Cellulant Corporation Taps Technology to Block Wastages in Agric Value Chain in Africa

Cellulant Corporation (www.Cellulant.com) – the pan-African technology company – has empowered Africa’s agriculture sector with the hosting of its inaugural partners’ summit in Lagos, Nigeria and the assurance to leverage on technology to help block inefficiency and wastages in Africa’s Agric value chain courtesy of its improved payment and marketplace solutions, Tingg and Agrikore. Tingg,…

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Government urged to make SMART commitments ahead of 2020 Japan Nutrition for Growth summit

The Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) is calling on the government of Zimbabwe to make attainable and measurable commitments in preparation for the 2020 Japan Nutrition for Growth Summit. “As the country’s Civil Society Alliance in Scaling Up Nutrition, we applaud the government of Zimbabwe for making a commitment during the…

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The high cost of paying lip service to market research

By Charles Dhewa African smallholder farmers are not the only ones famous for producing commodities before conducting market research. Corporates are not immune to such a disease. Instead of investing in market research, most African corporate companies prefer monopolising the air waves, bill boards along urban roads and mainstream print media with advertisements. The consequences…

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UN Resident Coordinator Meets VP Mohadi On Food Security

By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu The newly appointed United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to Zimbabwe Ms Mario Rebeiro has paid a courtesy call to the  Vice President Kembo Mohadi at his Munhumutapa Offices in Harare to discuss issues concerning food security in Zimbabwe. Speaking to the press on the 10th of January 2020,VP Mohadi…

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In search of authentic salespeople for African agricultural economies

It is one thing to be blessed with natural resources such as fertile soils and water but quite another to be able to explain and convince investors about opportunities embedded in those resources. Given the intensifying competition for investment and influence, the art of articulating opportunities can no longer be a preserve for government officials…

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Oil Castor pledges to eradicate fuel crisis in Zimbabwe

By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu Oil Castor Zimbabwe has promised to eliminate the fuel crisis currently prevailing in the nation through producing and supplying bio motor oil extracted from castor bean plant. The company, through its chemistry and engineering department revealed plans to set up a fully-fledged market in Zimbabwe by  releasing 20W40 Bio-motor oil and…

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Rural Women and Girls at the Mercy of Climate Change

By Joyce Mukucha As climate change adverse effects persist around the globe, most women and young girls residing in urban-distant communities are becoming more affected as they bear the brunt of the negative impacts. Due to negative impacts posed by climate change, marginalised women and girls encounter violence, financial instability and child marriage among other…

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World Food Programme forecasts global hunger hotspots as new decade dawns

Escalating hunger needs in sub-Saharan Africa dominate a World Food Programme (WFP) analysis of global hunger hotspots in the first half of 2020 with millions of people requiring life-saving food assistance in Zimbabwe, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central Sahel region in the coming months.  The sheer scale and complexity of…

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WFP Provides Cash Assistance in Zimbabwe’s Poorest Urban Area and Plans to Expand in 2020

Last week, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Zimbabwe completed its last cash distribution of 2019, which supported some 19,000 vulnerable residents in Harare’s sub-urban district of Epworth. Those deemed most food insecure have been receiving monthly cash transfers from WFP since June, as part of an urban pilot project funded by the…

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Linear agricultural policy approaches that should not spill over into 2020

By Charles Dhewa A couple of questions can motivate African policy makers to think critically and reflect about possible starting points for transforming African agriculture from 2020 and beyond. There is no longer any doubt that most imported policy recommendations have failed to fully develop African economies. To that end, as 2020 beckons African agricultural…

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Rethinking the control of transboundary plant pests and diseases

… as we commemorate the International Year of Plant Health 2020 By Mathew Abang   In Africa, transboundary plant pests and diseases are costly to combat because control efforts are usually undertaken after huge crop losses have already occurred. Improving national capacities to sustainably monitor, prevent and reduce crop losses will have multiple advantages, but…

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We target to plant 1 million trees in 5 years: Ruwa Local Board

By Byron Mutingwende   The Ruwa Local Board has set a target of planting over 1 million trees in five years, Benam Nyawo, the local authority’s environmental health officer has said.   Nyawo revealed the plan at the belated commemoration of the National Tree Planting Day at the Chiremba Recreational Grounds in Ruwa.   “Our…

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ZPHCA strengthening grass-root women and community resilience to climate change

The Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) is building grass-root women and the community’s resilience  to climate change, it has been established. With support from Huairou Commission, ZPHCA is undertaking efforts to reduce potential impacts of this natural catastrophe by embarking on awareness campaigns, workshops as well as providing peer education and information reading…

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AfDB approves $60 million loan to support Elnefeidi Group’s agricultural expansion

The loan is expected to contribute significantly to food security, food import substitution, and household incomes by creating jobs and increasing local productivity and distribution The African Development Bank’s (www.AfDB.org) Board of Directors has approved a $60m loan to Elnefeidi Group Holding Company to help finance its long-term agriculture and food expansion programme. The planned…

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Coordinated Global Action Is the Best Way to Control the Fall Armyworm Pest

Dealing with transboundary pests is tricky at the best of times. Standards, practices, capacity levels and engagement vary across countries and regions, and responses are often ad hoc and ineffective. However, matters become even more complex when the pest in question flies over borders, threatens the food security and livelihoods of millions, and causes severe…

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AfDB joins forces with international organisations to help developing countries build resilience to extreme weather

The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) has joined forces with 11 other international organisations to assist developing countries to build resilience against the impact of natural disasters caused by extreme weather. Following a series of deadly weather events that have caused widespread destruction, especially in Africa, the institutions came together at the COP 25 climate change…

