Precious Manomano-Herald Reporter
The top five extension officers in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development yesterday received awards for being outstanding performers in an online in-service training examination while three senior officers at management level were also honoured for their outstanding performance in management issues.
The Government seeks to increase the adoption of new technology in agriculture.
The examination winners of phase 2 of Zimbabwe Agriculture Extension In-service Training Application are Patricia Chawafambira of Mashonaland East, Artwell Usayi (Mashonaland East), Tonderai Jiri (Mashonaland East), Eunice Sithole (Mashonaland Central) and Vitalis Chigwada (Matabeleland North).
They were the best performers in Veterinary programmes.
Each winner received US$140 and hampers with agricultural chemicals such as tick grease and stress packs, Samsung phones, cap and a t-shirt.
Dr Reverend Spargo, Mr Noah Mashingaidze and Ms Nyaradzo Mutanda were awarded with US$100 each and hampers with agricultural chemicals for making immense contributions in different management levels.
Speaking during the award giving ceremony held in Harare, Lands Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera thanked the extension officers for working hard as a way to transform the sector.
“The in-service training app came as a backdrop to our efforts to capacitate extension services in Zimbabwe.
“Get your extension delivery system right and get your agriculture right.
“We need to motivate and capacitate our extension delivery, if you capacitate those then you get 50 percent of the work done,” he said.
It’s a very important tool in the agriculture transformation system.
One of the winners, an extension worker from Mashonaland East, Mrs Patricia Chawafambira thanked the ministry for introducing technology that will open their minds adding that it is beneficial since they are able to acquire new skills and learn new things as well.
“The programme is quite beneficial especially to us extension workers.
“We learn new things and sometimes we are reminded of the things we have learnt in the past. It is a platform that will help us to improve our agricultural sector. We are grateful for this programme,” she said.