Title:
ANALYSIS OF SMALLHOLDER COFFEE FARMING SKILLS NEEDS IN ZIMBABWE: IMPLICATIONS FOR TRAINING MODEL DEVELOPMENT

Authors:
Midway Bhunu and Emmanuel Chinamasa ,Zimbabwe

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the level of Coffee growing skills that smallholder farmers in Honde Valley Zimbabwe possess. This was motivated by the fact that literature on smallholder coffee farming in Zimbabwe did not cover much on skills development. More so, exploring the initial levels of skills is a critical stage of any contextualized training program. A qualitative ethno methodology research design was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from, five public extension workers, two private (NGO) extension workers and fiftyseven coffee farmers through a questionnaire, participant observation and interviews. Documentary analysis was done to get historical data on coffee growing skills development programs for the farmers. The study found that: there is no formal college specializing in coffee farming. Smallholder farmers growing coffee in Zimbabwe have low levels of commercial coffee farming skills limited to land preparation, planting, weeding and picking. Farmers acquired the skills through informal training by commercial farmers, learning by doing during employment at commercial coffee estates, formal training by NGOs, peer knowledge sharing, observation and practice at own farm with parents. They lack knowledge of coffee varieties, seedling production, coffee pests, ideal growing conditions, hulling, grading, processing and marketing. The skills gap makes it difficult for the farmers to grow coffee as community groups independent of farming agents. It ties them to foreign agents who strip them of their profits. The study recommends a formal participatory skills development model in which farmers are provided with theory in practice skills for different coffee varieties, from coffee nursery to a cup