Exchange visits are an ideal and valuable way of sharing knowledge and experiences between farmers.

The dance and music that accompany practical demonstrations not only lead to mutual learning, but use edutainment as a vehicle for farmers to share knowledge and experiences to adopt innovations and new approaches to farming.

The need for knowledgeable and experience sharing prompted the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) to organise a three-day exchange visit for 15 farmers drawn from Binga to go to Lupane district.

ZRBF is a US$100 million programme supported by FCDO (formerly DFID), EU, UNDP, Embassy of Sweden and implemented by the Min of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

It is a long term development initiative with an overall aim of contributing to increased capacity of communities to protect development gains in the face of recurrent shocks and stresses such as drought and other natural disasters.

Farmers from Binga, drawn from the Tusungwali and Jatisisya groups visited various local community projects in Lupane that included the Zamalokhu Commodity group in Bhanda village and Vusanani ISAL group in Jabatshaba village, all in Ward 14 of the district.

In addition, the farmers from Binga visited the Jotsholo Abattoir in Lupane district and the Zinaphi Irrigation Scheme.

Farmers were able to interact, share information and learn about the best practices from their counterparts in Lupane.

The consortia taking part in the exchange included the ZRBF funded Zambezi Valley Alliance (ZVA) that works in Binga, Kariba and Mbire and Sizimele that works in Lupane, Insiza and Matobo.

This exchange visit to Lupane provided farmers with an opportunity to learn about lnternal Savings and Lending (ISALs) processes, poultry and piggery projects, cattle and goat production, the operation of small grain threshers and bush meal hammer mills.

Farmers also held discussions about challenges and opportunities in the agribusiness and finding solutions to gaps in production, processing, marketing and the value chain.

Binga farmers also gained some useful insights into the Jotsholo Abattoir that was adding value and earnings for smallholder farmers in Lupane.

Nokuthula Moyo, district field coordinator for Sizimele which supported the project said the Abattoir had to date slaughtered 2449 cattle helping to inject more than US$1,2 million into the rural community.

The abattoir has generated employment, enhanced community cohesion, brought skills and knowledge transfer to farmers and infrastructure development.

The Zinaphi Irrigation Scheme at Tshongokwe in Ward 9 of Lupane also helped farmers from Binga to learn more about the management of irrigation schemes, agronomy, marketing and processing of the crops.

“Exchange visits are all about sharing ideas. It makes the host group to understand more about their work – the gaps that need filling and the opportunities that need to be tapped,” said Moyo.

“Visitors learn a lot from the host groups, increase their knowledge and skills. Exchange visits help farmers to take agriculture as a business and enhance their sense of ownership of assets and development projects.”

Esnath Bwazula, a farmer from Sianjomwa Village in Ward 9 of Binga district said the visit was an eye opener for her.

She learnt a lot about how to run ISAL groups, how to make fodder for cattle, goat and chicken rearing and why it was important to take farming as a business.

“The exposure l received will enable me to share the skills and knowledge l gained with my group at home,” she said.

“The trip triggers me to think seriously about taking farming as a business. I hope to change my attitude towards farming. Hard work and looking for business opportunities is very important for us farmers.”

Said Dickson Mumpande of Siameja Village in Binga: “lt was very informative and educative trip. It made us to see opportunities in most of the challenges we are facing in Binga. “l have been motivated by the approaches that are being uses by farmers here in Lupane. They have business projects at household level which they use to generate income for their ISALs. Farmers are united by a common vision to improve their livelihoods and this what we need to do more.”

Other farmers felt strongly that the sharing of knowledge and experiences will ignite passion and positive change to attitudes on farming. Some even said the visit had peeled their eyes to business opportunities in rural areas that were important in transforming their livelihoods.

“Unity, hard work and greater focus on seeing farming as a business is the greatest lesson of all,” said a farmer from Binga. “It will make us better and more successful in our farming and agribusiness activities.”

Farmers from Lupane also said they learnt a lot too and were keen to learn more about fisheries and creating linkages to source and market fish in Lupane.

ZRBF is keen to support the transformation of the country’s agricultural sector into an innovative, competitive and commercially driven sector that helps local communities to be self-reliant and empowered.