SAFE4ALL Project Kicks Off a Busy Week of Activities

Opening Meeting at ZFU on Tuesday 6 May 2025

A meeting was held at the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) offices in Milton Park with Guss Wiersma, a project coordinator from the Delft University of Technology. Mr. Wiersma gave an overview of the SAFE4ALL project to bring everyone up to date. One key message from the meeting was that the tools from the project will be co-created such that they are customised to the three countries that are in the project (Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe). These tools will be developed through a process that includes input from the users themselves. This approach is different from most other projects where end users are given a completed product. Instead, SAFE4ALL will involve users in the early stages, so that the tools meet their actual needs. This will help ensure the tools are well received when the project is rolled out. The tools under consideration include: The Climate Atlas, Uliza WI Chatbot, AI-based Nowcasting for thunderstorms, Hyperlocal Intelligence Engine for weather forecasting and the Multi Agent Enforcement Framework.

MSD and ZFU meeting at Zimbabwe Farmers Union Headquarters

These tools are at different levels of development which will be further enhanced working with the users in the three countries. From the round table discussion, a key concern was raised on the limited access to smartphones in rural areas, a requirement for some of the tools. Another issue was that most farmers are older and less familiar with technology, while younger farmers who are more comfortable with digital tools are fewer. This highlighted the need to encourage young people to get involved in farming. A plan for the next three days was developed, which included visits to Furamera (Ward 14) and Materera (Ward 15) in Marondera, where automatic weather stations from TAHMO have been installed.

Field Visits on Wednesday 7 May 2025

Representatives from MSD and ZFU including Guus visited the two wards, starting with Materera. At Materera, the meeting started with introductions. Dr. Kuipa from ZFU, Engineer Mazhara, Mr. Mason Mawoyo and Mr. Moven Manjowe from MSD took turns to speak to the farmers about the purpose and value of the weather stations. They encouraged the community to protect the equipment from vandalism, as the stations are there to serve them. The farmers were also given the chance to ask questions, which were answered clearly and respectfully. They were then shown around the weather station. Blessed Mutize from MSD explained how each part of the system works, to make the technology less intimidating. The same activities were repeated at Furamera, wrapping up the day.

Field visit at the AWS installation site in Marondera Ward 14

Living Lab Workshop on Thursday 8 May 2025

A Living Lab workshop was held in Marondera at Chipiwa Lodge. The discussions during the workshop were fruitful. Attendees included Agricultural Extension Officers, the Department of Irrigation, Local Government, MSD, and ZFU. The workshop focused on defining the roles and goals of each stakeholder in the Living Lab, and a roadmap was developed for the upcoming months.

Breakout sessions during the Living Lab Workshop in Marondera

A breakout session allowed participants to work in five groups to discuss key questions: 1. What is your profession? 2. What expertise do you bring to the Living Lab? 3. What are your goals within the Living Lab? 4. What do you want to learn? 5. What would you like the outcomes to be? From these discussions, the final goals, key milestones, responsible stakeholders, and completion timeframes were mapped out.

Stakeholders group photo at the end of the Living Lab Workshop

Final Planning Meeting on Friday 9 May 2025

The week ended with a final meeting at MSD headquarters. The focus of the meeting was planning ahead, including setting a date for the next Living Lab workshop. It was agreed that the next session will likely take place by the end of June, after the roadmap has been refined. These activities carried out during the week showed strong collaboration at the national level and set a clear direction for the SAFE4ALL project which is in its second year of implementation.

ZFU and MSD group photo at the end of the eventful week