Mugabe tearing unity apart: MDC

Harare - Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change on Wednesday accused President Robert Mugabe of trying to tear apart a unity pact by threatening to replace cabinet ministers chosen by the former opposition.

"It is tantamount to tearing apart the unity government," MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa told AFP.

The state-run Herald reported on Wednesday that Mugabe was pondering replacing MDC ministers who have not attended cabinet meetings since Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai cut ties with Mugabe's Zanu-PF after a deadlock over key issues.

"His Excellency may have to consider appointing ministers in an acting capacity to key ministries for the sake of a successful agricultural season and general economic turnaround," Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the Herald.

"Important Cabinet decisions have to be translated into action expeditiously," he said.

Chamisa slammed Mugabe for acting outside the spirit of the global political agreement (GPA), which has been hampered by a deadlock over key appointments on which Mugabe insists and by a crackdown on MDC supporters.

"That is a laughable proposition. This is precisely the reason why we are deadlocked. They are in a mode of unilateralism and arrogance which has not helped the spirit of the GPA," Chamisa said.

"You cannot appoint an acting minister when there is a substantive minister. It will create a parallel government," he added.

The unity government, created in February a year after disputed polls, is in deep trouble and hopes are pinned on a meeting by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) security organ on Thursday to resolve the latest impasse.

"This deadlock will have to be broken. SADC and the AU as guarantors will have to break this deadlock. It is in the interest of all of us," said Chamisa.

The MDC has accused Mugabe's Zanu-PF of spurious arrests, and said on Tuesday that the party's transport manager Pascal Gwezere had been abducted and arrested hours after a similar attempt on another party member.

- AFP

FAO targets land tenure

As the world battles climate change and its effects that entail prospects of worldwide food shortages, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has begun widespread consultations over the first ever international guidelines on governance of tenure to land and other natural resources such as water supplies, fisheries and forests.

The consultations and negotiations which are a response to requests from the international community and from governments are expected to take more than a year to complete.

They will involve governments, the private sector, poor farmers, indigenous groups, local authorities, academia and independent experts and will be led by a secretariat based at FAO headquarters.

Land ownership laws a key instrument in fighting hunger and Paul Munro-Faure, the Chief of the Land Tenure and Management Unit of FAO said, “Secure access to land is seen as a key condition to improving food security of some of the world’s poorest people."

“FAO is taking the lead in this exercise because secure land access is the best safety-net for the poor, and because good governance of land is a necessary condition for secure land access and land tenure rights”.

Although most FAO member nations have rules to protect farmers and forest dwellers, as well as domestic and foreign investors, from being thrown off their land or having their land seized arbitrarily, laws are often ignored or badly enforced. Zimbabwe stands out as an example of countries that has ignored its own laws and those of the region with the appropriation of white owned farms being the epitome of an exercise that has led to the former regional bread basket turning into a basket case with most of population fleeing the country to neighbouring South Africa and Botswana while the remainder is dire need of food aid.


“Competition for land and other natural resources is increasing due to population and economic growth, foreign direct investment for large scale food production, demands for biofuels and urban and industrial expansion,” said Alexander Müller, Assistant Director General of FAO’s Natural Resources Department.

“A shrinking natural resource base increases competition as land is abandoned because of degradation, climate change and violent conflicts,” he said. “Without responsible governance, growing demands for land threatens to foster social exclusion as the rich and powerful are able to acquire land and other natural resources at the expense of the poor and vulnerable.”

Weak governance is a cause of many tenure-related problems and hinders economic growth because of a reluctance to invest, from both large and small players. It also affects the sustainable use of natural resources, causing environmental degradation and condemning people to a life of hunger and in the worst scenarios can cause conflict and war,” he said.

Women, the disabled, illiterate and elderly are particularly vulnerable to having the land they farm arbitrarily seized as they often lack legal and social rights, or where those rights do exist are powerless to enforce them.

