By Shiela Chikulo
Research can identify technologies that improve productivity. Demonstration plots can show farmers what is possible. But lasting agricultural transformation depends on something more: investment, partnerships and local businesses that can take proven innovations to scale.
That is the opportunity emerging from the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission Pillar 3 (FARM P3), where the CIMMYT, with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), is helping build the evidence, partnerships and business models needed to strengthen mechanization across Zimbabwe’s sorghum value chain.
With practical evidence now available, the FARM P3 Zimbabwe Results Webinar shifted the focus from generating research to creating the partnerships, financing mechanisms and business opportunities needed to expand sustainable mechanization across Zimbabwe’s sorghum value chain. Bringing together representatives from government, financial institutions, development partners, equipment suppliers and farmer organizations, the discussions highlighted how coordinated action can turn proven innovations into greater investment, wider adoption and lasting benefits for smallholder farmers.
Building confidence through evidence
One of the strongest messages emerging from the webinar was that successful investment begins with credible, locally generated evidence. Over the past year, FARM P3 has produced three complementary evidence products that together strengthen decision-making across the mechanization value chain.
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