Mwimba College of Agriculture Courses; These are the list of courses offered at Mwimba College of Agriculture.
An agriculture college has moved in to introduce industrial hemp lessons as the country prepares to have the herb which is on high demand on the international market for medicinal use and manufacturing.Industrial Hemp lessons to be taught at Mwimba College of Agriculture
Mwimba College of Agriculture (Mwica) in Kasungu says it plans to introduce a course in industrial hemp in its syllabus after the government approves the industrial hemp policy.
The Ministry of Agriculture says it is working on a policy to regulate industrial hemp once legalized.
Chief Executive Officer for Agricultural Research and Extension Trust, which runs the college, Dr Albert Changaya says there is demand for the course and researches on the crop.
Parliament legalised the Indian hemp growing in the country after an independent member of parliament Boniface Kadzamira moved a private member’s motion.
To achieve the core function of technology generation, ARET has a Department of Research and Technical Services which has 4 sections, manned by very qualified and competent staff in their specialized fields:
- Plant Breeding Section: this section breeds varieties of all types of tobacco, focusing on breeding or selection for yield as well as resistance to common diseases such as Black Shank, Fusarium Wilt, Wild Fire, Alternaria, Bushy Top and Root Knot Nematodes.
- Agronomy Section: conducts research on agronomic practices that influence yield and leaf quality including types and quantities of fertilizers, plant populations, weed control, sucker control, and topping among others.
- Plant Protection Section: conducts research on major pests and diseases including their economic thresholds and effective control. Most of the work involves screening of chemicals for disease and pest control with the aim of developing integrated pest management systems.
- Soils Section: conducts research on soil physical and chemical aspects, fertilizer testing and use of lime in the field to stabilize soil acidity.
- Engineering Section: work in this section aims at reducing yield and quality losses during harvesting and curing. The focus is on designing, developing and testing tobacco curing structures or modifying existing curing structures so that they use various types of fuel economically.