The work done by FAO and many other international partners has shown that there is a growing and widespread interest in an international instrument to improve governance of tenure of land and other natural resources. The voluntary guidelines are intended to provide practical guidance to states, civil society and the private sector on responsible governance of tenure.

The guidelines will provide a framework and a point of reference that will allow government authorities, the private sector, civil society and citizens to judge whether their proposed actions and the actions of others constitute acceptable practices.

Germany, together with IFAD, Finland and GTZ are providing funding with UN agencies (UN-Habitat, UNDP), IPC, the International Land Coalition, the International Federation of Surveyors and many others closely supporting and collaborating with the initiative.

The guidelines will also steer a path for governments trying to cope with the growing trend of large-scale foreign investments for food and biofuels, as well as for investor countries with limited water and arable land.

-FAO and Simba Nembaware

Millions will starve as rich nations cut food aid funding, warns UN

Tens of millions of the world's poor will have their food rations cut or cancelled in the next few weeks because rich countries have slashed aid funding and aid agencies fear a global disaster as support for World food Programme hits 20-year low.

The result, says Josette Sheeran, head of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), could be the "loss of a generation" of children to malnutrition, food riots and political destabilisation. "We are facing a silent tsunami," said Sheeran in an exclusive interview with the Observer. "A humanitarian disaster is unrolling." The WFP feeds nearly 100 million people a year.


A woman and a child suffering from Acute Water Diarrhea in the Wanleweyn district, southern Somalia, April 5, 2009. Photograph: Abdurashid Abikar/AFP/Getty Images

Food riots across Africa, sparked by the global economic crisis, have made food security the continent’s most pressing issue. Food riots in more than 20 countries last year persuaded rich countries to give a record $5bn to the WFP to help avert a global food crisis brought on by record oil prices and the growth of biofuel crops. But new data seen by the Observer show that food aid is now at its lowest in 20 years. Countries have offered only $2.7bn in the first 10 months of 2009.

The US, by far the world's biggest contributor to food aid, has so far pledged $800m less than in 2008; Saudi Arabia has paid only $10m in 2009 compared with $500m in 2008; and the EU has given $130m less. Britain's promise of $69m (£43.5m) this year is nearly $100m (£63m) less than 2008, and, if nothing more is given, will be its lowest contribution since 2001.

"Even under our best scenarios, we will end the year $2bn short," said Sheeran. "Many of our funders do not feel that they need to give on the level of last year. They think the world food crisis is over, but in 80% of countries food prices are actually higher than one year ago."

World food supplies are under increased strain this year following a succession of droughts, typhoons, floods and earthquakes that have destroyed crops in Africa and south-east Asia. But human needs are also greater because the financial crisis has led to widespread unemployment. In addition, the remittances from foreign nationals living in rich countries to their families at home are 20% lower than last year.

Last month the UN said that the number of hungry people in the world had increased by more than 150 million in a single year to more than one billion. Aid agencies last week warned of severe food shortages in southern India after heavy floods damaged hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of crops.

"There is a silent tsunami [of hunger] gathering. You cannot see or hear it, but it's in all these villages, killing people just as hard. This is the worst food crisis since the 1970s. We will lose a generation. Children will never recover," said Sheeran.

More than 40 million people could be affected by the WFP's enforced scaling back of its food rations. Countries most likely to be hit include Bangladesh, where the budget is likely to be cut by as much as 50%, and Kenya, where similar cuts will worsen the plight of millions of extra people made destitute by a long drought.

The new rations, which are reserved for people who have no access to food, will fall below what aid agencies consider a survival ration and will provide, at most, one meagre meal a day. "We are making hard choices over who to feed. We are very aware that as we dismantle [feeding programmes] it may take out the underpinning of society and leads to political destabilisation," said Sheeran.

