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ZIMBABWE is making strides in implementing the Agricultural Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy (AFRTS) and other policies aimed at transforming the sector to ensure the attainment of food and nutrition security, an official has said.

Chief director for Agricultural Research Innovation and Development Dr Dumisani Kutywayo said this while addressing delegates at a recent conference in Harare

Under the theme: “Biodiversity in Agriculture: Unveiling the Path to Sustainable Farming Practices: Presenting Groundbreaking Research Findings by the EU-Funded FAQ ACP-MEAs-III Project Thematic Working Group on Research and Development.”

The multi-stakeholder project has been running in the country for close to three years led jointly by the Ministry of Lands Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife and funded by the European Union Commission through the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

Dr Kutywayo said the AFRTS recognises the need to increase agricultural output in a biodiversity-friendly and sustainable manner.

“Flagship initiatives such as the Climate Proofed Presidential Input Scheme Pfumvudza/Intwasa) have proven the possibility of realising food security whilst preserving and maintaining the integrity of agroecosystems.

“Further, the Agriculture, Research Innovation and Development (ARID) with support from various partners as guided by the AFSRTS has been on a strong drive to increase research aimed at generating new agriculture technologies to enhance agricultural production and productivity in the face of the multitude of challenges affecting the agricultural sector,” he said.

He said although several practices have been reported as effective in achieving increased production and productivity in an eco-friendly manner in most cases, it was difficult to evaluate the extent to which such practices and approaches are being used, owing to the variety of scales and contexts involved and the absence of relevant data.

There is, therefore, a great need to support research and contribute to enhancing the understanding of the different options of practices that constitute resilient and sustainable agricultural practices, he said.

Dr Kutywayo said it was against this background that the FAO ACP-MEAs-III Project was developed to support the Research and Development Thematic group to generate knowledge and best practices to enhance understanding with a goal to improve adoption and effectiveness of the various practices being promoted to build resilient and sustainable agricultural food systems.

“This conference provides an opportunity for open and effective discussions, sharing of experiences, best practices and lessons learnt in relation to the sustainable production practices.

“It is our expectation that research findings from the studies that will be presented here can lead the country to identify ways and means to facilitate practical and easy mechanisms towards a resilient and sustainable agriculture sector that will consistently deliver food and nutrition security for present and future generations whilst maintaining a healthy environment,” he said.

Deputy FAO representative in Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, Louis Muhigirwa, said the research on ‘Biodiversity in Agriculture: Unveiling the Path to Sustainable Farming Practices,’ has yielded encouraging insights that are favorable to sound management of pesticides and integrated ecosystems-based agriculture solutions in the country.

“These include the need for adopting bio pesticides, bio-fertilizers, and other bio-agents vital for environmental sustainability, and the national problems and need for the organic agriculture sector,” he said in the speech read on his behalf by FAO International Resilience Specialist, Alexander Carr.

“It is my fervent hope that the research study findings will be fully applied to enhance sustainable farming practices that ensure environmental sustainability.”