12 May 2017, Bulawayo - Vusimuzi Phiri, a Climber, harvest seeds from the heights of a eucalyptus tree at Chesa Forest research Station in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. "I can manage two trees a day when there is lots of seed and in a average season the two of us can cover fifteen trees", Vusimuzi said during spoke tis as he was about to climb the eucalyptus. FAO and the ASTF fund are supporting investigation, surveys, training and management practices to address food contamination, animal and plant pests and diseases and their impact on the productivity of food, crops, livestock, fisheries and forest resources in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Through the ASTF a wide variety of activities have been supported and undertaken; national baseline survey to identify capacity needs in government agencies, integrated pest management training workshops (e.g. training of Forestry Commission (FC) officers, 10 farmer field schools groups in 5 provinces, training of trainers), national surveillance activities, documentation of major forestry pests & diseases, as well as support to develop a quarantine facility. This work builds on earlier FAO assistance programs.