Aid agencies urged rich countries to pledge more. "We are very concerned about the large budget shortfall faced by WFP, which means the programme has to cut the food rations to millions of people who rely on this assistance for their very survival," said Fred Mousseau, Oxfam's humanitarian policy adviser. "This will translate into more child deaths, with more than 16,000 children already dying from hunger-related causes every day."
-The Observer and Simba Nembaware

Senior Zim NGO leaders arrested

HARARE – Zimbabwe police at have arrested two top civic society leaders after a non-governmental organisations (NGO) meeting that called on African leaders to ensure full implementation of a power-sharing agreement that set up the country’s coalition government.

The police, who are expected to bring the civic leaders to court today, accuse National Association of NGOs (NANGO) chairperson Dadirai Chikwendo and chief executive officer Cephas Zinhumwe of convening a political meeting without first notifying the law enforcement agency as required by law. The two were arrested Sunday.

"They were arrested for holding a public meeting …. for failure to notify the police of the meeting," said Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights director, Irene Petras.

The Public Order and Security Act requires Zimbabweans to notify police first before holding public political meetings and demonstrations, however professional and other special interest groups are not required to notify police of their meetings.

The NANGO meeting at the weekend in the resort town of Victoria Falls was a special event known as the Director’s Summer School and open only to directors from NGOs in Zimbabwe who use the annual gathering to reflect on their work.

The NANGO yesterday said it believed the arrest of its senior leaders was because of a statement issued at the directors meeting urging the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union (AU) to ensure full implementation of the global political agreement (GPA) or power-sharing agreement signed by President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last year.

The SADC and the AU are the guarantors of the GPA.

NANGO said: “Police charges against the two stemmed from the statement issued by the directors in which they called for the intervention of SADC and the AU to ensure that the GPA was fully implemented.”

The association also noted the arrest of its leaders came on the back of sustained attacks against civic society groups in the state-owned media that has accused NGOs of aiding alleged Western efforts to overthrow Mugabe.

State newspapers, radio and television remain under the tight control of allies of Mugabe despite formation of the coalition government and appointment of a Tsvangirai ally as deputy information minister.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena was not immediately available for comment on the arrest of the NANGO leaders.

Under the GPA Mugabe, Tsvangirai and third coalition partner Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara undertook to implement a wide range of reforms to revive Zimbabwe’s economy and to reshape and democratise the country’s politics.

Zimbabwe’s principal political leaders also agreed to ensure the rule of law and to uphold human rights.

But Mugabe and Tsvangirai, the main partners in the tripartite coalition, have wrangled over implementation of the GPA, with each accusing the other of breaching terms of the agreement and failure to keep their word.

Tsvangirai more than a week ago partially withdrew his MDC party from the unity government and said he was cutting cooperation with Mugabe and his ZANU PF party, blaming the veteran leader’s obstinacy for failing to fulfil the GPA and the slow pace of democratic reforms.

However Tsvangirai met his coalition partners on Monday to try to resolve their differences ahead of a SADC ministerial delegation expected in the country later this week. – ZimOnline.

The future of food: Addressing the global challenge

As the Copenhagen conference on climate change draws nearer, Soil Association, a land based environmental awareness advocate whose primary concern is a "healthy soil, healthy people, healthy planet" will next month host an international conference in London focusing on current modes of production and consumption and what solutions and support are needed for change, writes Simba Nembaware.


The world’s food systems are facing unprecedented challenges. Against a background of ‘the perfect storm’ of climate change, water and fossil fuel depletion, population expansion and the shrinking area of agricultural land, new models of sustainable food systems are urgently needed.

Last year a major international report and assessment (IAASTD) involving 400 scientists and 110 countries concluded that the current industrial model based on high external inputs and globalised distribution, was neither sustainable nor resilient. The conference will also seek to assess if there has been change,18 months after the publication of the report.

Bulawayo war veterans reject Nkomo

BULAWAYO – War veterans in Bulawayo have rejected the nomination of Zanu-PF national chairman John Nkomo for the post of vice president of Zimbabwe.

