The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) has reaffirmed its commitment to the development of climate-smart agriculture and improved crop management practices to enhance community resilience to effects of climate change.
Responding to questions from the Sunday News Farming, Icrisat Zimbabwe country representative who is also the farming and systems analysis principal scientist, Dr Martin Moyo said they were a technical partner in a number of projects that seek to enhance smallholder farmers’ resilience to climate change and variability.
“Icrisat’s work within climate adaptation and mitigation thematic areas have led to the development and promotion of climate-smart agriculture and improved crop management practices. For example, the Government of Zimbabwe and partners, including Icrisat have contributed significantly through its research to make conservation agriculture, Intwasa/Pfumvudza a reality in Zimbabwe where we are climate proofing our agriculture through this resilient smart agriculture technology,” said Dr Moyo.
Sorghum
He said Icrisat has been in partnership with CARE-International Zimbabwe in the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) projects, specifically in the Enhancing Community Resilience and Sustainability (Ecras).
Dr Moyo said they have been working with communities in two districts, in Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts, reaching out to 26 246 female farmers and 23 614 male farmers.
“We have also been involved in the CARE-led Enhanced Community Resilience and Inclusive Market Systems (Ecrims) where we have been working with communities in Mberengwa and Zvishavane districts, reaching out to 23 061 female farmers and 13 310 male farmers,” he added.
He said as Icrisat they have also been involved in the Save the Children led, Stepping-up Post-Emergency Recovery and Resilience to Empower Vulnerable Communities in Zimbabwe (SUPER-EVC) where they have been working with communities in Matobo and Beitbridge districts, reaching out to more than 5 000 households.
“Another key project we have been involved in is the Zimbabwe Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Services (Zakis), led by Weltehungehilfe where we have been working with communities in Insiza and Matobo as well as Mhondoro-Ngezi and Chegutu districts and we are contributing to improved linkages between extension, research and education.”
ICRISAT
He said they have successfully established Agricultural Centres of Excellence (ACEs) which demonstrate best crop and livestock production practices while providing research and knowledge. He said as an organisation, they have engaged farmers in research and development projects where they have been participating in innovation platform meetings, co-validating technologies and practices in action learning sites.
“Icrisat works in a market-oriented approach and works with extension and through the farmer field school approach to improve the cascading of technologies to more farmers in the country. Some of the key innovations that have been promoted include the use of drought tolerant crops and varieties, conservation agriculture, integrated soil fertility management, crop diversification including rotation and intercropping. There is also community seed production and seed banks, smallholder irrigation systems, in-field water harvesting and soil water conservation, fodder production and preservation, and urea treatment of cereal stover to improve nutritive value.”
SDG
He said Icrisat hosts a gene bank of national and regional importance, conserving over 20 900 accessions of sorghum, millets, groundnuts, chickpea and pigeon-pea that are of regional importance that meet market requirements and farmer preferred multiple uses.
Icrisat is an international organisation which conducts agricultural research for rural development. It is headquartered in India with several regional centers and its work is in line with the second goal of the Sustainable Development Goals initiative of the United Nations (UN) which aims at ending hunger and food insecurity, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
