Source: Lifeline for Chipinge smallholder farmers -Newsday Zimbabwe
WE Effect, in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers (ZADF), Zimbabwe Dairy Industries Trust (ZDIT) and Women and Land in Zimbabwe (WLZ), has launched the Charurwa Agricultural Hub in Chipinge, Manicaland province.
The initiative, part of the Inclusive, Market-Oriented Value Chains for Economic Development (iMoved) project, aims to bolster smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, by enhancing their participation in dairy production, soybean and sunflower processing and horticulture.
Funded by the Embassy of Sweden with a budget of 40 million SEK (approximately US$4 million), the four-year iMoved project targets 10 500 smallholder farmers across 13 districts in Zimbabwe.
The project focuses on developing inclusive, market-oriented value chains in the dairy, soybean and horticulture sectors to promote sustainable livelihoods.
It plans to establish 13 five-hectare gardens, known as “Green Hubs”, providing each farmer with access to 0,2 hectares for cultivation.
These hubs will be equipped with reliable water sources, solar-powered water abstraction and infield drip irrigation systems.
The launch event featured a tour of exhibition stands showcasing the project’s three main components: dairy production, soybean and sunflower processing, and horticulture.
Guests included representatives from the Embassy of Sweden — financial controller Ann Christin Singer, programme officers Natsai Kushata and Linia Mawire — as well as traditional and local leaders, government extension agents, and private sector partners such as Dairibord, Coopers, CBZ Bank, CABS Bank, and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Corporation.
The Charurwa Agricultural Hub has empowered 57 smallholder farmers, comprising 47 adult females, eight young females and two adult males.
These farmers secured five hectares of land for cooperative farming and received critical enabling technologies, including milk tanks, a greenhouse, and oil pressing machines.
ZADF chief executive officer Paida Chadoka and WLZ national co-ordinator Thandiwe Chidavarume shared success stories highlighting significant improvements in productivity and income.
Chidavarume emphasised the importance of land access for women, stating: “We have noted that in terms of inclusivity in economic development, women are being left behind.
“For example, in terms of access to finances, usually they are asked if they have collateral. And again, in terms of agricultural production, women are limited.
“Women are good dealers of land, but their capacity is not realised because the land they work on is not their land.
“They only access land through relations with their brothers, husbands, and uncles.”
Added Chidavarume: “As Women and Land in Zimbabwe, we are mobilising rural women into forming what we call the rural groups.
“What we do first is to facilitate women’s access to land so that if they have access to land, like what we are seeing here — we are seeing very good rape crop — which, if they have access to land, women can then work on the land. They get money.
“If they get money, they can also start to buy productive assets or buy capital assets or buy big assets like buying cows for dairy cows for them to engage.”
Since the project’s inception, daily milk production has increased from 25 litres to 140 litres.
Earnings from greenhouse tomato operations have exceeded US$4 000 and sunflower processing has generated over US$500.
These achievements underscore the project’s potential to transform the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.
As of now, the critical assets deployed include a 500-litre bulk milk tank powered by a 10kVA solar system, 1 000 square metre greenhouse and solar-powered boreholes.
Adding an emotional touch to the occasion, Gloria Dhliwayo, a poet, praised the milestone, stating: “We salute the farmers for their wonderful work, shining like diamonds. Let’s love one another and work together, for Charurwa is a land of freedom and hospitality.”
“We shall shun corruption and rise for the good of our nation. With respect, we shall enjoy prosperity.”
Singer reaffirmed Sweden’s commitment to Zimbabwe’s economic and social development, saying: “From 2022 to 2026, Sweden’s strategy for Zimbabwe includes economic development, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and the sustainable use of natural resources.”
“It is also aligned with the Zimbabwe government’s National Development Strategy 1, which seeks to promote new enterprise development, employment, and job creation.”
She added: “Sweden is happy with the work being done by We Effect and its partners and also takes the opportunity to applaud the local leadership and stakeholders and the women and youth smallholder farmers for taking up the iMoved project and owning it, whose impact we are all witnessing here at this commissioning.”
We Effect country representative Lucy Mazingi highlighted the project’s alignment with broader development goals.
The iMoved project aims to create linkages between smallholder farmers, private sector companies, and other stakeholders in the targeted value chains.
By increasing productivity and incomes, with a specific focus on women and youth, the project seeks to address challenges that have previously excluded these groups from benefiting fully from agricultural value chains.
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