Challenges

Most African countries, although with good natural conditions and suitable land, still base their cattle and poultry production on rudimentary techniques, with low productivity and poor food security. Livestock farming is one of the most important and promising sources of income for Zimbabwean smallholder farmers, particularly those living in the poorest and driest regions. Under these conditions, most animals on the properties of small-scale producers are not registered, much less marketed. The reasons for this poor trade performance stem furthermore from the scarcity of specific public policies that this sector needs in order to thrive.

Toward a Solution

This ABC initiative aims to stimulate livestock production through an increase in productivity, profitability and safety with the exchange of quality information among animal breeders. The agreement between Brazil and Zimbabwe was signed in November 2019 at the Zimbabwe Ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement. Representatives of ABC and experts from the Federal University of Viçosa made a technical visit to Zimbabwe to draw up an action plan and start implementing the cooperation in the educational and scientific realms.

With regard to the methodology of the initiative, the Brazilian mission to Zimbabwe held several meetings with public agencies, local businesses and rural producers in the country. In addition to official talks, it made technical visits, some of them emphasizing the aspects of social responsibility and gender equality, as was the case, for example, for a visit to a Zimbabwean farm run by local women. The possible new technical cooperation project should have the following areas as priorities, taking into account the needs and development of the agriculture sector in Zimbabwe: (a) animal reproduction; (b) animal feeding; and (c) technologies applied to livestock.

As a result of the mission, areas visited in Zimbabwe were identified as having an important similarity to the Brazilian Cerrado, which will facilitate the application of technology that has made this region one of the most productive in Brazil, with large-scale production of meat supplying both the international and domestic markets. The central outcome is the agreement for Brazil to provide Zimbabwe with know-how inputs, professional training and technological tools, with the Federal University of Viçosa at the forefront of the process. Professors from the university, in a visit to the Grasslands Research Station in Zimbabwe, delineated the scope of the institution’s agronomy and zootechnics courses, the laboratories and the research areas that will be used for capacity-building.

This project is included in the South-South cooperation agenda of Brazil, aiming to extend the outreach of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs to other developing countries in order to achieve the SDGs, reducing poverty and increasing food security worldwide. The ABC technical cooperation project will therefore carry out its activities in line with the current national livestock policy, focusing on livestock production, management and commercialization to boost rural revenues of rural communities. This creates a synergy between Brazil and Zimbabwe at a government level but also strengthens their ties in terms of business relations and civil society cooperation.