Zimbabwe has scaled up the adoption of a technology that uses specially bred, high-yield grass as a sustainable, versatile resource to produce edible mushrooms, livestock feed and bio-fertiliser in an effort to strengthen food security, enhance climate resilience and transform rural livelihoods. The scaling up of Juncao technology signals a strategic shift towards low-cost, climate-smart agriculture, with authorities positioning it as a key tool in boosting rural incomes, creating jobs and reducing reliance on traditional inputs while enhancing national food security.
The Juncao technology, supported by China in partnership with the United Nations, has recorded progress in its first year of implementation. The project has expanded to nine provinces, with 19 training sessions benefiting nearly 900 participants and 69 demonstration sites established nationwide.
The four major institutions that have implemented Juncao technology are the University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Open University, Chinhoyi University of Technology and Kushinga/Phikelela Agricultural College.
Government has also partnered the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the National Engineering Research Centre of Juncao Technology at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University of China to implement the programme.
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