Enhancing local capacity for digital surveillance of key quarantine pests in Zimbabwe

FAO, IPPC, Zimbabwe government host training to strengthen the country’s capacity to protect plant resources and facilitate trade

25/09/2025

This week, Zimbabwe is hosting a pivotal training workshop aimed at enhancing local capacity for digital surveillance of key quarantine pests. The workshop brings together more than 50 national surveillance technicians for hands-on training in pest identification, mobile data collection and geospatial mapping.

Organized under the auspices of the Africa Phytosanitary Programme (APP), an initiative of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat and the African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Agriculture, Blue Economy and Environment (ARBE), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the workshop will strengthen the technical capacity of phytosanitary officers in digital tools for monitoring of five key quarantine pests: Fusarium wilt, Diaphorina citri, Citrus Greening, Banana Bunchy Top Virus, and Bactrocera spp (fruit flies). Plant pests are major threats to food security and agricultural trade.

“Throughout this workshop, you will refresh and deepen your knowledge while gaining practical skills in pest identification, field surveillance, digital data collection and timely reporting. With the support of the IPPC Secretariat, FAO, and our partners, you will also be equipped with digital pest surveillance tools and tablets that will enhance the speed and accuracy of data collection and reporting,” said Dr. Dumisani Kutyawo, Chief Director of Research, Education and Specialist Services in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in his opening remarks .

The training builds on the train-the-trainer workshop conducted in Egypt in 2023 when APP was launched, where experts from Zimbabwe and 10 other pilot countries trained on using the APP digital tools. The goal now is to pass these skills to more frontline technicians and managers in these countries, to ensure that pest surveillance is not only strengthened nationally but also becomes more systematic and harmonised across the continent. The workshop in Zimbabwe is the first in a series of national workshops to be held until the end of the year, in seven other countries implementing APP. This round of national training will equip more than 300 personnel across the continent.

“Empowering African countries with digital tools for regular pest surveillance and data collection ensures that countries ably comply with several plant health standards, including maintaining pest-free areas and mandatory reporting on pest presence,” said Descartes Koumba, Implementation Facilitation Officer in the IPPC Secretariat.

“I hope that by the end of the workshop, participants will master the effective use of these tools while championing the programme across the country,” he added.

From theory to sustainable practices

Through the programme, the IPPC, whose mission is to protect global plant resources from pests and facilitate safe trade, has equipped the DRESS in the Agriculture Ministry with over 40 tablets preloaded with APP applications. This support significantly strengthens Zimbabwe’s field surveillance capabilities, elevates its national phytosanitary system and positions Zimbabwe to lead in modern and technologically enabled plant health monitoring systems across the continent.

The workshop will include theoretical instruction and practical application, with foundational sessions on pest biology, identification, and survey protocols of the five major pests impacting agriculture, trade and the environment. During the hands-on session, participants will learn about the APP mobile applications and ArcGIS Hub for data collection and storage.

A highlight of the workshop is the full-day field visit, where participants will simulate practical surveillance activities, collecting samples, capturing data using tablets, and applying the digital techniques learned. This immersive experience ensures that technicians not only understand the concepts but also gain confidence in executing surveillance tasks in actual field conditions.

To ensure sustainability and continued capacity strengthening, participants will develop collaborative provincial surveillance workplans to translate their training into actionable strategies at the districts and provinces, including ports of entry.

The presence of master trainers, previously trained under the APP pilot phase, further reinforces knowledge transfer and institutional memory. Post-workshop activities include data review, mapping, and reflection sessions, which help consolidate learning and prepare technicians for ongoing surveillance efforts.

The Africa Phytosanitary Programme

The APP is designed to transform the technical capacity of Africa’s phytosanitary personnel in all 54 countries, equipping them with modern scientific approaches and advanced digital technology to enhance pest surveillance, diagnosis, detection, reporting, prevention and recovery from pest outbreaks. APP is being implemented 20 African countries, with 11- Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe in the pilot phase and nine in phase two- Algeria, Cabo Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Liberia, Malawi, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. Financial support for APP from the European Commission and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Contact

Kevin Mazorodze

Communications Specialist

FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa

M: +263-718-529889

Originally published on FAO Regional Office for Africa: https://www.fao.org/africa/news-stories/news-detail/enhancing-local-capacity-for-digital-surveillance-of-key-quarantine-pests-in-zimbabwe/en