In November 2019, the Prolinnova Oversight Group (POG) approved our application to be recognised as a Country Platform (CP) in the Prolinnova Community of Practice. Our multistakeholder group includes people from the network PELUM (Participatory Ecological Land Use Management)–Zimbabwe, the NGO Cluster Agriculture Development Services (CADS), the NGO The Phiri Award (named after the renowned farmer innovator in water harvesting and ecological farming, Zephaniah Phiri), the Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF) and the Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS) at the University of Zimbabwe. The host organisation of the CP is PELUM–Zimbabwe.
We want to start small and allow the group to grow organically rather than to expand quickly to include many people who may not share our vision. In the coming months, we plan to develop our strategy for the CP, approach potential partners in Government and the private sector, and start implementing joint activities to promote farmer-led joint experimentation and innovation.
Prolinnova–Zimbabwe National Steering Committee (NSC)
1. (Mr) Billy Mukamuri, Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS), University of Zimbabwe (chairperson)
2. (Ms) Fiona Chipunza, Zimbabwe Smallholder Organic Farmers Forum (ZIMSOFF)
3. (Ms) Lilian Machivenyika, Cluster Agricultural Development Services (CADS)
4. (Mr) Marcus Hakutangwi, The Phiri Award
Ex-officio member: (Ms) Gertrude Pswarayi-Jabson, PELUM–Zimbabwe, Prolinnova–Zimbabwe coordinator and secretary to the NSC
