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The potential for new technology to support African smallholders receives insufficient attention, says director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) The huge promise of technology to help improve productivity, profitability and sustainability for African smallholders should be higher on the international agenda, the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture heard. Michael…
By Charles Dhewa Many rural communities in low income countries are fed up with the predatory nature of external development initiatives. According to the WordWeb dictionary, a predatory animal is one that lives by catching and preying on other animals. Predatory tendencies also include living by or victimising others for personal gain. When development agencies…
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday 10 January 2019 welcomed a £3.95 million (US$5 million) contribution from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) to its 2018/19 Lean Season Assistance programme in Zimbabwe. The contribution will help WFP to provide cash-based food assistance to some 97,000 highly food insecure people…
By Charles Dhewa Hundreds of mobile applications and technology platforms are launched in Africa almost every day, thanks to the promise of digital-fuelled progress. Unfortunately most of the platforms (including those owned by famous mobile network providers) are trotted onto the market prematurely before sufficient pre-testing. There is also confusion between a platform, a portal,…
By Charles Dhewa The fact that countries which have moved toward middle-income status have started by transforming their agriculture sector is no longer debatable. Unfortunately, out of 54 countries in Africa, Ethiopia is mentioned as the only one on the path to meaningful agricultural transformation. The rest are still running from pillar to post, chasing…
Pamwe Capital has proposed to invest in Zimbabwe’s key economic development sectors as a response to the country’s openness for business. Speaking at a breakfast meeting organised by Pamwe Capital at a local hotel in Harare, Priscah Mupfumira, the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry said Zimbabwe has good opportunities for investors especially…
The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority is proud to have its subsidiary, ARDA Seeds, that is providing seeds as a critical input to ensure bumper harvests for all farmers countrywide. Speaking to Spiked Online Media, Jemitius Mukiwa, an ARDA marketing executive said ARDA SEEDS (Pvt) LTD is a registered private company wholly owned subsidiary of Agricultural…
New study by Malabo Montpellier Panel finds potential to expand irrigation across 47 million hectares in Africa, and boost agricultural productivity, livelihoods and economic growth. Helping more farmers to access and use irrigation systems holds the key to African countries meeting hunger and food security targets, a new report sets out. Food production in Africa…
Africa must unlock the power of its women and girls if it is to adapt to climate change, cope with disasters and build its green energy sector By Special Correspondent That is the message from African delegates as the world prepares to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in Katowice, Poland, this week. Research…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has emphasised on the need to address Highly Hazardous Pesticides in Zimbabwe. Speaking at the HHP workshop held in Harare on 13 December 2018, Gabriele Ranieri (Officer in Charge) FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa, said the world over, countries are facing the challenge…
By Charles Dhewa In spite of millions of dollars that have gone into market linkage initiatives in developing countries over the past few years, farmers still struggle to sell their commodities profitably. Post-harvest losses have not gone down, gluts continue to alternate with shortages and relationships between farmers and processors have not improved. This suggests…
The Embassy of Sweden announced today SEK 45 million grant to the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) to allow the timely roll out of the Crisis Modifier. Crisis modification is used in Resilience building as a tool to implement early actions based on early warning, in this case to better prepare the communities to withstand…
By Byron Mutingwende Mrs Bernadette Warambwa has a colour-illustrated book that encourages healthy eating using resources from our local environment. Titled “Nutrition from Our Environment” the book contributes towards the promotion of sound nutrition in both rural and urban areas. “The book is unique in its own ways and displays culinary genius….
