ByLiuJian
ChinesehorticultureexpertZhouChenggiveslocalfarmersadviceongrowingvegetablesChineseveterinaryexpertLiuHuawasshockedwhenheheardthatadevastatingdiseasehadwipedoutthousandsofZimbabwe’spigpopulation.AfterarrivinginthecountryattheendofOctober2015totakeupapostwiththeZimbabweCentralVeterinaryLaboratory(CVL),LiugottogetherwithhisZimbabweancolleaguestoseewhatcouldbedonetoremedythesituationthathadstruckinMaythatyear.
Africanswinefever(ASF),ahighlycontagioushemorrhagicdiseaseaffectingpigs,sweptacrossfarmsintheMountDarwinareainMashonalandCentralProvinceinnorthZimbabwe.Theoutbreaklastedforalmostsixmonthsandspreadtoninevillagesintheregion.Whenthedusthadsettled,thedeadlydiseasehadinfectedmorethan30,600pigs,killing4,500,andresultinginsignificanteconomiclossforlocalpigfarmers.
Whilemeasuresweretakenonthefarmstostemtheoutbreak,thelackoffundingandinadequatepigbloodsamplingtechniquesmeantathoroughepidemiologicalinvestigationoftheASFoutbreakcouldnotbeconductedintheregion.
Afterconsiderableeffort,inMay,Liuwasabletosecurearound$2,000fundingfromtheChineseagriculturalexpertteaminZimbabwe,whichLiuispartof,andre-launchtheinvestigationproject.
Inordertobebetterpreparedforsuchanoutbreakinthefuture,LiuworkedtogetherwithotherChineseandZimbabweancolleaguestotrainlocalvetsonthebasictechniquesofepidemiologicalinvestigation.Thisincludedhowtotake,storeandtransportpigs’bloodsamples,anduserelevantmobilephoneapplicationstofacilitatetheirwork.
“TheChinesespecialistsexcelatlaboratorywork;theyarealsoverygoodatfieldbloodsamplingandepidemicalinvestigation,”saidReverendMoregoodSpargo,aZimbabweanepidemiologistinchargeoftheASFepidemiologicalinvestigationatthelab.“FutureASFfieldepidemiologicalinvestigationswillbecomeeasierafterourlocalvetshavemasteredtheirbloodsamplingmethods.”
Chineseexpertise
ThisisjustoneofthemanyachievementsLiuhasmadeduringhistimeinZimbabwe.
BeforecomingtoZimbabwe,the34-year-oldspentnineyearsatAnhuiProvincialCenterforAnimalDiseaseControlandPreventionincentralChina.
Liu’steamconsistsofnineotherexpertsexpertisedinveterinarysciences,fishfarming,livestockrearing,horticulture,cropsplantingandfarmmachinery.
ApartfromtheChineseexpertiseandtechnologies,theteamhasalsobroughtalongnewmachines,laboratoryequipment,veterinarymedicinesandchemicalsworthover$130,000,withthesupportoftheChineseGovernment.TheChina-Zimbabweagriculturalcooperationproject,inwhichLiuisaparticipant,beganin2009.Sincethen,35Chineseagriculturalexpertshavesharedmodernagriculturepracticeswithlocalfarmers.LiuandhiscolleaguesarethefourthbatchofexpertsworkinginZimbabweinthe2015-17period.
ApartfromZimbabwe,ChinahasmadeproactiveeffortstohelpmanyotherAfricancountriesimprovetheiragriculturalproductivity.Since2006,China’sMinistryofAgriculturehassentover200memberstomorethan30Africancountriestotrainlocaltechniciansandprovideconsultingservices.
Agriculturalmodernizationisamongthetopprioritiesofthe10majorChina-Africacooperationplansfor2016-18.ChinaplanstocontinuesendingteamsofagriculturalexpertstoprovidevocationaleducationinAfrica,inadditiontoincreasingthenumberofAfricanpersonneltrainedinChina,accordingtotheForumonChina-AfricaCooperationJohannesburgActionPlanannouncedlastDecember.
Teachingeffectively
WhileworkingatCVLinZimbabwe,Liunotedthatapartfromdailywork,expertshavetoteachcollegeinternsmakingexperiments,whichcanbetimeconsuming.Hedecidedtousetechnologytospeeduptheprocess.
“Ifweshootademonstrationvideoontheexperiment,thoseinternscanwatchandlearnthebasictechniques,andtheycanwatchitrepeatedlywhentheyfailtorememberorunderstand,”saidLiu.
InMay,Liushotonedemonstrationvideoonavianinfluenzavirusantibodytest,whichhasbeenwellreceived.ChineseveterinaryexpertLiuHuademonstrateshowtodotheavianinfluenzavirusantibodytest
ChineseveterinaryexpertLiDongshengdemonstrateshowtousethemilkanalyzer“ThismaybethefirstdemonstrationvideoaboutveterinarylaboratoryexperimentinZimbabwe,”saidTshabalalaPriscilla,atechnologistoftheVirologySectionattheCVL.
“ThereusedtobemanyexpertslikeLiuwhotaughtushowtodoexperiments,butnooneshotavideoforusbefore,”saidtechnicianMusasaChiedzoPaulin.“Heisoutstanding.”
Withlimitedresourcesfortraining,videocansavetimeandmoney.“Universityteacherscanalsousevideotodemonstratetostudentshowtodotheexperiment,andthiswillbenefitmorepeople,”Liuadded.
Cooperationprospects
Whilesharingagriculturalknowledgeandtechnologies,theChineseexpertshavealsodonealotofresearchworkontheproblemshamperingZimbabwe’sagriculturaldevelopment,andcontributedtheirideasofsolution.
LiDongsheng,a57-year-oldlivestockexpertandtheleaderoftheChineseexpertteamtoZimbabwe,worksintheLivestockProductionandDevelopmentDivisionunderMinistryofAgriculture,MechanizationandIrrigationDevelopment(MAMID).HebelievestheanimalhusbandryindustryinZimbabwehasgreatpotential.
“Forexample,thecountryneedsabout120millionlitersofmilkayeartomeetdemands,butlastyear’smilkyieldwasonly57millionliters,”hesaid.
Lisaidlocaldairyfarmersmilkbyhand,whichistime-consumingandinefficient.Accordingtohim,theefficiencycanbeincreaseduptoeight-foldiftheystartusingmobilemilkingmachines.Liusaidthe10milkingmachinesdonatedbyChinawillplayamajorroleinthisregard.
The47-year-oldhorticultureexpertZhouChengworksatthePlantProtectionResearchInstituteunderMAMID.Heexplainsthatinrecentyears,Zimbabwehasseenmoreseverecropproblemsduetodroughtandclimatechange.
“IfChinacanhelpZimbabwebetterdevelopitswaterconservancyandirrigationprojects,theagriculturesectorwillhavebiggerpotential,”hetoldChinAfrica.
Horticulturehashighirrigationneeds,butmostofthesmallfamilyfarmsinZimbabwelacktheirrigationequipment,technologyandmanagementexpertise,explainsZhou.Theunstablepowersupplyintheregionisalsohamperingthedevelopmentofanadequateirrigationsystem.
“IsuggestZimbabwemakeuseofitsrichsolarenergyanddevelopasolar-poweredirrigationsystem,”Zhousaid,addingthatChina’swater-savingirrigationequipmentandtechnologycanalsohelpinthisarea.CA
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