• Dr. Helene Dillard
• Dr. Tony Shelton
• Dr. Peter Trutmann

Partners

• University of Zimbabwe
  • Dr. Chivinge
  • Dr. Toongona
  • Dr. Koomen
  • Dr. Jowha?

Background

Cornell University, through CIIFAD, has had a longstanding program in Zimbabwe, particularly with the University of Zimbabwe (CIIFAD annual reports 1995, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000). In the last four year the program concentrated in supporting small holders in their efforts to develop vegetable businesses. Farmers were supported in business management, negotiating with market suppliers to developing markets, and in production related areas, such as quality and pest management. Plant health has become a more prominent issue in the last years as the  production aged. Through intensive management diseases, pests and soil problems have become major production constraints. Concurrently, as disease and pest problems increased, farmers increased pesticide applications without adequate knowledge or support. Increased risks to human health and pest resistance to pesticides have become a concern. In addition, increasingly stringent import regulations of European nations that demand high food safety 


Activities

CIIFAD has been active in providing assistance to farmers in IPM by Ms Victoria Machakaire the CIIFAD coordinator in Zimbabwe, through visits by Drs. Dillard and Shelton from Cornell, the completion of a diagnostic study (A. Turner and O. Chivinge 1999, Production and Marketing of Horticultural Corps in Zimbabwe, CIIFAD), the development of extension information and a diagnostic booklet (Ed. B. Dube et al. 2000, Important vegetable pests and diseases in Zimbabwe: identification and control, CIIFAD /AGRITEX/Cooperation France-Zimbabwe). The activities included organization of a workshop for a group or vegetable farmers in Mashonaland East.

In 1999 it became clear that other institutions and international groups were also developing vegetable IPM training programs, training materials, diagnostic studies, pest identification and control manuals, and conducting applied research. There was a great deal of replication, lack of communication and inefficiency in the well intentioned efforts by all, including ourselves. It became clear that a more coordinated approach was needed. Consequently, CIIFAD/international IPM facilitated activities to bring all parties together to develop a national action plan for vegetable IPM training (link:: Trip report September1999, Initial discussion paper on IPM training, 1999, CIIFAD annual report 1999)

1st workshop: May 2000

The first workshop was held in Harare in May 2000. It was attended by representatives a diverse group of stakeholders in vegetable IPM:

Workshop May 2000 report (link to the html document) 

2nd Workshop: July 2000

After the May workshop through Ms Victoria Machakaire, CIIFAD organized a second workshop to begin to develop the framework for a national plan of action for vegetable IPM training and support. The workshop was held in July 2000 in Harare. It was agreed that Dr. Peter Jowah take over coordination responsibilities from CIIFAD and be responsible for the draft plan. This plan is still in development.

Dr Jowah can be contacted at jowah@AfricaOnline.co.zw 

Future

Once the overall plan is developed, a clearer picture will be available of where each of the institutions and organizations, including Cornell University, can best fit and complement each other in supporting the plan. It is expected that in a follow-up meeting collaborative projects between institutions to attain common national goals will be forged and that each institution or will cooperatively or singly approach funding agencies for support of their part of the plan.