Agricultural embryo technology drives cattle restocking programme

Chinhoyi University of Technology is leading Zimbabwe's national herd rebuild through advanced embryo transfer and artificial insemination programmes at its 2 000ha farm. By combining cutting-edge reproductive technologies with rigorous genetic testing, the university is fast-tracking cattle improvement while preserving key indigenous traits, positioning innovation at the heart of sustainable beef and dairy growth.

- Clemence Manyukwe

Chinhoyi University of Technology's (CUT) farm in Zimbabwe is a hub for innovative livestock breeding, showcasing elite donor and surrogate herds that demonstrate the tangible benefits of its pioneering embryo transfer (ET) programme, a flagship initiative aimed at revitalising Zimbabwe's cattle industry. The programme is called the Biotechnology and Advanced Cattle Reproductive Technologies Programme (also known as the National Cattle Breeding Project).

In 2019, the state-run institution was mandated to lead the government's efforts to replenish the country's national herd.

To support this effort, the government thus allocated a 2000ha farm to the university's School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, which has since established a centre of excellence in animal breeding. The farm includes semen-collection stations, a milking parlour, a piggery unit, a tobacco curing centre, a poultry farm, a medicinal feed factory, cattle fattening pens, an agro-feed factory, and an agroprocessing and manufacturing industrial park.

The university runs its artificial insemination (AI) and ET initiatives from this farm.

CUT's team of experts rigorously tests and validates each technology to ensure that only proven, high-performing solutions that deliver strong conception rates and robust calf vigour are made available to farmers.

Prof Chrispen Murungweni, executive dean of the School of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, told Farmer's Weekly that the university's commitment to translating academic research into practical, industry-driven solutions is exemplified by its groundbreaking work in livestock embryo innovation.

MANDATE TO REBUILD NATIONAL HERD RESTS WITH UNIVERSITY