Nkomo has of late been touted around the country as the next possible vice president, replacing the late Joseph Msika. Amid confusion on the nomination of the candidate for the vice presidency, the Zanu-PF politburo set Wednesday as the date for the close of nominations for the post.

The leadership of the three political provinces in Matabeleland region had earlier endorsed Nkomo’s nomination for the vice president’s post. But pressure from the Zanu-PF grassroots, coupled with murmurs of discontentment from other sections of the party on his nomination, pushed the politburo into reversing his nomination.

Such an incident was bound to happen as there are reports of inhouse fighting in ZANU PF as politicians jostle for the closest seat at Robert Mugabe's side. Minister of Mines, Obert Mpofu is believed to be the brains behind de-campaigning Nkomo and his name has also been linked with the sodomy case that was raised against Nkomo.

Sources say, the "sodomy story" was meant to discredit the veteran politician and have Mugabe discard of him as Mugabe is known for his unflinching hate for gays and lesbians. It is widely believed that, because's of Mugabe's stand on gays, when the country's first president, Canaan Banana, passed away, he was not buried at the national shrine, The Heroes Acre, because of revelations of his sodomy coated life during and after his life as a head of state.

At a press conference in Bulawayo Tuesday, members of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), the Zimbabwe Liberation War Collaborators Association (ZILWACO), and the Zimbabwe Ex-political Prisoners, Detainees, and Restrictees’ Association (ZIPEDRA) outrightly rejected Nkomo’s nomination.

The former freedom fighters claimed Nkomo did not represent a national outlook to hold the post of vice president. They also claimed Nkomo was powerless to challenge Zanu-PF if the need arose within the party.

Bulawayo war veterans’ leader Themba Ncube said the earlier decision to nominate Nkomo for the post was not made freely by the party’s Bulawayo province. He said the provincial leadership of Zanu-PF and the war veterans did not make a unanimous decision but were forced to endorse Nkomo’s nomination.

Said Ncube: “We were forced into making that decision (to endorse Nkomo). It was not a people’s decision. It was made because there are some who believe they are powerful and they could force people into making decisions out of their own choice.”

He highlighted that the generality of the Zanu-PF membership felt the party’s politburo was now regionalization of the vice presidency debate, portending an outcome that did not reflect the national picture.

“The question that we ask is – why should the three provinces of Matabeleland be the ones to be forced to select a national leader? We want the entirety of the Zanu-PF membership to have a say on who should be the vice president,” Ncube said.

Asked to choose names of best-placed candidates, the former liberation fighters said they favoured three candidates for the job. These include Senate deputy president Naison Khutshwekhaya Ndlovu, Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, Simon Khaya Moyo and retired army official, Brigadier Ambrose Mutinhiri.

Zanu-PF members say although Mutinhiri lives in Harare, his roots can be easily traced back to Zapu as he played a crucial role in the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA).

The former combatants said they would push for a meeting where the issue of the vice presidency would be discussed. They also said should the politburo go ahead and impose a candidate on them, they would campaign for the rejection of the candidate at the party’s congress in December.
-thezimbabwetimes and Simba Nembaware

OIE recommends collaboration with media

Gaborone- The two day Regional Seminar on Communication by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) which was held in Gaborone recently last month and attended by experts from all over Africa recommended among other issues that OIE members should proactively make transparent and science based information available to the media and the general public, so as to strengthen Veterinary Service’s public image as an accountable and authoritative source of information on any relevant event relating to animal health and public health, writes Simba Nembaware.

Officially opening the seminar held under the banner “Communication Strategy in Veterinary Services”, Dr. Micus Chimbombi, Botswana's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, said agriculture remains an important sector especially in rural areas where it plays a critical role in the provision of food, industrial raw materials and employment creation. He sector is also one of the main foreign exchange earners as a generator of government revenues.

