Bianca Mlilo Business Reporter—
ZIMBABWEANS in the diaspora have come up with an agricultural initiative to augment the Government’s efforts in poverty alleviation, sustainable livelihoods and food security. The initiative, dubbed Zimbabwe Agricultural Initiative (ZAI) is a brainchild of a group of Zimbabweans based in the United Kingdom who are passionate about agriculture and will bemulti-pronged in its approach.
Funding generated will be used to kick-start various projects across the country. “The group is looking to transform the country’s agricultural sector through mobilisation of resources and know-how across the value chain so that farming communities and stakeholders in backward and forward linkages have opportunities to strengthen their own skills, expertise and sustainable lives.”
“ZAI is entering its first phase of operationalisation following the recent stakeholders’ engagement visit to Zimbabwe by the ZAI Executive from June 4 to 25, 2016. “The stakeholders’ engagement visit was a resounding success and ZAI is in the final stages of specific project proposals. The global proposals have already been presented to the stakeholders in Zimbabwe,” said Mr Bernard Bwoni, ZAI’s director of Marketing & Agro-Linkages.
He said ZAI was structured into clusters. It was from the clusters that specific projects would be initiated and implemented. The main clusters are crops, livestock, horticulture, agri-services, infrastructure, renewable energy, citrus and forestry, wildlife, water and environment and health and social care.
ZAI will complement the Government in health delivery services through providing health services in communities, setting up clinics in farming communities, resuscitating and refurbishing disused wards or departments in hospitals.
Mr Bwoni said ZAI’s core value lies in developing agriculture and its ancillary services in the country informed by the country’s Zim-Asset economic blueprint. He said as ZAI they believed in a partnership approach and were looking at partnering with local farmers in many agricultural projects, focused on partnerships, individual projects, and empowering local communities.
“ZAI is continuously seeking buy-in from Government and provincial lands committees to access the land for the proposed projects and outcomes have been positive,” he said. “ZAI believes in collaborative work with local communities and cascading benefits down the value chain. The initiative is also looking at farming as a business and intends to create jobs and make a profit out of all ventures engaged in.” — @BiancaMlilo