Diaspora Matters

Understanding the art of demand and supply in agriculture is very important, perhaps a little more important in fresh farm produce than other sectors. If you have been in the agricultural business or are intending to get into this business then you will find this article to be of great value -think of this as a little crash course in agribusiness. Have you ever wondered why a crate of tomatoes is selling at $18 when just a few weeks ago it was selling for 4 times less that amount?Well, the power of demand and supply has a lot to do with it.

The demand for cabbages, tomatoes,onions and other produce is to a great extent constant, but however the instability in supply tends to push the prices up or down. The causes of these fluctuations in Zimbabwe is largely due to changes in season as some crops do best in winter e,g Onions whilst some crops do well in summer. Supply to the market tends to be high when many farmers are harvesting their crop as well hence the knowledge to know when to strategically plant ,harvest and sell is key to running a successful enterprise as producing quality crop in the field is just half the battle, the other half is being able to sell the produce profitably.

What can the farmer do to enjoy better prices?

Those of you who are already in the business have at some point taken their produce very high quality produce be it tomatoes, cabbages etc to Mbare Musika vegetable market and found the market flooded with the same crop and the prices so low you almost collapse. Well the key to this is if you  have the capacity to plant off-season you should do so. This will shift the reliance on rain-fed cropping and create better market prospects for the farmer, as an innovative farmer you may consider investing in that green house , or drip irrigation kit to protect your crop from the elements and produce quality crop.

Second, farmers can try holding on to their produce for much longer. This would involve postponing harvesting for several more weeks as one awaits the prices to stabilise. This is an option only if the crop has good keeping qualities such as butternut however for crops such as cabbages and tomatoes this method is not advisable as the losses can be tremendous.

Contract farming as an option.

Farmers can adopt contract farming. In contract farming, the farmer agrees to sell their produce upon maturity to a specific buyer at a specific price. The advantage to contract farming is that the farmer is assured of a specific price. However, he/she might get a ‘raw deal’ if the free market price will be higher than the price agreed in the contract it’s a risk worth taking though. Contracts to supply can be between markets such as schools, prisons, churches, hotels, etc those.

Bypass the middle man

Farmers can also try to bypass the middlemen ’makoronyera’ as they are affectionately known at MbareMusika and take their produce directly to the market. Some of the middle man have actually done very well or are doing well  more than the farmer who is producing the crop. These guys know very well the dynamics of the market especially the issues of demand and supply. Depending on the amount of produce that you deliver to the market it might be worthy to carry out market investigations before sending your produce to the market so that you know the prevailing prices and conditions, but it is worth trying all the same.

Value addition

Adding value to your produce is one of the options that help improve your profit. I remember receiving input at a recent workshop on mushroom production whereby the farmer was producing and selling their mushroom to a certain supermarket in Harare at 2 USD/Kg whilst the supermarket would sell the same mushrooms cleaned and  packaged nicely at 4.50 USD/Kg. When we sat down and did the calculations the packaging only cost 35c/pack so the shop made more than 100% profit all because of 35c packaging sounds crazy right? Well that’s how business is made out there, so next time before you sell your produce how about thinking of value addition for maximum profits.

Emmanuel D.N Dube is the senior agronomist at Agro Aid Trust and Chief Agronomist at ZBIN. If you have any questions you can email him agroaidtrustzimbabwe@gmail.com /+263783 495 396

he Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a starting point for an exciting career at the World Bank Group.

It is a unique opportunity for younger talent who have both a passion for international development and the leadership potential to grow in fascinating top technical and managerial roles in the World Bank Group (WBG). The program is designed for highly qualified and motivated individuals skilled in areas relevant to WBG technical/operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, agriculture, natural resources and others.

To be competitive for this highly selective program, candidates need to demonstrate a commitment to development, proven academic success, professional achievement, and leadership capability.

We value diversity in our workplace and encourage qualified men and women with diverse professional, academic, and cultural backgrounds to apply. Since its inception, the YP program has hired over 1,700 people who hold or have held positions ranging from entry-level to vice presidents and managing directors. It is a unique opportunity to experience development and gain exposure to the World Bank’s operations and policies.

Every year, around 40 applicants are accepted into the program. Young Professionals are offered a five-year renewable term contract, spend 24 months in a structured development program, and enjoy a variety of benefits and opportunities.

Eligibility

Minimum Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements to be eligible for the Young Professionals Program.

• Citizenship of a member country of the World Bank Group
• Be born on or after October 1, 1985
• A PhD or Master’s degree and relevant work experience
• Fluency in English
• Full proficiency in one or more of the WBG’s working languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish is desired but not required
• Specialization in a field relevant to the WBG Technical/Operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, agriculture, natural resources, and others
• At least three years of relevant professional experience related to development or continued academic study at the doctoral level

Additional Qualifications

To be competitive for the limited number of positions, a combination of the following credentials is highly desirable:

• Display a commitment and passion for international development
• Possess outstanding academic credentials
• Exhibit excellent client engagement and team leadership skills
• Have international development country experience
• Be motivated to relocate and undertake country assignments

Program Features

Professional Experience

Young Professionals are expected to make significant contributions toward their unit’s work program while they gain a broad overview of the WBG’s policies and work. As part of their two-year program and in line with their units’ business needs and Young Professionals’ interests, they are expected to undertake a business driven “stretch/exposure assignment” where they will gain valuable on-the-job experience.

Field Work

Young Professionals in the Operations stream are likely to join colleagues on field business trips, also called ‘missions,’ in developing countries. These missions present invaluable opportunities for Young Professionals to experience firsthand the challenges of global development, understand key aspects of our work, and get exposed to WBG’s clients and their problems.

Training

A comprehensive development curriculum has been designed to ensure that YPs develop a WBG mindset, quickly gain the foundational learning needed to understand and contribute to the WBG, and build the competencies required at an officer’s level: collaboration, leadership, integrative thinking, and innovation skills, while strengthening a culture of continuous learning.

The curriculum includes a blend of learning activities in a WBG cohort, small groups or individually, ranging from on-boarding activities, e-learning, cohort discussions with WBG leaders, leadership training, to career development conversations, and networking opportunities.

Coaching and Mentoring

YP Buddy: Before they join, Young Professionals are assigned a YP buddy from the previous year’s group, based on their professional interests and cultural background. YP buddies help new recruits to better settle in the new organization and location, as well as to understand the expectations and challenges of the program.
Technical Buddy: In their hiring units and within the YP’s first week, an experienced colleague is assigned as a “go-to person” to answer technical questions in their fields.
WBG Mentor: In their second year, once they have settled into their jobs, Young Professionals are offered a mentor—a technical senior colleague—with whom they can discuss career options, “stretch/exposure” assignment opportunities, and gain insight into the organizational culture.
Peer-Coaching Groups: At several points during the year, Young Professionals meet in small subsets of their cohort to exchange—in a safe, intimate, and virtual format—some of the challenges they are facing and receive coaching from their peers, sometimes accompanied by an executive coach or an HR professional.
Youth Program Team: The Youth Program Team is dedicated to recruiting and helping integrate Young Professionals into the WBG. It coordinates activities designed to support YPs, including mentoring and guidance, helping formulate career strategies, and others. The Youth Program Team is a one-stop shop for Young Professionals looking for support and guidance.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary: As an entry-level professional in the WBG, Young Professionals are offered an internationally competitive salary, based on their education and professional experience.
Health, Life, Accident, and Other Insurance Programs: Young Professionals and their families (including declared domestic partners) may choose from three comprehensive medical/dental benefit plans. The WBG also provides basic life and accident insurance to all staff at no cost, and staff can elect optional life and accident insurance plans. The WBG provides disability and workers’ compensation coverage to staff at no cost.
Pension Plan: The WBG sponsors a comprehensive pension plan for eligible staff. Upon separation from the WBG, either a lump sum or a pension will become payable to the staff based on eligibility.
Relocation Benefits: These benefits are only applicable to staff who are not residents of the greater Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area at the time of appointment.
Relocation Travel: The World Bank will bear the cost of one-way transportation of staff and immediate dependent family from the staff member’s residence.
Relocation Shipment: You may choose to have the World Bank handle your shipping arrangements or you may elect the Optional Shipment Grant.
Relocation Grant: A one-time grant is included in the first paycheck to cover the cost of relocation.
Mobility Premium: A financial benefit is provided for a fixed period to cover expenses associated with being an expatriate staff member, based on family size and nationality. This benefit is not available for U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents who are based in Washington, DC.
Tax Allowance: U.S. staff receive an additional quarterly payment to cover the federal, state, and local income tax liabilities on their World Bank Group income. Expatriates and U.S. permanent residents do not incur U.S. income tax liability and are thus not eligible for this benefit.
Financial Assistance: The World Bank Group offers several financial assistance programs, including a two-year interest-free settling-in loan to those who relocate upon appointment.

Selection Cycle

Competition is keen. We receive thousands of applications for a limited number of positions. Most candidates exceed the minimum criteria.

Timeline

• June–September: Review of applications to ensure that candidates meet the eligibility criteria. Update of status to all candidates (candidates moving to the second round and those who are not moving forward)
• October: Technical review of second round candidates. This review takes a closer look into the application packages and determines those candidates who will be selected for interviews
• mid-November–late December: Status update to candidates (those invited to interviews and those who are not moving forward). Interviews are scheduled at WBG headquarters in Washington, D.C., USA and our office in Paris, France
• December–January: YPP interviews: learn more about the YPP interview process
• February: Decisions and offers are communicated
• September: New YP cohorts start

YPP Interviews

Evaluation Criteria

We assess candidates based on three main competencies:

Client Orientation

– Commitment to Clients

– Results Orientation

– Integrity and Ethics

Professional Expertise

– Technical Expertise (Depth & Breadth)

– Strategic Perspective

– Problem Analysis

Team Leadership

– Teamwork

– Listening and Communication

– Innovation

– Negotiation

Further on, we ensure that candidates have the ability to work in multiple sectors.

Format of the Interview Day

The interview is a full-day event. Those invited to interviews will be asked to come to the WBG from 8 am-5:30 pm.

The interview consists of:

(1) Interview: a 1 hour interview with a panel of three senior technical experts in the field of expertise of the candidate; and

(2) Assessment Center: either a morning or an afternoon 4-hour group assessment center (AC). The group assessment center is done with four other candidates. It consists of a series of individual and group exercises related to an international development case study that is given to the candidates at the start of the AC

– Look for tips for interviewing at the World Bank Group

– Check this video to learn more about the assessment center from a Young Professional alumn

– Get familiar with typical World Bank Group documents and projects

Application Process

The application for the 2018 Selection Process for the Young Professionals Program at the World Bank will be opened from June 14 – July 28, 2017.

Before You Apply, please ensure that:

• You meet the minimum requirements for eligibility for the Young Professionals Program and,
• You have all the information at hand including key dates, an updated Curriculum Vitae (CV), Education Certificates/Transcripts, PhD Dissertation/Master’s Thesis topics (short summary), if applicable, and the Application Essay ready to be uploaded

Application Essay for the 2018 Selection Process

“Ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity in a sustainable manner are the driving missions for the World Bank Group. While the goals are simple to grasp, the efforts it will take to meet them are not. Just as there are many interconnected and overlapping causes behind extreme poverty, the solutions required are just as complex and unique to each country’s individual circumstances.  The fundamentals, however, remain true: countries must grow their economies inclusively, so that everyone benefits; they must invest in their people; and they must ensure that those who have left poverty do not fall back into it.

Yet, the world today is much different than it was even just a few years ago. The global community is facing challenges that are diverse in nature—economic, humanitarian, environmental—but that share key features. First, they threaten the hard-won development gains of recent decades; and second, they will not be contained within any one country’s borders. Millions of people have been forcibly displaced by conflict and live in ever-more fragile areas; the risks of pandemics can devastate the health of individuals, but also undermine countries’ economies; and the threats of climate change are becoming ever more apparent.

Everyone will be affected. Yet the poorest and most vulnerable will be affected most. To address these challenges, the World Bank Group is working to become a more agile partner in addressing the world’s most pressing problems. It aims to leverage and apply its unique capabilities to provide the innovative financing and creative solutions that support countries in dealing with these challenges at the local, regional, and global levels. As the world works to confront these challenges,

the World Bank Group will continue to play an essential role in supporting global development and working to safeguard the progress toward the 2030 sustainable development agenda.” (Extract from the 2016 WBG Annual Report)

Describe in fewer than 1,000 words your own contribution and the potential role of World Bank in resolving some of the above challenges. Focus on your area of expertise to describe your proposal.

Application Checklist

This checklist is meant to facilitate your application experience.

• Use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or Internet Explorer 10 or higher as your browser
• You will be asked to register for an account and provide an email address. Ensure it is spelled correctly and will be working for the next year or so, since this will be our main channel of communication with you
• You must complete your application in a single session and will be able to submit it only if you have uploaded all the required documents and answered all the questions (all questions marked with an asterisk—*—are required). Do not use any special characters in the application (e.g accents, cedille etc) as it may prevent your application from moving forward
• Provide the most current contact information, including your complete phone number (country code + city code + number). The information should be valid for one year. If your contact information changes during the selection process, (including personal address), it is your responsibility to email us the updated information
• Please attach the following documents (mandatory):
  o CV
  o Education certificates/transcripts
  o PhD dissertation/Master’s thesis topic (short summary), if applicable
  o Application essay

Files should not exceed 5 MB each and should be in the following formats: .doc, .docx, or .pdf

Once you submit your application, you will not be able to make any changes/updates.

Applicants will be informed of their status as the process moves along

Sometimes we get this question-‘Does Online Forex Trading involve going to Roadport and trade forex?’ The answer is that Online Forex Trading is not dealing in currency the illegal way. The basics for online forex trading involve you investing a lot of your time in learning about Online Forex Trading by visiting websites such as www.babypips.com. You can also search on Youtube about Online Forex Trading.

After reading material posted on www.baypips.com the next stage is for you to try online forex trading on a demo account. You assess your level of confidence before going live trading online forex.

Mind you, its not a get rich scheme but it is providing reliable income to some who have mastered it. The trick is to be part of a community that is involved in the trade. The good news is that we do have a community of more than 200 members who are trading or learning how to trade.

Before sending a request to join our group there is one requirement for you-take your time to study the attached manual. The last thing we would like is for someone to ask us what online forex trading is-you have to to know the basics and we have provided the basics on this site for you.

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ZBIN conducted 2 free sessions for more than 30 members, Online Forex Trading costs $150 but your favourite business forum provided the training free of charge. Members trained are already learning how to trade on the demo accounts before going live.

Our next stop on free online forex trading is Chinhoyi and lastly Bulawayo. It is strictly per request from our members-also take into consideration that this is not our core business so we help here and there whenever we can find time.

When i was in upper 6 I did the unthinkable, I asked for my own piece of land from my grand mother Mbuya Munemo! I had seen the value of land at a young age and decided to have my own piece of land before going to college. The question my grand mum asked was why i wanted land when i was not yet married, she added another question-why i wanted land at such a young age.

I did my best to explain that i was investing for the future and also the fact that noone had an interest in the land, no current grand son or daughter had interest in the land. To make matters worse a prominent banker was eying our ancestral land. To cut to the chase i got my own 5 hectares before enrolling for my Accounting Degree at a local university.

I had seen value in the land at a young age, the land was close to a reliable water source, our rural area is a 40 minute drive from the Mutoko Road toll gate-i did not make sense to me why most people were shunning the land. What also inspired my acquisition was the fact that my late grand father who had passed one before  i was born had an interesting story to tell about land.

My late grand father had moved from his area of birth, Gora in Mhondoro in search of land for his big family. He had done a lot to secure land for each child. Unfortunately when he passed on, most of his kids left for the city and few valued rural land. So i was the only muzukuru who carried on with the dream of my grand parents-full utilisation of rural land!

What businesses can you do with rural land?

Some Hararians are involved in a lot of agricultural activities in the peri urban areas such as Seke,Goromonzi, Domboshava, Chihota and Musana. We hope to carry out a detailed  study of these areas but most residents are involved in commercial activities that range from chicken rearing, rabbit rearing, piggery, cattle fattening. Some are involved in agro-processing activities and those with large pieces of land grow various crops such as maize, sugar beans, tomatoes, onions and cabbages.

Some are even setting up green houses especially in areas such as Domboshava and Goromonzi. What has enabled this investment is the availability of transport and a ready market of agricultural products in Harare.

We even have lorries that come to farmers inorder to help them ferry agricultural produce to the market. Long back it used to be farmers looking for transport, now the trend is reversing.

The availability of solar energy has also facilitated the expansion of agricultural activities because now people can sink boreholes and use solar energy to irrigate crops. The solar energy can also be used to provide light and other services to the household.

Below we feature an inbox request from one of our members. The responses covered are from our active members on our ZBIN Facebook Page.

Hello Admin, I hope i find you well. Please post for me on the forum… Im looking for an income generating idea on a 6 acre plot in a rural area quite a distance from an urban area but close to a seasonal water source.

Responses

Edson Chivanga What do you have in mind and how much knowledge do have for that so that we can start from there. In business every idea can give you a good outcome but the best one comes out of what you enjoy most and we can give you ideas to grow that vision.

Vokal DaPoet Depending on soil structure, there are a number of things that one can plant.

Rutendo Faith lavener
roses
aloe vera
ginger
tumeric
ginseng
coconut trees
strawberries
hazvina kuwandirwa especially if u have good capital plus soil will determine

Mai Mrehwa ginseng takes years to grow n be selleable

Penyai Rotai nhai anotenga aloe vera ndiyani

Rutendo Faith u try pharmaceutical companies nevanogadzira mishonga and herbs

Mudiwavashe Kamoto I like the plants outlined by Rutendo Faith koz sometimes zvoda kubuda mugurumwandira kuty uite mari. Kwete kungowa TOMATOES.

Justice Mungwini WHERE exactly z the plot…WHAT exactly do you mean by ‘seasonal water source’….HOW much capital u wanna invest…WHAT re others in that area doing…

Mudiwavashe Kamoto Above everything do yu have the calling in farming.Farming is a passionate venture it has to be something that comes from yur heart it’s not something you can do becoz others are making money out of it. Take yur tyme to do a self examination. It may sound weird but I tell yu. Yu just need to go on yur planning table

Do watch out for a television programme produced by your favourite business forum. The business programme titled ‘ Identify an Opportunity’ the aim of the programme is to help Zimbabweans to be able to identify opportunities in their local environments.

You do not need to have someone coming from your area to identify opportunities or even worse-to take advantage of opportunities that exist in your area. Grab opportunities that exist in your community! If you do not then someone else will….its as simple as that.

Identifying opportunities should be a skill that we should all possess. Putting together the opportunity into a viable business plan is the next stage with finding funding being the last.

We therefore hope to help Zimbos with the skill of identifying opportunities and we believe that it is going to be fun and will involve Zimbabweans from all walks of lives including the Diaspora community too.

To help illustrate the concept 3 weeks ago we were at Makoni Shopping Centre, we had briefly stopped at the centre whilst waiting for someone to show us directions to the Holiness Revival Church where we were scheduled to carry out a business presentation.

We gave ourselves a challenge-Identify opportunities at Makoni Shopping Centre in 3 minutes!

In 3 minutes to assess the state of the economy and predictions of the future, to have knowledge of the population of Chitungwiza and their needs. In 3 minutes to assess the level of competition at the centre and find out what is missing and also whether it is viable.

Guess what we came up with?

Our answer is Herbal Shop .

A herbal shop would be ideal because according to our last survey, Health Spending is amongst the top 6 areas where Zimbos are spending monies on. The centre has several pharmacies which only sell modern medicine. There is no shop concentrating on herbal medicine, a neat and presentable shop that sells herbs to Chitungwiza residents.

If we had more time at the centre we believe that we could have come up with more opportunities. So how did we identify this opportunity in 3 minutes? The answer is simple-we have trained ourselves to identify opportunities, identifying opportunities now run in our DNA and now we are going for speed, how many opportunities can you identify in record time?

We would like the nation to enjoy in the fun of identifying opportunities and a tv programme will do the trick. So watch for more details as we put all logistics in place.

I am sure at some point we all have gone into, passedor at the very least parked near  our local farming input hardware shop and noticed the seedling vendors often manning the pavements selling seedlings of tomatoes, onions , cabbages etc. That’s a business that almost anyone can get into with minimal resources, however if you want to run this business profitably then I suggest you go through this article as we speak about running a plant nursery business on a semi commercial to commercial basis and earning that extra dollar for you and your family.

Who can run a nursery?

The answer is quite simple, anyone can run a nursery business this includes you, the key factors like any other business are determination, skill and persistence. I will admit it may be a bit challenging at first as you might not have the pre requisite skill to rear seedlings successfully, in such a case it becomes vital to invest in attending that nursery management training workshop or simply have your workers trained on nursery management by a professional agronomist believe me it pays at the end of the day.

Who will I sell to?

The purpose of this article is to equip you with information so that you shift from seedling street vending for those who are already in the business to becoming a commercial seedling producer. You will be surprised that most commercial fresh produce farmers do not have nurseries on their farms and rely on purchasing seedlings or simply outsourcing their seedlings from reputable suppliers due to various reasons ranging from quality to cost cutting measures. Therefore it is very important to actively market your services and products to this market.

Which crops seedlings can I produce?

Depending on the season and market you can produce a wide variety of seedlings for the market. Onions and cabbages are ideal this time of the year as they can be grown well during this time of the year in Zimbabwe despite the winter season the list is endless. Another crop which can be grown and has great returns when sold as seedlings is the “golden leaf”,  tobacco seedling which by the way if you intend to transplant as irrigated crop in September/October the first week of June is the best time to plant the seeds in the nursery.

How much will I need to start up?

The positive thing about nursery production is the reduced labour costs as one or two people are required to effectively run a nursery catering for seedlings covering 50-100 hectares. The ultimate startup cost will depend on the method used in your nursery. I usually encourage  clients to shift from the conventional seed bed method to the advanced hydroponics systemwhich has the advantage of producing even sized seedlings, easy fertilization, easy pest management, easy water management. It will cost about 700 USD to set up, this includes the trays and liquid fertilisers that are used. I do admit this is a steep figure but let me make it clear that this is a once off investment which will pay you back in the long run. It takes usually 4 – 5 weeks to produce seedlings for most vegetables with each seedling sold between5c – 10c and producing a minimum of 20 000 seedlings that translates to about 2 000 USD  and then deducting variable costs you profit  800 – 1 000 USD minimum that’s a nice extra dollar every 5 weeks. Make sure to visit this page during the week for a detailed article on the hydroponics system.

How much space do I need?

Your own back yard can be used as a nursery  provided there is enough sunlight reaching the area. To produce 20 000 seedlings you may need only 50 m x 1 m that’s pretty manageable.

What challenges must I expect?

Like any business there is some risk involved, the major challenge that most farmers who are into this business face is quality issues , this is greatly reduced with the hydroponics system as well as employing skilled labour to produce your seedlings. The other challenge is that of finding a  reliable market, if you are just starting this business it is advisable to start small, start by selling to your friends, church mates, schools, small scale farmers etc, in the process you build yourself a reputation and business grows.

How best can I market my seedlings ?

I am not a marketing specialist but experience has taught me that a good reputation will attract good business.  A good reputation involves delivering the seedlings on the agreed date and producing quality seeds and most importantly don’t cheat the customer. I have come across a very interesting model were by the nursery produces seedlings which are paid for in advance by the farmer on a rotational basis or depending on your relationship with the farmer , the  nursery produces the seedlings and farmer is contracted to pay upon sale of produce at an agreed interest rate.

Emmanuel D.N Dube is the senior agronomist at Agro Aid Trust and Chief Agronomist at ZIBN. If you have any questions you can email him agroaidtrustzimbabwe@gmail.com/+263783 495 396

In an interview carried by The Sunday Mail today, interesting facts came up. The Ministry of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and Cooperatives Development carried out  small survey in Mbare where they established that Mbare has a daily circulation of $1 million dollars. Interesting isn’t it? To some of us this is not new because in 2015 The Standard once carried a story where it was discovered that Mbare Musika generated $24 million in revenue in 2014.

The latest survey covers Mupedzanhamo, Siyaso and Mbare Musika.One million is no child’s play and the interesting thing about it is that we even have big companies participating on the vegetable markets with some offloading poultry eggs on  a daily basis.

We  hope to follow up on this story in the coming months and find out who the big players are at Mbare markets.