“The development of the livestock industry is dependent on freedom from diseases, which in turn requires effective communication with veterinary services for them to fulfil their mandate,” said Dr. Chimbombi who expressed pleasure in noting that OIE is instrumental in the development of communication strategy. He added that the success of veterinary services through out the world “will depend on effective and efficient communication.”

The seminar that considered the development of information and communication strategies contributes to improving the functioning and the acceptance of the scientific, technical and operational output of Veterinary Services, also recommended that improved global, regional, sub-regional and national veterinary governance must encompass communication policies, strategies and resources directed to the stakeholders and the general public.

So as to successfully impart information to farmers and the general public participants recommended that communication teams, including professional communicators, should be fully integrated as a component of the Veterinary Services and under the direct authority of the Veterinary Authorities. As professionals in the field and in liaison with veterinarians, they are expected to use their expertise to simplify and accurately disseminate vital information that is often embedded in technical jargon.

Another consideration for discussion was that the transparency and quality of communication and information management, in particular in crisis situations are issues of national, sub-regional, regional and global strategic significance. This translates to governments working together closely so as to successfully curb the spread of trans-boundary diseases.

It was brought to the fore that members and the OIE must have access to adequate human, technical and financial resources in order to manage information and communication at the national, regional, sub regional and global level. The major role of media in disseminating information as well as in raising public awareness and methodological training in this field were deemed indispensable.

Participants of the seminar where Dr. Bonaventure Mtei the OIE Sub Regional Representative for Southern Africa in his opening remarks read on his behalf by P. Bastiaensen said “animal health interventions are often complex in nature and as such our communication objectives should be simple and measurable, underpinned by clear statement of principles,” recommend that the importance of the process of communication must be among the priorities of OIE Regional and Sub Regional Representations, RAHCs and national Veterinary Services, particularly for disseminating information.

Dr. Mtei advised that animal health communication strategies need to deliver clear messages while “appropriate knowledge and skills are therefore required to develop key messages in our animal health interventions.”

The OIE adopted the recommendation that the organisation should continue to provide technical support to all Members particularly developing countries to strengthen the communication capacities in the Veterinary Services in order to continuously respond to national and international demands and to help Members to comply with OIE standards, guidelines and recommendations.

Botswana has a large zone which is recognised by the OIE as free from foot and mouth without vaccination. This international status granted by the OIE which is based on Botswana’s ability to implement and comply with OIE standards has allowed Botswana beef to enter sophisticated markets such as the European Union. The OIE continues to monitor this status.

In line with the recommendations OIE members should assess their needs taking into account the relevant criteria of the OIE PVS Tool to develop information and communication strategies within Veterinary Services to respond to both crisis situations and routine/long term requirements. Chief Veterinary Officers should request Government authorities to provide adequate organisational and budgetary support for the communication objectives of Veterinary Services, including communication training, in accordance with Resolution XXI of May 2001 voted by all OIE Members.

Respective National Veterinary Services communication teams should liaise closely and on a regular basis with OIE and other relevant international organisations, on specific events requiring coordination in information, dissemination and communication management. They should also liaise with their counterparts within the public health services for the coordination in information, dissemination or communication strategy and management on the prevention and control of zoonoses.

At national level National Veterinary Services must communicate with other relevant stakeholders such as private sector, producers and consumers. They should also identify and communicate to the OIE the data of the communication officer within the communication team of their national Veterinary Services, the team and the officer being nominated by and under the general direction of the Chief Veterinary Officer.

Climate change undermining future of agriculture

Gaborone - Botswana is currently on a drive to diversify the economy through the commercialisation of the agricultural sector a move adopted so as to attain national food security by 2016 and beyond while also mitigating the effects of the global economic recession but the global climatic change phenomenon looks poised to derail this impressive programme, writes Simba Nembaware.

