Giving villagers the proverbial fishing rod
(38), a single mother of two, will never regret the day she decided to join the Zunde village business unit (VBU) in Mt Darwin.
“We used to rely on rain-fed agriculture, but this is now a thing of the past as we now have a reliable source of water, thanks to the Government,” she said.
She said since villagers were now engaged in horticultural production and receiving dividends from the activity, they were now on a transformational path through these localised business units. She can now send her children to school and fend for her extended family.
Zunde is one of many thriving VBUs in Mashonaland Central province. The VBU, which has 66 members, has a horticulture section under which a number of crops are grown. They include tomatoes and cabbages. In addition, the unit runs a fisheries project.
The fish are almost ready for the market. Speaking during a tour of the place recently, Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) horticulture expert Simon Pande said Zunde villagers should be applauded for establishing a thriving crop, adding that the authority would not let them down on market linkages.
“We are impressed with what we have witnessed here. We have several reputable off-takers that we work with and that are always willing to take up all the produce from the VBUs. As of December 31, 2023, AMA had created a total 84 local markets for both crop and livestock,” he said.
Chaminuka Training Centre and several supermarkets in Bindura and Mt Darwin are some of the off-takers that buy produce from Zunde VBU.
Other VBUs doing well in Mashonaland Central are Chigango with 120 beneficiaries, Madhogo (134), Rovambira (60), Chaka (95), Kenwith (80) and Kazuva (82), among others.
Mashonaland West has 383 beneficiaries — including Pote, Nyikadzino, Mutau, Idlewood and Chigumbura VBUs; while Manicaland has 460 beneficiaries, Masvingo (213), Midlands (505), Harare (162), Matabeleland (200) and Mashonaland East (62). So far, more than US$25 200 has been realised from the 144 VBUs set up across the country. When it comes to VBUs, the adage “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime” holds water.
Central to this concept is the importance of providing villagers with enablers and the knowledge they need to sustain themselves in the long term, rather than just offering temporary solutions. By giving villagers fishing rods, instead of just handing them fish, the Second Republic is empowering them to become self-sufficient and independent.
The VBUs have proved to be game changers for rural communities whose livelihoods are being transformed in terms of food and nutrition security, employment creation and enhanced income.
Rural development
In 2021, President Mnangagwa launched the Rural Development 8 model. The first VBU was launched by President Mnangagwa in Jinjika village, Mangwe, and many have since been established across the country. The initiative is aimed at addressing the socio-economic challenges rural communities across Zimbabwe face.
The programme focuses on various aspects of rural development, including infrastructure improvement, agricultural support and employment creation. It is designed to uplift the living standards of the rural population and promote sustainable development in these areas.
The programme is meant to improve the livelihoods of rural communities through the establishment of VBUs, which are registered as formal companies, with the villagers being both employees earning wages and shareholders earning dividends from the ventures.