Project News

The ZimSHEP team conducted the SHEP sensitization workshops for staff and farmers following the site selection activities in May 2022. The workshops were held in June 2022 in Mashonaland West and Masvingo targeted districts starting with extension staff ToT and farmer workshops at the three selected irrigation schemes.

On the first day, extension staff from Agritex provincial and district office including frontline extension staff and an irrigation engineer from targeted irrigation schemes in the provincial capitals to learn about SHEP project. Topics that were covered included SHEP objectives, activities, achievements, and implementation plan presented by Zim SHEP head office staff.

Furthermore, the Zim SHEP facilitators urged the extension staff to work as a team. They clearly laid out the key roles and responsibilities of each extension staff involved in the project from national to ward-based officers and farmers in each SHEP activity. Understanding of the roles and responsibilities will lead to an effective implementation of the project and realization of SHEP goals.

Following the ToT, the trained district teams held sensitization workshops at the targeted irrigation schemes. The extension officers explained to the farmers, ‘What is SHEP?’, ‘SHEP achievements’ and ‘Why is it important to work in groups?’. In addition, the farmers then formally accepted the project seeing its benefits of empowering farmers to engage with the markets as they ‘Grow to Sell’ and NOT ‘Grow and Sell’ which they have been practicing. The ‘Grow to Sell’ has been adopted by farmers as their new mantra in improving farming enterprises and livelihoods.

Sensitization ToT for District officers and Extension officers

Sensitization Workshop for farmers

Sensitization Workshop for farmers

Explanation of "Grow to Sell" by the Extension Officer