The earth's climate is dynamic and is always changing through a natural cycle. These changes are studied by scientists who then advise on measures to be taken so as to mitigate the effects of this change. The scientists gather evidence from tree rings, pollen samples, ice cores, and sea sediments. The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories - those that are due to natural causes and those that are created by man.

There are a number of natural factors responsible for climate change. Some of the more prominent ones are continental drift, volcanoes, ocean currents, the earth's tilt, and comets and meteorites. The separation of the landmasses (continental drift) changed the flow of ocean currents and winds, which affected the climate. When a volcano erupts it throws out large volumes of sulphur dioxide (SO2), water vapour, dust, and ash into the atmosphere. Although the volcanic activity may last only a few days, yet the large volumes of gases and ash can influence climatic patterns for years.

Human causes of climate change are born out of industrialisation. Natural resources are being used extensively for construction, industries, transport, and consumption. Consumerism (our increasing want for material things) has increased by leaps and bounds, creating mountains of waste. Also, our population has increased to an incredible extent. All this has contributed to a rise in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas supply most of the energy needed to run vehicles generate electricity for industries, households, etc. The energy sector is responsible for about ¾ of the carbon dioxide emissions, 1/5 of the methane emissions and a large quantity of nitrous oxide. It also produces nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide which are not greenhouse gases but do have an influence on the chemical cycles in the atmosphere that produce or destroy greenhouse gases.
The United Nations climate panel says rich nations, blamed by poorer countries for emitting most of the harmful greenhouse gases, should cut emissions between 25-40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 to avoid dangerous climate change. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations held in Thailand, one of the final forums for discussions on climate before the December 2009 World Summit on climate in Copenhagen, highlighted the need for adequate financing to assist developing countries in meeting the challenges of climate change.

Climate change has resulted in the prevalence of the El Nino phenomenon which on its own is responsible for wild weather, droughts, floods and other extreme events. As a consequence of global warming due to climate change; rising temperatures, a shift in seasons, and extreme weather are forecasted by experts to cut output in some areas and wipe out crops entirely in others. Excessive rainfalls and flooding do not only result in loss of crops and livestock but also leads to loss of human lives. And what exacerbates the plight of the human race is that world breadbaskets like Brazil are also affected.

Brazil is the leading exporter of coffee, beef, soybeans, orange juice, and other farm products but these are expected to suffer as temperatures continue to soar. “Only one cash crop stands to gain: warmer temperatures will double the area suitable for sugar cane as early as 2020,” says Hilton Silveira Pinto and Eduardo Assad, who agronomists at the University of Campinas in Sao Paulo state and the government's agriculture research institute, Embrapa, respectively.

A study by the Washington – based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) financed by the Asian Development Bank and World Bank notes that climate change may cut corn, wheat and rice yields across developing countries by 2050 thereby boosting prices and causing hunger. The report notes that as a consequence there will be 25 million more underfed children by 2050. The report predicts improved farming conditions in developed world where a yield increase of between 2.4 percent and 3.1 percent in rain-fed wheat is projected for Canada, China and northern Russia.

In Southern Africa, a recent meteorological report by the United Kingdom Meteorological Office, projects temperatures to rise by 10% at least by 2060 with 4% being the global average. This is severe as experts note that even slight changes in temperature or precipitation can be devastating for the flowering, growth and harvest of crops. Livestock also suffers as animal fodder is processed from part of the wheat, barley, maize, sorghum and other cereals whose growth will be curtailed by the climate change.

James Thurlow, a researcher with IFPRI shared with irinnews that "If you take into account the worst 10-year rainfall period, then Zambia's economy could lose as much as $7.1 billion in the next 10 years and drive 648,000 people below the poverty line.” He noted that extreme changes in rainfall and temperature in the past 10 years have already lowered GDP by 0.4 percent every year. The southern and central regions of Zambia, where people were experiencing climate shocks such as droughts and floods, could be among the worst affected.

