The parallel journey of innovation in Zimbabwe and Alberta

Separated by an ocean, two farming communities share more than crops in common.

Southern Alberta and Zimbabwe farmers face similar challenges right now because of drought. Listen while Ken Coles and Zimbabwean PJ Odendaal discuss lessons learned on The Real P3 podcast.

Coles and Odendaal met as Nuffield Scholars in April 2023 on a trip to Zimbabwe. The pair instantly formed a friendship that would last beyond the trip and across continents.

Now they’ve reconnected on Odendaal’s The Real P3podcast to catch up about lessons they’ve learned since the trip together.

With the possibility of a drought looming over southern Alberta farmers and currently afflicting Zimbabwean farmers, the pair takes the chance to highlight the importance of innovation. On the Zimbabwe trip, the pair saw the importance of innovation as farmers continuously overcame hardship across the country.

Coles got the opportunity to highlight the history of Farming Smarter and its two-decade journey of innovation. From the amalgamation of a conservation and research organization to the organization that designs its own hail simulator to test hail recovery inputs, Farming Smarter has been at the forefront of agronomy innovation in southern Alberta.

The conversation reviewed the importance of developing a culture to support innovation and helping farmers adapt and adopt before wrapping up.

Listen to the episode to catch the whole conversation on innovation and adoption.