Crops and Cereals

ART Farm Varieties Demo Day: Seed, chemicals, innovations

By Staff Writer / April 2, 2026 /

ART Farm recently held its annual Varieties Demo Day, bringing together partners, seed companies, agrochemical suppliers and farmers for a showcase that this season carried a distinctly forward-looking flavour. Alongside…

Are current fertiliser recommendations and trial conditions relevant to smallholder maize farmers?

By Staff Writer / March 16, 2026 /

As the Agricultural Research Trust (ART) prepares to host a Varieties Demo Open Day next Thursday at its research farm in ART Farm near Harare, an important discussion has emerged…

Regenerative vs conventional cropping: What three years of trials reveal

By Staff Writer / February 13, 2026 /

By Hugo Winkfield, ART Farm As Zimbabwe’s commercial agriculture sector seeks to remain both profitable and sustainable, regenerative agriculture has emerged as a potential pathway forward. But can regenerative systems…

Turning heat into opportunity

By Staff Writer / February 1, 2026 /

The Grounded chilli story “I initially got into chilli farming through an export opportunity after securing an off-taker contract with a local middleman. But the prices were not sustainable, so…

When determination outweighs resources

By Staff Writer / November 24, 2025 /

A smallholder’s firsthand account of growing wheat this year The following is an unfiltered, first-hand account from a small-scale farmer in rural Zimbabwe who dared to plant wheat when everyone…

Apodemus sylvaticus, a potential threat to seed crops

By Staff Writer / August 8, 2025 /

Ross G. Cooper, D.Phil. The wood mouse (A. sylvaticus, Family: Muridae, Order: Rodentia), a common sighting in North-West Africa and Europe, is, like most rodents, often associated with post-harvest threats…

Farming through Zimbabwe’s transformation: A 35-year journey

By Staff Writer / July 22, 2025 /

Reflections on agriculture, resilience, and the evolving landscape of Zimbabwean farming My name is Stuart Tippett, and I farm in Marondera North. Over the past 35 years, I’ve witnessed Zimbabwe’s…

Zimbabwe’s 2024/25 maize recovery

By Staff Writer / June 30, 2025 /

This agricultural season tells a tale of dramatic recovery following Southern Africa’s worst drought in recent history. The 2023/24 summer rainfall season, characterised by El Niño conditions and a devastating…

Showcasing agricultural innovation at the ART Summer Field Day

By Staff Writer / March 31, 2025 /

The Agricultural Research Trust (ART) Summer Field Day is an important event for Zimbabwe’s farming community, offering a unique opportunity for farmers, researchers, and industry professionals to witness summer crop…

Fall armyworm continues to ravage crops in Zimbabwe

By Staff Writer / March 3, 2025 /

Fall armyworm (FAW) is an insect pest (Spodoptera frugiperda) that is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. It was first detected in Africa in 2016 (reported…