investments through unscrupulous tobacco buyers. “We have been receiving reports from tobacco contractors losing business due to side-marketing and this is not only peculiar to tobacco but even…
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…
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…
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-…
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…
A study released Feb. 14 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claims that ethanol is likely a bigger contributor to global warming than gasoline, Reuters reported. The study contradicts previous findings by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) showing that ethanol and other biofuels are green. “Corn ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel,” said…
Emerging in the last 120 years, science-based plant breeding begins by creating novel diversity from which useful new varieties can be identified or formed. The most common approach is making targeted crosses between parents with complementary, desirable traits. This is followed by selection among the resulting plants to obtain improved types that combine desired traits…
By Charles Dhewa As farmers continue to plunder their soils, water, and other natural resources in order to send their children to school, academic degrees are not being translated into tangible skills that can make a difference to the lives of farmers and ordinary people across Africa. As if that is not enough, university graduates…
By Calvin Manika A Zimbabwean international organisation, Africa Grain and Seed (AGS) with investments in food security worldwide is seeking to grow the Zimbabwean economy by bringing agricultural investors into the country. Working through collaborations and international partnerships can turn around the economy of Zimbabwe. This was said by the President and Founder of Africa…
