Voice of Ex JICA training participant, Betty Kureva

A new and significant chapter has been reached in Zimbabwe’s food security atmosphere. This chapter entails the increased and efficient cultivation of Rice in the country and in Sub-Saharan Africa. I left Zimbabwe for a six day training course on rice cultivation in Uganda under the initiative of CARD. The training commenced from the 4^th of December till 9^th of December. The main objective of the training course was to improve technical skills of rice researchers and extension officers. The course also aimed to enhance capacity building for researchers and extension officers. The facilitators had numerous methodologies they used to deliver the information to us, the trainees. Oral presentations and pictorial presentations were used which made the training sessions exciting, engaging and the content easy to comprehend.

The topics covered were general rice cultivation, upland rice cultivation, lowland rice cultivation, rice disease and pest management, agricultural chemical use, extension approach, post-harvest handling and rice value chain. Manual books on rice production were also given to us and practicals were conducted. The practicals were helpful in the sense that we had an opportunity to do hands on demonstrations. The demonstrations comprised of activities such as paddy field construction, terrace making, seed bed making, planting using different planting techniques like dibbling, drilling and broadcasting, weeding using fabricated agro-implements , harvesting and threshing. Furthermore, we visited irrigation schemes, a milling company and markets.

The knowledge and expertise gained during this course is valuable and will be of great benefit to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Institute and the nation at large. Rice production will boost the country’s food security status eradicating poverty since it is now a strategic crop. Rice exports can boost the country’s economy by increasing the overall GDP. Harnessing these initiatives, thus presents an immense opportunity for the nation of Zimbabwe, and the region at large.

I would like to express my gratitude to the Government of Zimbabwe, JICA Zimbabwe, JICA Uganda, and the Department of Crops, Research, Agronomy Research Institute, and Crop Breeding Institute, for affording me this amazing and eye-opening opportunity; insights and experience gained is invaluable. I pledge my commitment to put to practice this knowledge, for the enhancement of rice production in Zimbabwe.