People in rural areas who largely depend on agriculture for their livelihoods are grappling a changing climate and unpredictable weather that are putting an additional strain on food production and increasing food prices, the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Gilbert F. Houngbo has said. He made the remarks at a press conference attended by…
By Charles Dhewa In the absence of evidence-based agricultural policy formulation and implementation, most developing countries always rush to import food without sufficiently understanding their national contexts. During gluts, farmers in areas where fruits are produced in abundance do not benefit from selling nationally compared to when there are shortages. On the other hand, when…
Hubert Boulet is the Programme Coordinator of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme at Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) HQ in Rome, which is working in 13 pilot countries, including Zimbabwe. The SWM Programme is a major seven-year African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) initiative, implemented by FAO, that seeks to reduce hunting…
Nelson Chamisa, the President of the MDC Alliance on Saturday 1 December 2018 said it is noble to plant trees since they are good for the environment, the earth and its future. “Today, I was in Norton to plant what I termed ‘the New Zimbabwe Democracy tree’. We aim to plant two million trees annually…
In his first visit to Zimbabwe since taking office as President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Gilbert F. Houngbo will meet President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and other government officials to discuss investments to improve food and nutrition security, provide employment opportunities for rural youth, and reduce poverty. The visit will take…
By Charles Dhewa It is not only revenue streams that tend to be seasonal for farmers in developing countries. The demand and use of knowledge also follow seasonal patterns. From leaking market sheds in Mbare market of Harare and makeshift stalls in Mitundu market of Lilongwe to landslides in the land of a thousand hills…
By Byron Mutingwende The success of the Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (VAA) efforts in the SADC region depends on strengthening communication and advocacy and data and information management systems. This emerged at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Vulnerability Assessment and Analysis (RVAA) workshop in Johannesburg from 19 to 21 November 2018….
Developing countries that remain stuck in colonial governance structures and forms of business are sleeping-walking into all kinds of crises. Some of the colonial forms of business still being practiced in most African countries include sole trader (traditional enterprises), companies, cooperatives and partnerships which function through mutual agreement to pool resources and skills together for…
By Byron Mutingwende The Scaling Up Nutrition Research and Academic Platform (SUNRAP) seeks to provide credible evidence by undertaking quality research, and strengthen the technical capacity of stakeholders (through appropriate training), to deliver a cohesive multi-sectoral action that improves food and nutrition security outcomes. This emerged at the combined Scaling Up Nutrition networks…
By Byron Mutingwende Grassroots Women under the auspices of the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) have vowed to ensure food security beyond the adverse effects of climate change. “Grassroots Women from Harare and Mashonaland East Provinces are implementing strategies to ensure food security and nutrition in spite of the adverse effects…
By Charles Dhewa Narrowing the gap between formal and informal economies remains a big challenge for many African countries. Instead of increasing interdependence between the two economies, in countries like Zimbabwe, the gap between the two economies seems to be widening. As if that is not enough, academia, politics and financial institutions remain…
By Byron Mutingwende Ms. Caroline Mozhendi, the Econet Head of Agribusiness has encouraged the use of technology to combat the effects of climate change by farmers in Zimbabwe. Ms. Mozhendi made the remarks during an event whereby Ecofarmer joined the Shamva Agricultural College in celebrating 34 students who graduated at the institution on Friday…
Miriam Zvomuya and Tendai Guvamombe The Zimbabwean government has thrown its weight behind the global target in adaptation and mitigation of global warming ahead of World Summit on Climate Change to be held in Poland next month. Washington Zhakata, the Director of Climate Change Management Department in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and…
By Byron Mutingwende and Miriam Zvomuya Contract farming has the potential to improve family farmers’ access to markets and boost their incomes while ensuring that agribusinesses have a stable supply of produce that meets their quality standards. This emerged at the International Symposium on Contract Farming and other inclusive business models organised by the Food…
Africa as a continent has reported a significant rate in agriculture. Agriculture is one of the sectors on the continents with a reasonably high level of revenue from export activities. Export commodities such as Cocoa, coffee, Timber, cashew and maize are some widely known produce that earn the continent much foreign exchange revenue. Youths over…
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Zimbabwe has begun the implementation of its Lean Season Assistance programme for the 2018/19 season in October with a contribution (US$22 million) from the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which will support more than 430,000 food insecure people. “This contribution…
