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Zimbabwe’s education system determines the trajectory of the country’s development in line with the objectives of Vision 2030. As the country began tweaking its education system to be responsive to its developmental needs, food production and human capital skills development became the cardinal pillars of CUT’s industrial, technological and innovation developments. In 2019, Chinhoyi University of Technology was mandated to lead the government’s efforts of restocking the country’s national herd.
The land reform programme in Zimbabwe has benefited not only the landless black majority, but higher education institutions and, quite remarkably, Chinhoyi University of Technology was among other beneficiaries. The Mashonaland West-based university is now a proud owner of a 2000ha farm which is run by the School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
CUT Farm is sub-divided into the Commercial Section (the Strategic Business Unit) and the Farm Research, Teaching and Extension Unit. The CUT farm also houses the Cattle Breeding Project, the Dairy and Milk Value Addition Centre of Excellence (Milking Parlour), the Piggery Unit, the Tobacco Curing Centre, the Poultry Farm, Medicinal Feed Factory, Cattle Fattening Pens, Agro-Feed Factory, and the Agro-Processing and Manufacturing Industrial Park.
CUT aims to contribute significantly to restocking the national herd through its National Cattle Breeding Project aided by the Artificial Insemination Initiative and the Embryo transfer technologies. The Cattle Breeding Project involves Artificial Insemination, Feed Production and Training.
The revival of Zimbabwe’s industry is being driven by robust agro-based activities informed by Heritage-based Education 5.0, escorting the country to an industrialised status as it produces goods and services.
This is the thrust of Chinhoyi University of Technology’s School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
The University, in collaboration with Capital Feeds P/L, now produces summer and winter cattle block licks which are a hit in the livestock sector. These are readily available in Agro-retail shops around the country.
The National Cattle Breeding Programme now provides Artificial Insemination services through the collection, distribution and sale of quality semen doses from scientifically screened, tried and tested disease-free bulls at the semen station of the University.
The value chain involves the production of quality genetics, the screening and diagnosis of re-productive diseases in cows, bulls and semen doses.
To date, the University has grown its capacity to produce close to four thousand straws of semen an hour. This should go a long way in improving and rebuilding the national herd while improving on the quality of the beasts and the beef.
State of the art equipment at the CUT Farm and Germplasm Laboratory has been acquired by the University from the Research Development and Commercialisation of Innovation Fund through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
Artificial Insemination (AI) is a process that involves collecting sperm cells from a bull and manually depositing them into the reproductive tract of a female.
Individual farmers can use AI to increase the genetic pool of their herd whilst also potentially decreasing the effects of in-breeding.
For medium and small scale farmers in the country, breeding is not limited by time or distance; there is access to superior bulls at lower costs, particularly at CUT; there is reduced need to buy or keep bulls on farms; there is improved cattle productive and reproductive performance; reduced spread of reproductive diseases in cattle. Also, accurate breeding records are kept, with ample laboratory space for applied research in animal breeding, genetics and reproduction.
Establishment of a gene bank has ensured cattle genetic resources of Zimbabwe, whilst employment is created directly and indirectly through the employment of mobile insemination technicians, distribution, semen stations, AI centres and other down-stream employment opportunities created by the cattle farming industry.
A centre of excellence in animal breeding and reproductive technologies was established at CUT under the ambit of the Department of the Animal Production and Technology as a platform to support cattle production and national herd re-stocking in Zimbabwe.
The centre was made possible through a Government of Zimbabwe grant from the Research, Development and Commercialization of Innovation Fund (RDCIF) of the ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. It is from this Centre that the Biotechnology and Advanced Cattle Reproductive Technologies Programme (also called Cattle Breeding Project) is run.
CUT boasts of the following breeds that farmers can acquire with ease: Zebu breeds- Brahman and Boran; Sanga breeds: Tuli and Mashona; Exotic breeds: Simmental & Beefmaster; Composite breeds: Simbra, Charbray & Bonsmara; and Dairy breeds are Aryshire, Red Dane & Holstein-Frisin.
The AI programme is a country-wide initiative targeting all cattle farmers in the ten provinces of Zimbabwe. The services are offered through trained mobile AI technicians at the farmers’ doorstep. The sale of quality packaged cryopreserved semen doses from locally-bred bulls that farmers prefer; training in AI and reproductive technologies is conducted by the University; genetic resource banking of valuable animal genetic resource is done; there is reproductive health screening, diagnostic and management services; and there is parentage verification and molecular genetic services.
The impact of the AI programme is fourfold. (1) There is improved cattle numbers. Present reproductive performance of the national cattle herd is very low, standing at an annual calving rates of less than 40 percent, calving intervals of 21 months and age at first calving of 32 months.
The Cattle Breeding Project targets to inseminate 500 000 cows and heifers annually; AI is expected to reduce the calving intervals from 21 to 14 months and increase calving rates from 40 percent to an average of 75 percent.
(2) Improved cattle size and growth performance: An important contribution of the Project to the national herd building will be through improvements in production efficiency and animal size. These will in turn lead to larger framed cattle which can be sent to the market earlier giving the farmer more profit.
An annual increase of 2-4 percent in birth weight, weaning weight and finisher weight is projected due to the use superior bulls and elimination of in-breeding.
(3) Improved revenue and profits for cattle business: The combined increase in number of calves born annually and finisher weights will translate to increased volume of meat by 38 750 metric tonnes of beef every year. Thus the Project will therefore put over US$153 million more revenue into the farmers’ pockets annually. This money excludes economic impacts on downstream industries such as abattoirs, meat wholesale and retail business, as well as improved nutrition and health of the population.
(4) Improvement in draught power output: At least 75 percent of Zimbabwe farmers are still dependent on animal power for their tillage and transport operations on the farm. This makes cattle central to rural land-based livelihoods and food production. As animals become bigger in size, their output when used for work is increased, facilitating timely planting and other tillage operations on the farm.
This has positive effects on crop yields and the number of hectares planted to crops annually. However, this impact is more difficult to quantify.
CUT has proposed AI centres in the country where the Department of Veterinary Services already has some structures and trained personnel. Farmer training and sensitisation workshops were being held and farmers can request the institution to train them. A Certificate is awarded by the University after a five day training session for those who want to be trained in practising AI to other communities and other farmers.
The training is conducted at a nominal fee which is quite affordable. Currently Mashonaland East has two field tanks, Mash Central has one field tank, Mwenezi is fully resourced, Mashonaland West will use tanks located at CUT and more are planned for Matabeleland, Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands. All tanks and AI kits are returned to CUT for storage, refill and use in other provinces.
The Biotechnology and Advanced Cattle Reproductive Technologies programme is a clear demonstration of the new thrust of heritage based education and is a strategic effort being implemented through the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
Cattle production in Zimbabwe has faced a significant drop from a production peak of 7,2 million to current 5,5 million.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter