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Diaspora Matters
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Hydroponics is the art of rearing plants in a soil less media, what does this really mean?. Well this simply means growing a plant without the use of soil, the technique has been used for more than 3 decades in the developed world and has only been introduced in Zimbabwe not more than a decade ago tailor made specifically for the tobacco industry by Kutsaga Research Station Tobacco Research Board with tremendous results. This week we shall be looking at this technique in greater detail and learn how to use this technique particularly for those of you who are into nursery production business and specifically tobacco farmers.
If you have grown tobacco before then you must be well aware of the time consumed taking care of the tobacco seedlings which translates to a lot of labour days and huge wage costs. What if I tell you that there is a way in which you can cut those costs by 65% at the same time producing quality seedlings which will in turn create a great reputation for you if you are into seedling production or translate to a great crop establishment if you are into tobacco production? In this article we shall dwell on tobacco seedling production using this method since most farmers are already preparing to sow in their seedbeds in the next few days or weeks also mainly due to the huge email requests on the topic.
This method involves the use of trays which made of kaylite which are able to float in a specially made pond with water. The water will basically have a special liquid fertilizer added to it to in the process providing adequate amount of nutrients to the growing seedling which will be in pine bark acting as the soil.
Advantages of using this type of method
It uses fewer chemicals and in smaller quantities, it employs economical integrated management of diseases and pests, it uses less water and fertilizers ,it produces superior and more uniform drought tolerant seedlings, it offers additional flexibility in planning following pulling, it facilitates easier field management arising from a more uniform crop, it has a permanent seedbed site and there is no need for rotations, trays can last for five or more years if kept properly
What do I use in place of soil ?
Pine bark, washed river sand and water mixed in the ratio 1; 1; 0.5 by volume are used as the growing medium for the 200 cell trays. For 242 cell trays use 100% pine bark and water and mix in the ratio 1:0.5, or mix pine bark, sand and water in the ratio 3:1: 0,5 by volume. The ratio of the water may be reduced or increased depending on the moisture content of the other constituents. The pine bark used is supplied by Flora Pine Bark Produce (Pvt) Ltd in Mutare and Nyanga. Large pieces of pine bark or sand are removed by screening through a 6mm sieve.The pH of the pine bark should be maintained at 5.5.The sand can be a source of weed seeds, pathogens and nematodes and so it should be solarised, steamed or boiled before use. Limited amounts of amended composted pine bark are available at Kutsaga as Gromix.
How do I water the seedlings?
No need to worry about watering your seedlings remember the trays will be suspended in water all the time meaning that the seedlings are always in nutrient rich water. All you have to be aware of is making sure that the ponds are filled with water to a depth of 10 cm all the time.
Since the seedlings are in water how do I harden them before transplanting?
Seedlings should be sufficiently hardened so as to survive the difficulty of transplanting under difficult conditions experienced in the lands. Hardening is done by ensuring that the seedlings utilize most of the nitrogen early in the growth and that little remains in the water during the last two to three weeks before transplanting. Clipping also has a hardening effect. For further hardening remove the fertilizer solution from the waterbed, and replace the solution with water only for the last week of production.The simplest test for “hardness” is that a seedling should be able at least to be bent over without snapping.
Common challenges
Algae Growth, actual harm to the seedlings is unusual.Cover as much as possible of the surface water with trays so as to exclude sunlight on water, which encourages algal growth.It can also be controlled by delaying the fertilizing of the float bed to 14 days after seeding, this allows the seedlings to germinate and grow above any algal growth on the cell surface.As a preventative measure apply a Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC) or copper oxychloride in float water at sowing. Copper oxychloride is applied at the rate of 0.012 g/L and Pentakill at 0.18 ml/L for one hectare.
Others
Dry Cells: Water fails to move up the cell by a process called “wicking” due to loose compaction of media in cells. No wicking means no germination. Follow the tray filling and handling procedure correctly.
Cold injury: The float beds should not be allowed to get cold. The June sown nurseries need to have both cropgard and plastic tent and a greenhouse.
Salt Injury: Greyish salt deposits on substrate surface. Severe cupping of seedling. The possible solution is to water with a knapsack sprayer thoroughly to leach the salts from the surface. Also cover with Cropgard or a sterile mulch plus plastic cover at night.
For a more detailed guide please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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
We bring you an interesting approach to organisational development-the Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach. Important to organisational development practitioners involved in change management and capacity building initiatives.
| Many reform initiatives fail to achieve sustained improvements in performance because organizations use mimicry to camouflage the absence of real change. That is, they pretend to reform by changing what policies and organizational structures look like rather than what they actually do. As long as the eco-systems in which state organizations live, reward mimicry over functionality, then capability traps can persist, even when organizations remain engaged in the typical developmental rhetoric and tactics of “policy reform,” “training” and “capacity building.” Moreover, many best-practice agendas bring solutions that exclude local agents from the process of building their own states, implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) undermining the value-creating ideas of local leaders and front line workers.
To help escape capability traps, the Building State Capability program at CID is exploring the potential of a Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) approach. PDIA rests on four core principles: Local Solutions for Local Problems Pushing Problem Driven Positive Deviance Try, Learn, Iterate, Adapt Scale through Diffusion The table below from our research highlights how PDIA differs from standard approaches. |
| Table 1: Contrasting current approaches and PDIA |
| Elements of Approach | Mainstream Development Projects/Policies/Programs |
Problem Driven Iterative Adaption |
| What drives action? | Externally nominated problems or ‘solutions’ in which deviation from ‘best practices’ forms is itself defined as the problem | Locally Problem Driven – looking to solve particular problems |
| Planning for action? | Lots of advance planning, articulating a plan of action, with implementation regarded as following the planned script | ‘Muddling through’ with the authorization of positive deviance and a purposive crawl of the available design space |
| Feedback loops | Monitoring (short loops, focused on disbursement and proces compliance) and Evalulation (long feedback loop on outputs, maybe outcomes) | Tight feedback loops based on the problem and experimentation with information loops integrated with decisions |
| Plans for scaling up and diffusion of learning |
Top-down – the head learns and leads, the rest listen and follow | Diffusion of feasible practice across organizations and communities of practitioners |
| Source: Escaping Capability Traps through Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) |
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Call for Applications: Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) Youth Leadership and Development Course – Winter School 15 – 22 July 2017
Deadline: COB 30 June 2017
The Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) is looking to develop young leaders aged 18 to 25 years who have an interest in community development? If you are a young woman or man within that age cohort, this is an opportunity for you to participate in the Youth Leadership and Development Course (Winter School 2017). If you are interested in taking part in this year’s Winter School, don’t wait, apply now!
This year’s Winter School shall commence from the 15th to the 22nd of July 2017. The venue and logistics for the course shall be disclosed to successful applicants.
To apply
To apply for the 2017 Winter school complete the application form here and email to: winterschoolplus@gmail.com
Hard copy applications and reference forms can be posted to 7 Capri Road , Highlands, Harare.
Female applicants; participants from rural Zimbabwe aged 18-25yrs are encouraged to apply. Winter school alumni from previous years (2005- 2016) are not eligible to apply for this year’s winter school.
For enquiries contact Samantha or Emilie on 04-496 889, Mobile / Whatsapp 0775320238, +47 91701240 or 0772 993 779 or email: winterschoolplus@gmail.com
The best performing sector in Zimbabwe is arguably the Mining Sector-all you need to do to confirm this is to look at the exports receipts where the Mining sector has done well ahead of the Agriculture and other sectors such as Tourism.
So what does this mean for the Diaspora community? It means that you too can participate in the economy and one way to do this is through the provision of mining trucks and equipment! There is a shortage of mining equipment especially by the small to medium scale miners.
One therefore needs to carry out a market survey of the needs of this sector and then ship the equipment to the country. This is much better than shipping material that may be hard to sell in the current environment. Some are even entering into partnerships with local miners who lack equipment but have access to mining rights and mines. One needs to carry out thorough research and one way to do this is through joining mining forums that exist on social media such as ZBIN Mining group.
Formed in February 2015, our forum has been at the forefront of providing free business opportunity information to Zimbabweans. With a membership of 29,000 followers on Facebook and 5,000 on our Whatsapp platforms, ZBIN has provided an excellent platform for Zimbabweans to share business ideas and also network.
When we formed the forum, we had these issues in mind:
Lets assume you are based far away from home like Perth in Australia, where are you going to get information about opportunities in Zimbabwe?
If you are based in London and would like to know the daily takings that kombis bring, where are you going to get the information?
So we basically formed the forum so that our members and followers can access opportunities information free of charge. We created a platform for members to obtain information for free rather than reliance on one source of news! Every minute there are business discussions going on the ZBIN forums especially our Whatsapp groups, every minute someone is getting assistance from members or looking for information from this site.
ZBIN Initiatives
With no other forum providing information for free, our forum has managed to reach out to thousands of Zimbabweans who are locally based and those in the Diaspora. We have also managed to conduct a number of business meetings, trainings and business tours. We have also promoted a number of innovations from the forum such as the Poultry Market App that helps to link farmers of poultry and buyers.
ZBIN History
Yesterday we made history by being the first business forum in Zimbabwe to carry out a Facebook Live Broadcast! Facebook Live Broadcasts have taken Zimbabwe by storm and they have been popularised by the UK based socialite Olinda Chapel. ZBIN however is the first forum to see value in terms of networking and unlocking opportunities in the business sector.
Looking ahead we hope to make follow ups and use this facility responsibly to help in delivering our objectives of access to business information, assisting members to have access to capital and markets. We hope to carry our capacity building of the small sector businesses, carry out Diaspora Conferences, Meetings and webinars, forum key events and many more.
This is going to assist the forum in creating a solid network of members despite the fact that most of our members are located across the globe. We will however limit the number of live broadcasts with perhaps one per month as this is still a fairly new facility with most people still to appreciate it.
We therefore would like to thank the 250 viewers who were part of the live broadcast, you were part of history in the making!
Closing date: 5pm, Friday 14 July 2017 (Bonn, Germany time)
- Are you an environmentally-conscious, socially-aware journalism student?
- Are you passionate about the health of the planet’s environment and have an interest to communicate about it?
- Do you want to make a difference and engage the youth of today to care about the future of tomorrow?
Then join us at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 8th General Assembly (GA) from 9 to 10 October 2017 in Vancouver (Canada) and report on the issues at the forefront of responsible forestry.
Young people are at the centre of a sustainable future, and FSC is looking for a passionate youth correspondent who can engage their peers by covering this important event with originality, accuracy and inspiring reporting.
Background
The FSC GA 2017 is FSC’s highest decision-making body. Eight hundred participants from 70 countries – representing social, economic and environmental interests from the Global North and South – will meet in Vancouver to discuss a sustainable future for the world’s forests and the people that inhabit them. To find out more about FSC International go to https://ic.fsc.org and for more detailed information on the FSC GA 2017 go to http://ga2017.fsc.org
Two journalism students will be selected by the FSC Communications Unit to attend the GA and act as FSC Youth Correspondents – reporting for youth, by youth.
To ensure full coverage of the FSC GA 2017, roles and responsibilities for the youth correspondent could include:
- Writing, editing and feeding stories about the activities and outcomes of the FSC GA 2017, and its side events, into international, regional and local media networks and communities (ensuring equal regional media coverage).
- Attending events and roundtables in order to interview and profile key guests and delegates.
- Reporting throughout the event – getting comments and opinions from delegates that can be broadcast on various channels.
- Using a variety of tools and techniques to keep articles and other related work engaging – including taking photos and recording sound and video.
Criteria for Selection
The ideal candidate should:
- Demonstrate excellent writing skills in English.
- Be enrolled in an accredited college or university pursuing a journalism/communications degree at the time of application. Students in forestry/environmental sciences related degrees with the above required writing skills are also encouraged to apply.
- Be between the ages of 18 to 26.
- Not be working as a professional journalist at the time of the event.
- Have a good working knowledge of English (Spanish, or additional languages desirable).
- Be available to travel on and around the dates of the FSC GA 2017 (9 to 13 October 2017).
- Be in possession of a valid passport, which does not expire before 31 October 2017.
- Not have any legal reasons to be denied a visa to enter Canada.
Desirables:
- Journalistic experience (student newspapers, online contributor etc.), especially in environmental, social issues, social policy, or business reporting.
Application should include:
- CV or resume including full contact details, education, volunteer and working experience (max. 2 pages).
- A brief cover letter in English detailing why you want to be the FSC Youth Correspondent 2017 and how your experience would help you to achieve the deliverables (max. one page).
- Copies of, or links to, three examples of your work (articles, blog posts, videos etc.), preferably on environmental issues.
- Desirable: A letter supporting your application from a teacher, professor, mentor, professional journalist etc.
Closing date: 5pm, Friday, 14 July (Bonn, Germany time)
Please send all applications to communications@fsc.org with ‘FSC Youth Correspondent 2017 application’ in the header, or post your application to:
FSC Youth Correspondent 2017 Application
FSC International
Communications Unit
Charles-de-Gaulle-Straße 5
53113 Bonn Deutschland / Germany
The successful applicant will receive:
- Return flights on economy class to Vancouver
- Reimbursement of visa application fees
- Accommodation (sharing) in a hotel in Vancouver
- All meals and a small stipend will be provided
The good news from Harare is that the Government is finalising the Diaspora Strategy, this strategy will guide the government on how to engage the Diaspora, how to assess the needs of the Diaspora and ensure a win win situation. The Diaspora benefits by having their needs met, the country benefits by having formal structures to engage the Diaspora.
The Diaspora has been on average remitting close to $1Billion dollars a year. There has been a slight decline and this has been attributed to fluctuations of major currencies such as the Rand. We have written extensively about the Diaspora because the $1Billion that is being remitted is just a fraction of the potential that exists, the community has access to credit, access to markets, access to technology and access to rich networks that can benefit the country.
The $1Billion can easily rise to $2 Billion or more if the Government engages this community and acknowledge the importance and influence that they have in the country. It is also interesting to note that remittances has surpassed Direct Foreign Investment, so the community should be viewed in the same way that we view foreign investors.
We should have Diaspora -friendly policies that helps to attract more remittances in the formal channels. The Diaspora Strategy is still to be finalised and be launched but we firmly believe that the country has taken a great step by acknowledging the importance of this important sector. The National Budget has been an average of $4 Billion, the Diaspora has been providing $1 Billion, these statistics surely point to an important sector which is helping to oil the economy! The Diaspora also wants a conducive environment for investment, security of investment, rights to voting and clarity on Dual Citizenship-these issues can be ironed out through engagement.
The local television reported that a high powered delegation will be in South Africa to engage the Diaspora and this is great news. We encourage our members to attend and meaningfully engage the government officials. Its a great platform to hear of the plans that are in place to help the community by the government. We hope to see fruitful dialogues that result in more remittances and more investment opportunities being unlocked for the betterment of Zimbabwe and the Diasporan Community.
Here is great news for members and followers of the Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network(ZBIN), we now have offices! We have been operational since 2015 but had no physical offices of our own. We had to rely on hiring venues for meetings and conferences but now we have secured a place of our own!
Located at Rokpa Centre in Monavale, opposite the former Italian club in Harare, our offices have access to 2 resource centres which will come in handy for hosting conferences, meetings and expos by our forum of more than 30,000 members.
Open Day
We have already put in place plans for our official open day for the forum and will update our members in due course. We would like to thank our subscribed members who made the opening of offices possible.
Know your product, your customers and your investor! When investors listen to a “pitch,” establishing whether or not someone has a good business idea is the easy part. Most investors walk away because they’re not convinced they can trust you with their money. It’s really that simple. If I don’t tell you this, I will have done you a disservice. It’s nothing to be angry or bitter about.
This post must be read with the other two posts I’ve done on this subject. If you haven’t yet done so, I suggest you read them carefully, including my comments and those of your colleagues.
For those of you who missed last week, here’s a summary of Neil Patel’s first four pitching “tips”: 1) Take only ten minutes; 2) Turn your pitch into a story; 3) Be laser-focused; and 4) Explain EXACTLY what your product or service is.
Neil’s article continues with Tips #5 thru #8:
“5. Explain EXACTLY what is unique about your product or service.
If you are not producing or providing anything different from the run-of-the-mill widget, don’t even go to the meeting. Go back to your drawing board, and design something better.
6. Explain EXACTLY who your target audience is.
Use demographic and psychographic features to pinpoint your customers. Show investors a picture of a customer along with relevant data points.
7. Explain EXACTLY how you intend to acquire these customers.
Business success comes down to marketing. If you have a marketing idea, method, technique or process, this is your chance to showcase it. Contrary to pithy maxims, great products don’t sell themselves. You sell the product. To be persuaded, investors have to see an airtight strategy for getting the product to market.
Most VCs are well aware of the advantages of digital marketing and won’t take a second glance at a product that isn’t backed by a tactical plan for online marketing.
8. Explain your revenue model.
Investors invest because they want to make a return on that investment. An investor will care about your pitch if you can answer this question: ‘How will my company make you rich?’
The answer, in investor-speak, is your revenue model. Specifically identify which type of revenue model you are embracing, and how you intend to apply it. . .”
***
__By now you know that one of my favorite TV shows of all time is Shark Tank. I hope Neil’s excellent tips #1 thru #8 are preparing YOU to “swim with the sharks”! In my comments last week, I drew your attention over and over again to the need for you to understand investors. When you do your pitch, you must remember:
# Investors are not donors.
# Investors are not tourists.
# Investors are not philanthropists or charities.
# Investors have options.
If you have the opportunity to pitch to an investor, consider it a privilege rather than an entitlement:
# A good investor will never put money into a venture run by someone who comes across as arrogant, cocky or argumentative.
# A good investor will never put money behind someone who is dishonest, corrupt, or a thief. If you have a tendency for dishonesty or misuse of other people’s money, a good investor will find out before they give you a cent!
# A good investor will not put money behind someone who is careless or disorganized.
# A good investor will not invest in someone who is highly emotional. Being passionate is one thing, but being emotional is not acceptable!
# A good investor will not invest in someone who is political. You should understand the politics of your country from an economic perspective, but not come across as an active participant in politics.
Being a good investor is very hard!
__Your job is to show them that you can be trusted with someone else’s money.