The Weekender, a South African publication quotes Michael Sanderson, co-author of the Met Office report revealing that “food production will be adversely affected.” Sanderson highlighted that the exact impact on South Africa was not discussed in the study but he noted that in the region “the temperature rise will decrease crop productivity and increase the risk of hunger. Some plants and animal species will become extinct. Freshwater supplies will be reduced, and water quality is likely to be adversely affected. There may be a forced migration of people to more habitable areas.”

In this time of crisis, technology can help farmers adapt to climate change, but the long and short of it is that the bulk of farmers from the developing world can not afford these new technologies while also their inability to use machines increases labour costs. For most farmers irrigation is expensive and when they manage to set up irrigation systems, they have to face the reality of the scarcity of water sources. In the developed world where water issues are not a major concern for many farmers, scientists forecast that genetically modified plants will have difficulties in adapting to temperature increases beyond just 2 degrees Celsius.

But there are scientists like Edson Silva, director at the Parana state research company Epagri who are optimistic. Silva, whose company has exported a drought-resistant apple variety from Brazil to France, Germany among other Western countries, is confident that science can provide 90 percent of the answers to climate change.

Speaking at the opening of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) 2009 Regional Policy Dialogue and Annual General Meeting held recently in Maputo Mozambique, FANRPAN Chairman and Secretary General of Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Mr. Sindiso Ngwenya said Africa’s dependence on rain-fed agriculture has left her vulnerable to changing climatic conditions that call for adaptation and mitigation measures.

“Mitigation is a sure way of survival for our farmers. As we head to Copenhagen, Africa must speak with one voice in having agriculture – the basis of our development – included in the final text of the Copenhagen deal. There should be no deal without agriculture. Our farmers must be helped to better respond to climate change without depriving them of their livelihoods,” said Ngwenya who also noted that Africa has for too long depended on foreign researchers hence the need to improve agricultural research and systems to disseminate appropriate new technologies and supporting farmers to adopt them.

While calling on Africa to modernise agriculture, Ngwenya said, “Africa’s budget priorities should move from defence and administration costs to agriculture and research. Research alone is not enough. Without access to resources, agriculture will not take off; hence it is critical that our small holder farmers have access to financial resources to upscale agriculture development.”

Mutambara a sell out

Bulawayo - Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Arthur Mutambara was on BBC's HardTalk last night where his self praise poetry like rhetoric that he continually spewed smacks of an out of sorts politician, writes Simba Nembaware.

HardTalk host, Stephen Sackur, rightly summed up Mutambara and his party's presence in the compromise government as "Alice in Wonderland" as the politician failed ostensibly to give evidence that Zimbabwe is on a recovery path; politically, economically and socially, a claim he wants the world to believe despite the evident continued abuse of human rights by Mugabe and his cronies.

Asked about Roy Bennet, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) shadow minister of agriculture's comments alluding to the fact that Zimbabwe continues to be recklessly run by Mugabe, Mutambara said; "Bennet is not an authority on Zimbabwe, I am an authority, he can not say anything about Zimbabwe."

He also rubbished a recent statement by Nobel Peace Prize Nominee, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, that there is continued violation of the terms of engagement as agreed upon for the government of national unity to work coupled by human rights abuses, fresh farm invasions, unilateral appointments by Mugabe for positions on strategic parastatals and the seemingly never ending gag on media freedom.

On the economic front, Mutambara said the dolarization of the economy had stabilised the economy but the biggest challenge is the sanctions imposed by the west. He called on Britain and her allies to lift sanctions despite having earlier agreed that the sanctions referred to are specific individual sanctions that zero on Mugabe and members of his ZANU PF machinery.

"There is no reason for having sanctions on Chinamasa or Mnangagwa or anyone in ZANU PF because the unity government means we are now a team, why should there be sanctions on people in Tsvangirai's team," said Mutambara while arguing the case for his ZANU PF bed fellows.