By Byron Mutingwende Ecofarmer is working towards modernising agriculture by embracing technologies in order to improve production efficiency, achieve food security and profitability for farmers. In a speech read on his behalf by Mr. Leonard Munamati – the Provincial Crop and Livestock Production Officer for Mashonaland East Province at the Ecofarmer Agri-tech expo…
By Charles Dhewa The intersection between health and nutrition continues to be a grey area for ordinary people in many developing countries. There have not been serious efforts to develop appropriate ways of sharing nutrition knowledge with the majority. For instance, formal education systems have not done enough to move health and nutrition from being…
Millions of African farmers still face legal restrictions on water access, dating back to colonial times, according to a study released this week. Researchers with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Pegasys Institute reveal the obstacles that smallholders face, including potential legal penalties, due to laws that originated and led to “water grabbing” in…
By Michael Mashiri Oxfam Zimbabwe has launched a programme called Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods (CARL), which is an initiative designed to end poverty in rural areas. The project endeavours to make sure that rural women increase their income and economic power in sustainable agricultural crop supply chains such as groundnuts, pea beans, cattle and…
By Charles Dhewa While monoculture is mostly understood as the cultivation of a single crop on a farm, area or country, the other half of its definition is the dominance of a single culture, worldview, mindset, set of tools as well as one way of gathering and sharing knowledge. Farmers who think success comes…
By Vimbai Kamoyo Vice President Kembo Mohadi has urged farmers to grow cash crop, castor bean, as it has the capacity to boost economic fortunes of the country. Speaking at a convention organised by agriculture concern Life Brand Agricultural Service, the second in command, said the seed which is used to extract castor…
During the day, USD 82 million worth of investment opportunities were explored by over 60 fast-growing small and medium (SMEs) enterprises Leading business leaders, policy makers and prominent development campaigners joined over 200 delegates to launch the first ever Nutrition Africa Investor Forum (httpss://www.GainHealth.org/knowledge-centre/event/nutrition-africa-investor-forum/) in Nairobi, Kenya. High-level representatives from the World Bank, European Commission, International Finance…
By Charles Dhewa Although many people associate commerce with modernisation, it is as old as the hills. To the extent, commerce refers to the exchange of goods and services, it has existed in many indigenous communities for generations. Indigenous commerce is home-grown commerce tied to the origin of specific communities. While academics may want to…
At Tsholotsho Hospital on Thursday 11 October 2018, the Government of Japan officially handed over a contribution of US$ 1 million to enhance the resilience of drought- and flood-affected communities in Zimbabwe through a comprehensive set of health, nutrition, food security and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) interventions. The project is being implemented by the…
Climate change has set our planet on fire, millions are already feeling the impacts Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report detailing progress and pathways to liming global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Responding to the report, Mr. Apollos Nwafor, Pan Africa Director of Oxfam International (httpss://www.Oxfam.org) said: “Climate change has set…
By Charles Dhewa When consumers can no longer do without cassava, nsima/sadza, matoke, tomato, beans, peas, among other foods, it could be an indication that the consumers have become addicted. Such addictive tendencies may have little to do with the food being a staple or a necessity. The way profit-oriented seed companies and manufacturers promote their seeds…
By Byron Mutingwende The reduction of food losses and waste (FLW) is essential in the creation of efficient value chains, which are the core of sustainable food systems that contribute to food security, nutrition, economic growth and environmental benefit, it has been noted. Berhanu Bedane, the Livestock Development Officer for the Food and…
By Charles Dhewa It is lamentable that, in spite of setting up hundreds of universities and research institutes, developing countries continue to import knowledge. For instance, African countries are not just importing equipment and finished products from the West and East but also importing knowledge in the form of prescriptions on how to use those…
Nutrition Africa Investor Forum (NAIF) is a first-of-a-kind event, hosted by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), in partnership with Royal DSM, the SUN Business Network (SBN) and African Business magazine, that aims to position nutrition as a promising new investment area. Over 200 delegates, including dealmakers, entrepreneurs and investors will meet at the…
By Byron Mutingwende Although there were some notable reductions in stunting rates in some countries between 2015 and 2018, stunting remains worryingly high in East and Southern Africa, a study has shown. The Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) was part of the team that jointly commissioned a study to…
By Munyaradzi Dhure The shortage of wheat in the country is leading to an increase in the prices of bread, the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has said. Speaking at a press conference in Harare on Thursday 13 September 2018, Tafadzwa Musarara, the Chairman of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe said current…
