Women In Agriculture Union donates fertilizer to 1000 female beneficiaries

By Desire Tshuma  On Friday 5 February 2021, Women In Agriculture Union donated organic fertilizers to 1000 beneficiaries in Harare so as to promote and boost yields in diverse farming businesses. Speaking to Spiked Online Media, the founder, chairperson, and national coordinator for Women In Agriculture Union (WAU), Miss Olga Nhari said as a union…

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AfDB Puts Climate Adaptation ’on Steroids’ by Investing in Young People

By Megan Rowling (Thomson Reuters Foundation) The African Development Bank plans to deploy billions of dollars to help young people build a new digitally-driven model of agriculture that can feed the continent’s people and boost prosperity even as the planet heats up, its president said. At a global summit this week, the bank and the…

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Sowing the Seeds of Industrial Farming in Mozambique

By Grace Goodrich With fertile river valleys, expansive coastal lowlands and the prolific Zambezi River as a source of irrigation, Mozambique is considered a mecca for crop cultivation, with climatic conditions catering to a diverse range of agricultural products. Agriculture represents the second-largest sector of the Mozambican economy – accounting for more than 25% of…

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Why agriculture should be guided by a comparative analysis of economic drivers

By Charles Dhewa Detailed comparative analysis of existing economic drivers in a community avoids cases where, for example, development organizations focus on small grains when indigenous chickens and goats may be major economic drivers in particular communities. Existing commodities, economic drivers, knowledge and information have to be discovered and captured using appropriate frameworks and tools…

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AfDB’s Adaptation Benefits Mechanism helps to climate-proof Ivorian smallholder farms’ cocoa yields

A new project by the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and the International Agroforestry Agency [ICRAF (www.WorldAgroForestry.org)] would bring relief to two Ivorian smallholder cocoa farmers’ communities in Soubre and Vavoua currently grappling with declining yields caused by climate change and worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Without help, some 800,000 Ivorian smallholder farmers, who produce the largest…

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As Climate Threats Rise, Now’s the Time to Adapt

With global economic activity stymied by COVID-19 and with air travel falling dramatically, you might think this would limit global warming. You’d be wrong. In December a little-known report warned that we’re on track for a 3 degree rise in temperatures, even if existing commitments are met, smashing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C…

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Finding strengths in local food markets amid the pandemic

By Charles Dhewa Since March 2020 when COVID19 first showed up in Africa, mass food markets have continued to play their critical functions although policy support has continued to be directed to processing companies and supermarkets. In 2021, COVID19 did not just confirm the importance of a strong immune system but has also revealed the strengths…

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Women bemoan COVID-19 adverse impacts

By Joyce Mukucha In the wake of the ongoing novel coronavirus global pandemic, the Women in Agriculture Union (WAU) has bemoaned the adverse implications of COVID-19. The pandemic is negatively impacted the agriculture sector, productivity and supply chain with women farmers being worst hit. The WAU chairperson and founder who is also a woman farmer,…

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Rural Farmers Building Sustainable and Resilient Livelihoods

By Joyce Mukucha Living in rural Africa presents several unique challenges that increase the likelihood of food insecurity leading to global poverty being overwhelmingly rural particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa with Zimbabwe remaining in the grip of severe food insecurity. The study by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health titled: “Drought Influences on…

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Agriculture will be the most resilient sector, says World Bank

The World Bank, in its Global Economic Prospect 2021, has said Uganda’s agricultural sector will be among the most resilient sector in 2021.  Uganda, the World Bank said, will be among the five countries in sub-Saharan Africa that will experience the least contraction in agriculture. This, according to the World Bank, implies that agriculture will…

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African Cities Must Prepare for Climate Migration

African climate-linked migration tends to be dominated by European narratives. In reality, most of these migrants move within their own countries and regions. As climate change impacts intensify, migration will increase. African cities, countries and regions need to be more aware of the phenomenon and incorporate it into all levels of planning. Despite contributing only…

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Late Commissioner Shepherd Gwasira’s Productive Farm Downsized

By Staff Reporter The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement intends to withdraw the offer of land made to the late hero and Anti-Corruption Commissioner Shepherd Gwasira in respect of Subdivision 1 measuring 2 757.97HA of CONS of Lot 1 SS Ranch, Rem of SS Ranch and Mete farm in the District of…

