SNV in partnership with the District Education Office in Mutasa District has developed teaching and learning materials for agriculture taught in primary schools. The materials focus on the locally abundant product, bananas. In this way, pupils who will not receive post-primary education can fall back on farming bananas to earn a living.
SNV has been working with small scale farmers in the district to commercialise banana production though the adoption of demonstration plots as centres of learning for farmers.
The St Peters Primary School demonstration plot has outdone its intended scope. The school had 150 plants. Upon realising its benefits, the School Development Committee took it further to another 600 plants, with intentions of expanding with another 1500. The first harvest paid for repairs of all windowpanes at the school.
Takunda is a grade 5 pupil at the school and enjoys his agriculture lessons. Takunda says the work on the banana plot is not much. He takes care of his individual banana plant which has been christened with his name.
In mid July, 2010, the teaching and learning materials for bananas demonstration plots were shared with 31 other primary schools in the same valley, and two schools from another valley. The responses were encouraging, and so far three other schools have taken up banana farming with five others intend to do so.
The Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture has incorporated technical and vocational teaching in the primary curricula. The approach that SNV developed in Mutasa District will help the Ministry to make this curriculum relevant to the local context.