Chronicle Editor
Mukudzei Chingwere, Harare Bureau
THE country’s research ecosystem must actively come on board and play a critical role in Government’s quest to enhance value addition and beneficiation in the entire agricultural value chain to boost export earnings and create jobs, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga said yesterday.
In his address to the inaugural Research for Agricultural Excellence Indaba at the Zimbabwe Agricultural Society (ZAS) in Harare, VP Chiwenga said the Research Council of Zimbabwe and ZAS should endeavour to promote use of research results in informing sustainable agriculture practices by linking researchers to industry, farmers and other stakeholders.
The indaba sought to highlight the centrality of research in underpinning the Government’s quest for enhanced agriculture production in Zimbabwe’s agro-based economy.
VP Chiwenga challenged participants to quickly come up with tangible solutions for research-based agriculture that could be showcased next year and move away from just celebrating blueprints without results.
“The plan is broadly anchored on improving animal health, genetics and nutrition, among others,” said VP Chiwenga. “The role of research in this matrix is to proffer innovative, scientific and actionable solutions to support this strategy.
“I therefore, urge you to think boldly out of the box and come up with research programmes, which the country can leverage on to improve agricultural and industrial production and productivity”.
He said there are critical issues in the agriculture sector, which need to be led and driven by scientific research.
Government, VP Chiwenga said, is geared to climate proof agriculture in a bid to ensure food and nutrition security.
“Beyond that, the Second Republic remains committed to enhancing value addition and beneficiation in the entire agricultural value chain to boost our export earnings and create jobs”.
The VP said it was pertinent to redirect research efforts to solve contemporary and emerging challenges in the agriculture sector.
“Let this indaba be a catalyst for a new era of research-driven agricultural policy-making in Zimbabwe, one that improves food security, strengthens livelihoods and secures a sustainable future for generations to come,” said VP Chiwenga.
He said it was incumbent on all to ensure the realisation of President Mnangagwa’s strategic direction of transforming the agriculture sector through the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy and Agriculture Recovery Plan.
VP Chiwenga said the research ecosystem should come up with findings that transform the country’s agricultural landscape through harnessing research that delves deep into the complexities of farming systems.
The indaba is running under the theme: “Research and innovative solutions for sustainable agri-business development.” This dovetails with the Government’s aspirations for a prosperous and food-secure Zimbabwe.
VP Chiwenga reaffirmed his conviction that all that was needed is pragmatic research that informed policies and programmes that shaped the future of the agriculture sector.
“I challenge you to listen, to learn and to act. Embrace the power of research, create the conditions for innovation to thrive and ensure that your decisions are grounded in evidence and guided by the needs of our farmers and our communities.
“By doing so, we can realise the transformative potential of Zimbabwean agriculture, not just for today, but for generations that will follow,” he said.
VP Chiwenga hailed some universities and colleges for coming up with innovative research solutions, which were being used in the country’s agricultural value chain.
He said the few examples illustrated the immense potential that lay at the intersection of research and policy-making.
VP Chiwenga said there was a need to forge a path towards a Zimbabwe where agricultural prosperity was not just a dream, but a reality where farmers were empowered and communities thrived with natural resources being sustainably managed.
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