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UK pledges £4 million (US$5.4 million) to help feed 110,000 food insecure people in urban areas

… Part of a global package worth £47 million to provide food, nutrition, water and shelter to help over 1.3 million vulnerable people in 9 countries and regions, including Zimbabwe. New UN data reveals humanitarian crises are worsening around the world, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, 235 million people are expected to be in need…

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Policy and strategic framework to ease the impacts of Post-COVID-19 through climate action-based enterprises

By Ecosystem Based Adaptation For Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA) For a year now, the COVID-19 pandemic has been at the centre of news across the globe and Africa. In Africa where estimates put the effects of the pandemic to affect the economy of Africa to around a fall of 1.4% of its GDP,with smaller economies…

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What if?… a few reflections about where we are with taking agroecology forward as we enter 2021

By John Wilson First, our mindset: I keep finding myself coming back to the question of mindset. Without a change in mindset people don’t get agroecology. But more than that, even those who get it, myself included, are still stuck to some extent in what I’d call a ‘machine mindset’. That was the mindset most…

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Passion Poultry Assisting Women in Agri-Business

By Joyce Mukucha For the past years, Zimbabwe’s economy has been deteriorating with its population facing an extraordinary and multidimensional crisis. Many, especially young people have become victims to the economic meltdown that has seen companies closing and investors leaving in droves with an estimated three million Zimbabweans having crossed the Limpopo River into South…

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Government Urges GMB to Efficiently Execute its Mandate

By Joyce Mukucha The government has challenged the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to execute its mandate by ensuring that it becomes an active participant in driving the nation’s economic vibrance and growth agenda. The Grain Marketing Board occupies a central role in safeguarding the country’s food security but its operational inefficiencies have affected the successful…

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Bill Gates’s Foundation Is Leading a Green Counterrevolution in Africa

By Jan Urhahn Translation by Loren Balhorn The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation promised Africa a “Green Revolution” to fight hunger and poverty. It hasn’t worked — but it has upped corporate agriculture’s profits. Local farmers are being left empty-handed, and hunger is rising. Over the last five years, the number of people around the world…

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Knowledge inclusion is the most important of all forms of inclusion

By Charles Dhewa Digital inclusion, financial inclusion, gender inclusion and several other forms of inclusion have received too much attention over the past few years including 2020. What has been ignored is the mother of all inclusions – knowledge inclusion. All forms of inclusion are meaningless when knowledge existing within ordinary people and communities is…

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WFP urgently seeks funds to support millions of Zimbabweans facing hunger season

With millions of Zimbabweans devastated by a year of drought, rising hyperinflation and COVID-19, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on 17 December 2020 appealed for an additional US$204 million to support over four million of the most food-insecure over the next six months. The appeal comes ahead of the ‘lean’ season, which risks…

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Market failure continues to hamper the evolution of strong farmer economies

By Charles Dhewa In spite of efforts to improve market linkages and direct income to farmers, most African markets continue to be constrained by a disorganized supply of commodities. While the main problem with formal markets like supermarkets is taking fewer volumes and paying farmers peanuts after a long time, for open markets a major…

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Zero budget, bumper crop – all thanks to natural farming

By K Rathna (Express News Service) MYSURU: 50-year-old farmer in a village in Karnataka has shown, like Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka before him, that from “nothingness” can emerge beautiful forests and farms. Krishnappa Dasappa Gowda’s  farm in Bannur village, T Narasipur taluk, looks less like a typical agricultural field, and more like a forest in all…

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Small-Scale Farmers Bemoan Adverse Climate Change Effects

By Joyce Mukucha Climate change is one of the 21st century human catastrophes with its impacts being felt globally and Zimbabwe has not been spared. These impacts range from increased rainfall variability, prolonged dry spells, heat waves, as well as increased occurrence of extreme weather events such as drought and flooding. The small-scale farmers in…

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IOM launches CSA Nutrition Garden training for Migrant Returnees with FCDO funding

With funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and nutritional garden training programme for migrant returnees. Developed and conducted by Foundations for Farming (FfF), the CSA nutritional garden trainings encompass all the principles of Conservation Agriculture (CA) and the FfF Implementation…

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FAO and CropLife International strengthen commitment to promote agri-food systems transformation

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and CropLife International in early October renewed and strengthened their commitment to work together and find new ways to transform agri-food systems and promote rural development through on the ground investment and innovation. During a virtual meeting, FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, and Giulia Di Tommaso,…

