The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
AFTER decades of following traditional farming practices, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has turned to technology to bridge the gap and has trained over 6 000 officers under the e-extension services project set to propel the Presidential Inputs Programme (PIPs) to new heights.
Government is supporting over 400 000 small-holder farmers communal, A1, old resettlement and small-scale commercial farming areas of Manicaland through the PIPs in cereal, horticulture, livestock and fruit production to make the 2022/23 cropping season bigger and better.
Most extension officers were trained in the traditional farming methods and were not able to handle Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), hence the need for retraining.
As the ratio of farmers versus extension workers remain high, ICTs are needed now more than ever to enhance PIPs that include Pfumvudza, the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme and the Presidential Rural Goat Scheme, etcetera.
In the new dawn, agricultural extension officers are now using smart phones, laptops and the internet to engage farmers across the country courtesy of the ZimAgriHub — a farmer-focused online library — the ZimAgricExtension In-Service Training Application, and the Lead Farmer Online Training Programme launched last year.
The digital resources are expected to transform the sharing of agricultural knowledge and delivery of innovation in the sector.
They were developed under the Zimbabwe Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation services (ZAKIS), with support from the European Union (EU) and technical guidance from Welthungerhilfe Zimbabwe.
The e-extension project is aimed at enhancing the capacity of the extension officers, who for decades have been physically visiting farmers to train them and treat their livestock.
The success of young people in agriculture has been attributed to technology because they make use of the internet to access the latest data on produce prices, thereby avoiding middlemen.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr John Basera said embracing technology will play a key role in boosting productivity, increasing food security, improving rural livelihoods and promoting agriculture as an engine of pro-poor economic growth.
Through new technologies, extension workers are expected to impart new skills, knowledge and practices that help improve the farmers’ productive activities.
Dr Basera said tech-savvy extension and advisory services are both key to sustainable agriculture, resilient livelihoods and inclusive growth while helping farmers to cope with the complex challenge of climate change.
“The in-service training app came as a backdrop to our efforts to capacitate extension services in Zimbabwe to accomplish Vision 2030. Capacitating the extension delivery system is key to the transformation of the agriculture sector. The six months refresher modules are important in enhancing skills of our extension officers who are agents of change in agriculture,” he said.
Introduction of e-extension also responds directly to the emergence of a new crop of farmers with a good appetite for agriculture and the use of the latest technologies in creating jobs and boosting production.
Two extension officers from Manicaland, Messrs William Mushanawani and Lovemore Mwanokora, were among the top five performers who received US$150 and bags of maize seed, among others goodies, for their outstanding performance in crop production, agribusiness and livestock production.
Mr Mushanawani said extension officers can offer competent technical advice to farmers if armed with the requisite ICTs.
“The recognition follows my exceptional performance in the horticulture and agribusiness modules and it has instilled a lot of confidence in the execution of my work. The aspects I was recognised for include smart climate agriculture aspects in horticulture, which include soil and water conservation and helps farmers improve productivity and income.
“Our role as extension officers is to disseminate appropriate information to the farmers to help them to be food secure and also raise income, hence access to these new technologies helps keep us abreast with new developments since agriculture is not static.
“Agronomy, crop production, market information, sources of credit, among other farm services, are all accessible through the use of ICTs, and that way we can offer indispensable advice for farmers to improve agricultural productivity.
“Extension is essentially the means by which new knowledge and ideas are introduced into rural areas in order to bring about change and improve the lives of farmers and their families.
“Extension, therefore, is of critical importance, and with these ICTs, farmers would have access to the support and services required to improve their agriculture and other productive activities. Great applause goes to Government for availing these ICT tools and motorbikes,” he said.
Mr Mwanokora thanked the ministry for equipping them with new technology and knowledge.
“This was a great opportunity to learn new things and skills. This information will go a long way in helping to improve production in the agriculture sector,” he said.
ZimAgriHub is an interactive website that offers up-to-date agricultural knowledge resources.
It links researchers, educators, and extension service providers.
The platform is expected to address the information and research needs of the farmers, the academia, as well as private and public sector players.
The ZimAgricExtension In-Service Training app and the Lead Farmer Online Training Programme are android based solutions which are designed to build and strengthen the technical capacity of extension staff and farmers with demand-driven short courses.
The training material is delivered online in video, audio, and text formats to ensure an engaging learning process.
