Train Primary Teachers in Conservation Agriculture

The pupils of St Michaels and St Johns Primary Schools have shown great interest in learning about Conservation Agriculture and started teaching their families how to apply the principles in their own fields. Much work has been put into educating teachers and the students but the initiative that they have taken has been amazing. Zimbabwe faces many challenges such as lack of rainfall and limited resources. While Foundations for Farming helps by providing technical support and inputs such as seeds and tools like hoes and watering cans, the teachers and pupils have taken all this in and used it as a learning platform not just for the schools but for their communities.

At St Michaels the teachers have shown a lot of initiative in applying the skills that they learnt to educate their pupils. They decided to conduct an experiment together with their pupils on how locally available resources can be used in Conservation Agriculture. Tobacco is a commercial crop grown in most parts of Zimbabwe. The experiment was to investigate the effects of tobacco chaff when used as mulch in a maize plot. The other piece of land was covered with crop residue and leaves as mulch (normal mulch) and they intended to compare the outcomes of these plots. Overall the teachers and their pupils have shown that they are capable of doing anything if they work together as a team.

This hard work has extended not only to students and teachers doing Conservation Agriculture but communities are excited about this project. The communities look up to the schools as learning platforms and a way to learn how to feed themselves and their families.

Please support this project to help the teachers and children of St Michaels and St Johns to flourish in their ability to get better crop yields for their families.