Background

Following the decentralization of Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA’s) Question and Answer Service (QAS) from the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) institutions in 1997, the University of the Free State (UOFS) in Bloemfontein, South Africa was selected to serve the Southern African region (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe).  The QAS in the Southern African Region was therefore provided centrally from South Africa up until 2004.

In May 2004, a decentralization workshop was held in Lilongwe, Malawi.  The purpose of this workshop was to develop mechanisms for the establishment of national QAS centres in the ten countries served by South Africa.  The UOFS would nevertheless continue to serve clients from the ten countries until centres were established and fully operational in all countries.

National delegates at the Lilongwe Southern African QAS decentralization workshop were tasked to sensitize key stakeholders in their countries of the existence of CTA’s decentralized QAS and prepare for national workshops at which national coordinating centres would b e selected through a participatory process.

A follow-up workshop on the management of this QAS provided by CTA was subsequently held in Lusaka, Zambia from the 9-19 December, 2004.  Following communication between CTA and contacts established at the Malawi and Zambia workshop, Zimbabwe established a committee to prepare for this national event.

Workshop to select the coordinating centre for CTA QAS

The above workshop was held at Bronte Hotel from 11-12 September 2006.  Participants were drawn from all corners of Zimbabwe. These were librarians and researchers drawn from Universities, research institutions and the Ministry of Agriculture. The Minister of Agriculture officiated at the opening ceremony for the workshop.

Seven institutions submitted bids to CTA to become the national coordinating centre for the QAS in Zimbabwe.  These were:

  • The Agricultural Research and Extension Department of the Ministry of Agriculture
  • The Central Library of the Ministry of Agriculture
  • The Centre for Rural Development
  • Chinhoyi University of Technology
  • Masvingo State University
  • Zimbabwe Open University
  • University of Zimbabwe

 

Representatives of the above institutions presented their bids on the 11th of September 2006.  On the 12th of September, the University of Zimbabwe Library was chosen to become the national coordinating centre for CTA QAS in Zimbabwe.

Vision

To be a leading agricultural information centre in the provision of agricultural information towards national food security in the region

Mission

Enabling our clients and customers contribute towards Zimbabwe’s national objective of attaining food security by providing them with relevant and up-to-date information in Agriculture.

Training

CTA is going to provide training in project management to some members of the coordinating institute to ensure the Question and Answer Service is a success.

Task force

A task force is now in place to ensure that the QAS in Zimbabwe is effectively provided. Members of the task force have been drawn from institutions that were represented at the workshop.

Beneficiaries

Zimbabwe’s QAS will serve the following user groups:

  • Employees of governmental organizations
  • Extension service providers
  • Farmers
  • Farmers Associations and cooperatives
  • Local agricultural entrepreneurs and agro-industries
  • Members of non-governmental organizations
  • Researchers

Services

The following services will be provided by the University of Zimbabwe Library:

  • Providing publications with agricultural and rural development information
  • Disseminating  relevant and up-to-date agricultural information to all target groups
  • Conducting searches for users from relevant databases
  • Consulting subjects specialists whenever necessary to be able to respond to questions from users
  • Telephone responds to specific questions
  • Referring users to appropriate information sources
  • Distributing pamphlets, brochures, videos, and newsletters with information on QAS in Zimbabwe

 

Promoting QAS in Zimbabwe

Promotion will be done via the University of Zimbabwe Library website http://www.uz.ac.zw/library/, agricultural shows, field days, newsletters, television and radio programmes.

Dissemination of Information

The University of Zimbabwe Library will work closely with the Faculty of Agriculture and with the institutions which were represented at the workshop to ensure that agricultural information is effectively disseminated to the whole of Zimbabwe.

Link to CTA Home page

http://www.cta.int/

 

Contact us

University of Zimbabwe Library
Box MP45
Mount Pleasant
Harare
Zimbabwe
Tel. 263-4-303211
Fax: 263-4-333583
Email: librarian@uzlib.uz.ac.zw
            hadebe@uzlib.uz.ac.zw





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