Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences in partnership with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Innovation and Technology Development have developed a cutting-edge Agro-Innovation Industrial Park at the MSUAS Headlands farm.

The Agro-Innovation Industrial Park, is an initiative poised to create self-sustenance and operationalize Education 5.0 and is being driven by the Department of Agricultural Economics and Development. The initiative will see the production of innovative and industry-relevant graduates with a very rich practical approach to agriculture.

Commenting on the project, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Albert Chawanda said, “The project is a cutting-edge innovation meant to assist the University with income augmentation as we aim towards self-sufficiency. Furthermore and principally, the project is a pragmatic operationalization of the Ministry’s Heritage-Based Education 5.0 which endeavours to create fruitful and patentable innovations which will drive the industry.”

Looking ahead, the project seeks to set up an abattoir, food canning and processing plant, stock feed manufacturing plant and a milling plant with the aim to produce for the domestic and export market in the European Union and Asia. Currently, the Agro-Innovation Industrial Park is preparing to put under cultivation 100 hectares of maize, 40 hectares of tobacco and 100 hectares of wheat which is a great upscale from the production of last season of 60 hectares of maize, 15 hectares of tobacco and 9 hectares of wheat.

The partnership with the Ministry, has seen massive equipping and modernisation of the farm which has seen the procurement of a tractor, centre irrigation pivots, boom sprayers, planters, disc harrows among many other equipment bought.