ZimAgriHub is an integrated online knowledge and innovation service platform providing knowledge resources for agricultural research, education, extension, and farmers. It is a national repository of aggregated, collated, and repackaged content whose key objective is to share agricultural knowledge resources to support the sustainable growth of a market-oriented agriculture sector in Zimbabwe.
The interactive platform links researchers, educators, and extension service providers to facilitate the sharing of the agricultural knowledge that exists in Zimbabwe. It addresses the information, curricula, and research needs of the farmers, the academia as well as those of the private and public sector players. It enables users to have access to up-to-date agricultural knowledge resources including open data on research, education, extension, and weather as well as best practice teaching and learning content on agriculture.
Background
A consortium of local and international agricultural specialist NGOs, comprising of Welthungerhilfe (lead), ICRISAT, CTDO, and SAT, is working on the Zimbabwe Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Service (ZAKIS) project. The ZAKIS project is centered on the Agricultural Centres of Excellence (ACEs). These are focal points for integrated knowledge sharing and innovation services as they bring together agricultural research, education, and extension. The ZAKIS consortium, working in partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement has established two physical Agricultural Centres of Excellence; that is, the Chibero Agricultural Centre of Excellence (CHACE) which serves the north of the country and prioritises the crop, horticultural and relevant livestock value chains; and the Matopos Agricultural Centre of Excellence that serves the south of the country while prioritising large and small livestock value chains and drought-tolerant small grains.
ZimAgriHub is therefore the third Virtual Agriculture Centre of Excellence complementing the two physical Agriculture Centres of Excellence with the aim of bringing together agricultural research, education, and extension through knowledge sharing and exchange.
Vision
A national online repository providing knowledge resources for agricultural research, education, and extension for a sustainable agricultural sector in Zimbabwe.
Objectives
- To provide the public, private, and development sector with easy to access and easy to use agricultural information.
- To facilitate a culture of interaction and feedback through various channels of communication within the agriculture sector.
- To inform the general public on new agricultural developments and events.
Who Runs ZimAgriHub?
The Communications and Learning Unit (CLU) with representation from the directors of Agricultural Research and Innovation Development (ARID), Department of Agricultural Education and Farmer Training (DAEFT), Agritex, and the two physical ACEs Chibero College of Agriculture and Matopos Research Station. The CLU is based within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Resettlement.
ZimAgriHub Organogram