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Action Aid Zimbabwe at the Forefront of Building Resilience to Shocks and Disasters

By Joice Mukucha (Staff reporter) Action Aid Zimbabwe is at the forefront of building the country’s resilience to climate change-induced shocks and disasters that affect food and nutrition security. The institution has partnered the Government in launching the Zimbabwe Food Security Policy Brief after noticing the impacts of climate change-induced shocks such as Cyclone Idai…

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Dutch university to monitor expansion of agricultural digital tools worldwide

The uptake of digital agricultural tools and services around the world will be tracked by researchers in the Netherlands to help guide investment and boost food production. Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands will continue the work of the EU-funded institution, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), which is winding down…

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Zimbabweans facing high levels of food insecurity: IPC

The Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) has reported that an increase in food insecurity in Zimbabwe is being driven by poor harvests, reduced income and high food prices but is partially mitigated by increased humanitarian food assistance. Below, Spiked Online Media reproduces snippets from the report: Current Situation Overview (Oct-Dec 2020) Currently, 2.61 million people…

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High performance comes from leveraging strengths, not weaknesses

By Charles Dhewa Contrary to approaches promoted by most development agencies, African communities cannot be developed by fixing weaknesses but tapping into existing strengths.  No wonder most interventions focusing on vulnerable households have failed to lift people out of poverty despite pouring millions of dollars. Every community has champions whose strengths need to be harnessed in…

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Windmill a key player in the production of poultry feed

Windmill Private Limited Company’s stock-feeds are tried and tested for the local environment before they are put on the market and that is the reason why they are becoming the first choice for Zimbabwean farmers. Below, Spiked Online Media talks about Windmill products on offer: BROILER FEEDS BROILER STARTER MASH/CRUMBS (21% CRUDE PROTEIN) Feed broiler…

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Harmonized regulation of fertilizers to boost local food production across Southern Africa

Mathew M. Abang (PhD, MBA) When compared with other regions of the world, Southern Africa’s GDP growth between 2011 and 2017 was higher than that of advanced economies. However, the Southern Africa region (the Member States of the Southern African Development Community – SADC) failed to maintain the growth momentum and had the lowest growth…

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There is still hope for African countries to restore their original food systems

By Charles Dhewa In the face of intensifying climate change, voices calling for Africans to go back to their original food systems are getting louder. Such voices are guided by changes in the natural phenomena that once existed in several African communities and countries. Many voices are lamenting the fact that policymakers have embraced foreign…

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The rise of rural women’s movements in Southern Africa

By Mercia Andrews Rural African women are often made invisible, hidden and marginalised in leadership structures. By organising themselves in social movements, women in Southern Africa have amplified their voices to challenge agri-business and patriarchal oppression while advancing agroecology and building new leadership for a feminist agroecology. In Africa, rural women have to struggle against…

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Wetland loss and degradation cost the country millions of dollars: Munodawafa

Mr. Munesushe Munodawafa, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism, and Hospitality industry has said that wetland loss and degradation cost the country millions of dollars. He was speaking at the Wetlands and Policy Guidelines Sensitisation Workshop held at the Cresta Churchill Hotel in Bulawayo yesterday. “It is important to note that…

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Green Climate Fund to drive climate change resilience building

The Green Climate Fund is positioned to achieve sustainable transformation through resilience building across the agricultural and environmental management value chain. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, and Rural Resettlement, Climate Change Department, and UNDP Zimbabwe yesterday launched the Green Climate Fund (GCF) ‘Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe project.  …

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Avenues for aligning agriculture with the nutritional needs of citizens

By Charles Dhewa Avenues for aligning agriculture with the nutritional needs of citizens Pathways for successfully converting rhetoric surrounding nutrition security into reality should include collecting and analysing data from local communities to national levels and markets. Such data can include the volume and value of agricultural commodities flowing from each production versus the amount…

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Irvine’s commits to Command Agriculture

By Anyway Yotamu The country’s leading poultry and eggs producer, Irvine’s Zimbabwe has demonstrated their continued support and commitment to the government’s command agriculture policy by building another fully equipped chicken production house with a capacity of 2500 broilers at Ntabeni Primary School, Entumbane in Bulawayo as part of the company’s Command Livestock Agricultural partnership…

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