African Journals Online
The Zimbabwe Science News

Volume 34(1) March 2001 Abstracts

A century of Veterinary Research in Zimbabwe

Unesu Ushewokunze-Obatolu1 and Trevor Peter²

Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, Laboratory Diagnostics and Research Branch, Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, Zimbabwe.
²Ecology and Epidemiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK

In Zimbabwe, veterinary research has been conducted for close to 100 years, almost since the establishment of formal veterinary services in this country. As a sub-tropical country, livestock in Zimbabwe are prone to numerous diseases, particularly vector-borne infections, whose transmission requires a warm climate. These have placed heavy burdens on the task of raising livestock. The economic and social structure of Zimbabwe is primarily based on agriculture and, hence, the improvement of animal health and production was an early and important concern. It is certain that the development of the country would have been severely constrained without adequate control of livestock diseases and research has formed the basis for the development of disease control strategies applicable to the local conditions. Veterinary research most commonly addresses issues of disease etiology, pathology, diagnosis, to facilitate control through prevention, treatment or for eradication. Through intelligent and persistent investigation, in the face of ever-increasing competition for resources, research has successfully found solutions for many of the afflictions threatening the livestock industry over the past 100 years. Though not without failures, our research capacity has achieved international stature. Here we review the development and directions of veterinary research in Zimbabwe, and discuss how its record forms the basis for the justification, formulation and assessment of research targets and strategies for the future.

Biodiversity on-farm in semi-arid agriculture: a case study from a smallholder farming system in Zimbabwe

W. Chivasa¹ , D. Harris², C. Chiduza³, P. Nyamudeza⁴ and A.B. Mashingaidze²

¹International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, PO Box 776, Bulawayo,.
²Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK
³Department of Crop Science, University of Zimbabwe, MP 167, Mount Pleasant, Harare, ⁴Save Valley Experiment Station, P/Bag 2037, Chipinge,

An observational survey of standing crop characteristics was conducted in farmers' fields in Musikavanhu communal area of Zimbabwe, during the 1995/1996 cropping season, to investigate sorghum diversity and its role in household food security in semi-arid agriculture. The study revealed a wide diversity of crops growing in farmers' fields, often in a mixture. The major crop was sorghum, grown by 94% of the farmers and occupying 82% of the land. Eleven sorghum varieties were grown in the area during the surveyed season. Five extra varieties of sorghum were mentioned by farmers, but were no longer grown because seed became extinct. Cowpeas, pumpkins, cucumbers and watermelons were often intercropped with sorghum. These 'minor' crops are very important to farmers and are eaten as supplementary food, somewhat like vegetables or desserts. This enormous diversity of crop plants fulfils livelihood and nutritional needs. The use of cowpeas is an important aspect of many multiple-cropping systems and is particularly relevant to the development of low-external-input and sustainable agriculture systems. There is a definite need for national agricultural research systems (NARS) to capture this biodiversity by collecting samples for conservation and also to use this as the basis for improving production system in the area. Both in situ and ex situ conservation are essential and the links between them need to be improved.

Global warming is a myth

Ilaki Siziba

Winner of the Youth Science Forum essay competition organised by The British Council for undergraduate students at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Bulawayo

After opening the essay with a contentious heading, Mr Siziba then discusses the issue of global warming being a reality and gives some suggestions what can be done to reduce the problem.

Information On Journals, Databases And Web Pages

This article contains information about new on-line journal services in Africa, including the extended African Journals Online site, run by International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications. There is also information about the new Science in Africa online journal and databases/CD-ROM services from the National Enquiry Service Centre in South Africa . Details are given about other useful websites such as the Population-Health-Environment site, the ScienceWise and the ChemSoc web sites.

Notes From Societies In Zimbabwe Astronomical Society Of Southern Africa (Harare Centre)

Astronomical Phenomena in 2001

This article gives an outline of the main astronomical events visible from Zimbabwe in 2001 including information about the planets, sun, moon, meteors and eclipses. The dates given for the appearance and disappearance of the planets in the pre-dawn and evening skies vary by a few days due to factors such as atmospheric effects and the observer's position. Similarly the times of events such as eclipses are precise only at longitude 30° East, and will occur several minutes earlier in the east of the country but later in the west. Times are given in Zimbabwe Standard Time, which is two hours ahead of Universal Time, or Greenwich Mean Time, and is the same time system used in most of southern Africa.