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India Pulses and Grains Association to host the Pulses Conclave 2020

India Pulses and Grains Association (IPGA) is hosting the fifth edition of The Pulses Conclave 2020, its biennial event at Aamby Valley City, Lonavala, Pune, India from February 12th to 14th, 2020. The Pulses Conclave is the world’s largest conference-cum-exhibition on the Pulses sector and this year we expect over 1000 delegates from India and…

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SeedCo extends corporate social responsibility to charitable organisations

By Anyway Yotamu and Tatenda Mujeyi Seed Co Zimbabwe has extended its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to selected charitable organisations on the 11th of December 2019 at the company’s Stapleford offices in Harare. The largest seed company in the Southern African region has partnered with Mutemwa Leprosy Center, Mother of Peace, Mashambanzou Care Trust and…

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Comparative analysis of imported knowledge and indigenous knowledge

By Charles Dhewa Due to continuous dependence on imported western knowledge, most African countries have not invested in understanding their own local knowledges. For instance, while these countries continue to lament that they do not have foreign currency and advanced technologies, they are not taking time to reflect and compare what they have in abundance…

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Vaya Tractor seals strategic partnerships with CBZ, Cottco

Cassava Smartech’s EcoFarmer Vaya tractor has clinched strategic corporate partnerships with CBZ, the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) and farm equipment to provide tillage equipment for farmers and boost agricultural productivity. Cassava launched EcoFarmer Vaya Tractor earlier this year to help boost agricultural output and farm yields by providing farmers easy and convenient access to…

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WFP expands emergency operations in Zimbabwe

…As drought and economic hardship plunge millions into hunger The World Food Programme (WFP) is rapidly expanding an already sizeable emergency operation in Zimbabwe where drought, flooding and macro-economic meltdown have plunged 7.7 million people – half the population – into severe hunger. Funds are required immediately if WFP is to meet the growing needs of…

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Plant with the onset of rains this December: Seed Co

By Byron Mutingwende   The company that has sustained agricultural and economic development in Africa, Seed Co, has bemoaned the late onset of the rains and encouraged farmers to plant seeds this December.   Addressing journalists at a luncheon held at the company’s Stapleford factory, Mr. Denias Zaranyika, the Seed Co Regional Managing Director encouraged…

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Climate Change Management Department Intensifies Awareness Campaigns on Mainstreaming Climate Change

By Ronald Rungoyi Climate change is a significant threat to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic development, and the Government regards climate change mainstreaming as a priority in its devolution agenda. The country is witnessing increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, particularly droughts, prolonged intra-seasonal dry spells, and severe storms associated with widespread hail and flash flooding,…

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Uganda’s next agricultural tech entrepreneurs win government business with flagship project

Start-ups and innovators pitched for funding, business and support in front of a jury of experts at the Disruptive Agricultural Technology (DAT) Challenge and Conference.   A new generation of Ugandan entrepreneurs has won business opportunities with a flagship government project to help drive forward the digital revolution in agriculture. At an event in Kampala…

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How informal food markets express African-oriented realities

By Charles Dhewa When you visit an African city and want to see practices that portray African identity and knowledge don’t believe what you see in hotels, colleges, formal schools or government departments. Your most important eye-opening destination is the informal mass market preferred by the majority. Besides farming communities and forests, informal markets are…

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Cassava Smartech unveils the EcoFarmer Diaspora Agriculture Finance Plan

Cassava Smartech today launched the EcoFarmer Diaspora Agriculture Finance Plan (DAFP) that is set to allow Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora to remit funds which directly go towards the purchase of farming inputs for their families in Zimbabwe. Cassava Smartech, which already has over 2 000 tractors on the Vaya Tractor platform and has to…

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Agricultural transformation critical for sustainable development

By Byron Mutingwende   Agricultural transformation plays an important role in eradicating poverty and hunger, fighting inequality and discrimination as well as tackling climate change to promote peaceful and inclusive societies to achieve sustainable development.   The Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Mr. Vangelis Haritatos revealed this at the National Dialogue…

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President Emmerson Mnangagwa Commissions multi-million dollar sugarcane project in Chiredzi

By Anyway Yotamu in Chiredzi President Mnangagwa on Saturday commissioned a US$40 million sugarcane project which is expected to create more than 2 000 jobs in the country. In a joint venture between Government, Tongaat Huletts,  and a consortium of local banks, the Project Kilimanjaro will see 4 000 hectares of virgin land being turned…

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African food traders have better techniques than PhD graduates in Economics

By Charles Dhewa Academics like economists rely on authors and literature based on research conducted within a given time frame. Such literature has no room for adjustments as new events and knowledge emerge.  For instance, Keynesians economics was based on theories of John Maynard Keynes whose research revolved around the laws of supply and demand,…

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President Mnangagwa to launch US$40 million Sugarcane Project in Chiredzi

President Emmerson Mnangagwa will this Saturday officially launch the US$40 million Kilimanjaro sugar cane project in Chiredzi that will see Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe opening over 3 000 hectares of  land into cane fields. The project has already started and is expected to be completed by mid 2020. The fields will be handed over to Government…

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Senegal Receives US$23.1m From African Risk Capacity Insurance Limited Cheque for Drought Response

The Government of Senegal yesterday received symbolic cheques of US$23.1 (equivalent of FCFA 13.9 Billion) from the leadership of African Risk Capacity Insurance Limited. The cheques, given in two parts of US$12.5million (FCFA7,494,937,500) and US$10.6million (FCFA6,355,707,009) to the Government and StartNetwork assist in providing early action to support the people affected by drought during the…

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