AUSTRALIA has expressed readiness to continue collaborating with Zimbabwe to improve innovative climate-smart agriculture initiatives such as Pfumvudza.
Speaking during a recent review of the Harnessing Appropriate-Scale Farm Mechanisation in Zimbabwe (HAFIZ) Project- funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) through ACIAR-Australian ambassador to Zimbabwe Minoli Perera said the initiative was a good example of her government’s commitment to helping Zimbabwe achieve its priorities.
HAFIZ, which aims to climate-proof Zimbabwean farms through improved access to small-scale mechanisation to reduce labour bottlenecks, is being spearheaded by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with support from stakeholders such as the University of Zimbabwe, South Africa’s University of Kwazulu Natal, Kurima Machinery and Technology as well as Zimplow.
“Australia and Zimbabwe share the challenges of a harsh climate and the need for new approaches from drought-resilient crops to innovative climate smart agriculture technologies.
“The Australian government invests in strategic partnerships central to making sure we are ready to meet the challenges of the future, together.
“In working with partner countries to address the challenges posed by a changing climate, Australia’s policy is built on listening, respect and genuine partnership. In everything we do in and with our partners in Africa, we do so in collaboration and in response to our partners’ priorities, especially where they directly contribute to Government priorities.,” said Perera.
She added that her government had found it fit to support the Pfumvudza/Intwasa initiative.
“Through HAFIZ we are complementing the Government of Zimbabwe’s Agricultural Recovery Plan and the Conservation Agriculture or Pfumvudza Programme.
“When this project (HAFIZ) was launched last year, the permanent secretary highlighted that the Government of Zimbabwe was committed to stimulating smallholder farm mechanisation and he also insisted on the need to bridge what he termed ‘the mechanisation divide’.
“The government of Australia shares that focus. There are many benefits to bridging the mechanisation divide – from increased productivity, improved health outcomes for farmers, to increased opportunities for farmers to diversify their portfolios and spend more time on downstream activities,’ said Perera.
Speaking at the same meeting, CIMMYT Sustainable Agrifood systems programme director, Sieglinde Snapp said HAFIZ was part of partnerships it had struck across Africa, Latin America and Asia, which has come up with climate-smart options and precision tools that are developed and evaluated from the perspective of the farmer.
“With support from ACIAR, two-wheel tractor machine bundles have been assessed for socio-economic contributions in Africa.
“We have also come up with a network of mechanisation experts, practitioners and service providers in 15 countries in Africa (including Zimbabwe) and Asia to steer scaling efforts by building on mechanisation investments locally with support from GIZ and FAO,” Snapp said.
Officially opening the HAFIZ review session, Agriculture permanent secretary John Basera welcomed the initiative, which he said resonated well with his ministry’s efforts meant to address the negative effects of climate change.
“The Pfumvudza/Intwasa initiative was modelled on labour-intensive farm practice. Therefore, the introduction of a mechanisation dimension to the practice has become a game changer for the target population, who are mostly the smallholder rural communities
“The business case developed by the HAFIZ project remains a noble initiative worth strengthening as we go forward. This HAFIZ model anchors on fostering collaboration between the private sector-who are the drivers of production and marketing of inputs-with academia and agriculture research systems,” Basera said.