Cabbage, known on the streets as “Musoro wembudzi” or “ Inhloko” in vernacular is quite popular with most vegetable vendors and ultimately consumers. Cabbage has an amazingly huge demand with over 200 000 heads of cabbage being sold each day collectively across various markets in Harare, to the business minded farmer this translates to thousands of dollars in profit and hence is a great business opportunity as the crop is one of the easiest to grow and less demanding in terms of resources.

When is the best time to grow cabbages?

Cabbages can be grown all year round in Zimbabwe generally, but the best time to grow cabbages with ultimate profits is during the winter season, May – July however try to make sure that severe winter temperatures catch the crop when it is now mature as seedlings are prone to frost damage and mature plants can withstand temperatures as low as -3 degrees. Winter period is appropriate as cabbage fetches one of the best prices during this time, 50c to 80c/ head average size. Usually volumes are generally low during winter pushing the prices up and the farmer should take advantage of this and move volumes. On the technical side during winter time your agro chemicals bill is less by 36 % which translates to thousands of dollars saved as compared to cropping in summer.

How much do I need to start up?

Perhaps before I get into the numbers business that we are all interested in, it is best to emphasize that one needs to employ experienced staff members or at least have the workers trained by a professional agronomist prior to cropping in order to maximize on quality. On average an investment of 4 000 USD/ha is required this includes variable costs. I know most of you reading this article by now are saying 4 000 USD is a bit steep, wait a minute there is a positive side for every dollar invested expect between 4 – 6 USD in return. In simpler terms you invest 4 000 expect roughly about 10 000 -12 000 USD after taking into consideration possible losses this is a good figure which should send you smiling to the bank.

How important is quality in cabbage production?

Quality is of utmost importance when growing cabbages this is what will make a difference in terms of the farmer making a profit or a loss. A good example we always tell our clients at Agro Aid Trust is that for every cabbage head that has a coin size hole due to pest damage is equivalent to 1 cent reduction in potential price. This point just stresses the importance of a good pest management program when growing cabbages going back to the issue of experienced staff being crucial.

How long does it take before I harvest?

This depends on your choice of variety, early maturing 75 -85 days, medium 75- 110 days and late maturing 80-120 days roughly. Most farmers prefer the early maturing variety and the most common amongst our farmers is the early maturing variety Starke Eyre’s Star 3311 hybrid which has outstanding yield properties meaning in three months’ time you will be able reap the rewards meaning that within a space of 1 year you can crop 4 times on the same piece of land which translates to huge figures in profit.

What are the most common challenges in cabbage production?

Most farmers make the mistake of producing quality crop in huge volumes but do not have the pre requisite market to absorb their produce often resulting in losses. It is advisable to first investigate and gather enough information about your market before cropping to avoid this scenario. Another common challenge is that of poor quality produce, the chief culprit being pests which damage the leaves , it is very important to have a strict spraying program that is adhered to religiously in order to manage and control the pests.

It is very important to emphasize that cabbage production is a volumes game. The more cabbage you produce the more returns you make. Established farmers will tell you that for example you may produce a truck load of cabbages e.g in lay man’s terms a T35 truck but only realize a profit of 300 USD after deductions of transport etc but if you send a load of a Nissan UD truck you realize a profit of roughly 1 000 USD.

In the next article we will go deep into the production technicalities of cabbage so be sure to visit this page.

Emmanuel DN Dube is the senior agronomist at Agro Aid Trust, if you have any questions please email him on agroaidtrustzimbabwe@gmail.com +263783 495 396

by Shikoh Gitau

A story is told of a technology company that creates and deploys life-saving mobile phone services. Based in Cape Town, this technology company developed a revolutionary technology with a mission to assist community health workers from the local township to better monitor their HIV-positive patients. The mobile application fulfilled all the usability requirements; it was easy to use, adoptable to local language, and solved a vey specific use. On launching the services, it was a flop. Further studies indicated that, while all the technical and social requirements were met, and community health workers were excited at the prospect of using it, they were not using it. The question there was: What had gone wrong?

Before I explain, I will share another anecdote. Recently I was engaged in a heated discussion on the role of technology for development. The mostly older, Western-educated male audience, while largely reluctant to adopt technology in some areas, was open to the idea that technology could make a difference, which came as a pleasant surprise to me. However, that is as far as the pleasantries reached, because the next statement was, “Women, Technology, Rural and Africa… what do you mean? That is an oxymoron! We should just forget that and invest on the urban youth, those are the catalyst to development, and they are the future.” This statement sent a chill down my spine. Is it really an oxymoron?

One thing is clear, African women remain largely unaccounted for in the technology sector. The gap in all spheres – leadership, labour force and usage – is wider than the world average. What is causing this digital gender gap? Is it lack of the correct technology? Is it lack of relevant content online, or is it due to the long-held myth that girls are just not good enough to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, the so-called “STEM careers”; nor to use technology, much less in the technological field? But the even bigger question is: Can anything be done to reverse this trend?

In January, the African Development Bank, hosted an invigorating roundtable with the theme “Women and Technology: Increasing Access, Use, Employment and Leadership” in the Bank’s South African Resource Centre (SARC). The roundtable brought together the visiting delegation of TechWomen, with some of the leading voices for women and technology in South Africa. TechWomen is a US State Department-funded program, whose goal is to increase the number of women technology entrepreneurs in the global south through training and mentorship. The delegation was made up of senior women in leadership in the Silicon Valley.

The objective of the roundtable was to discuss ways in which the represented companies, organizations and individuals would approach the issue to increase the holistic participation of women in technology. Everyone at the table was already a converted advocate and activist on the issue. However, the questions raised included: What are the similarities in challenges across the Atlantic? What lessons can be learned from each of the experiences? And what are the possible areas of collaboration and partnership?

The issue of cyber security, especially for young girls who were accessing the Internet for the first time, was a cross-cutting theme. The participants, especially those who were mothers, voiced concerns about how to ensure the safety of their children online even on the simplest of phones.

There was also a discussion around education and possible policy, curriculum and structural interventions to attract and retain the number of women who pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from grade school, through to tertiary institutions. Pointing out examples such as Harvey Mudd College, which has seen an increase of women taking computer science. Additional actions suggested was close collaboration with governments, and special incentives to universities to increase the number of women pursuing STEM.

A major source of discussion was the design of technology and, as one participant pointed out, “it is very hard for an all pale male design team, to have the perspective of a mahogany female” referring the design teams of many of the widely used technology. The context that determines if an African female will be a technology user is complex concoction of culture, socialization, infrastructure and education, to mention just a few. These are issues that may not all be well understood through a survey or usability studies, but rather through a real-life experience and only an African woman could fully express her perspective, and those of women like her. It was therefore pointed out that there is a need for more African women to either be creating the technologies, or to be part of teams creating technology.

Adoption of some of the suggestions that came out of the discussion is a priority for the Bank. These included the creation of special internships and scholarship tracks to catalyze the increase of women in the workforce, working with governments and educational institutions to adopt some of the best practices to ensure that they attract and retain women in the STEM fields of work, and supporting women to innovate and start their own technology businesses. It is important to demonstrate why women and especially rural women should be using technology. For instance, women form over 60% of the Africa rural population, are responsible for approximately 75% of the agricultural labour, and produce 60% to 80% of the food^[1]. Evidence shows that, if they had the same access to productive resources including technology as men, they could increase their yields, raising total agricultural output, in turn reducing the number of hungry people in the world. Finally, there is the case of role models: showcasing some of the women who are already working in the STEM fields on the continent is important to motivate young girls, who otherwise lack someone to look up to.

Going back to the story of community health workers in South Africa and the live-saving application I started with, Lerato, a 32-year-old community health worker who lives in Gugulethu, has to walk to work in Khayelitsha Township, where Siba and her family lives. Siba is one of the 15 families affected by HIV under Lerato’s care. The daily commute through the the sprawling township is not safe. To ensure her safety, Lerato often disguises herself by wearing a cloth on her head and conceals all her valuables in her undergarments. The team that created the community health worker application did not take into account the commute and the safety measures that Lerato has to undertake. Further testing did not uncover why the Lerato was not using the service. But when a new design team took over the project, a woman in the team took only a day to discover the problem. The mobile phone that held the application which was issued to Lerato was too big. It could not easily fit into her bra.