Story by Tafara Chikumira
SCHOOLS under the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church have become the latest to benefit from the Bridging the Gaps Foundation Mechanisation Programme aimed at complementing government’s agricultural revival efforts.
The foundation, which is a brainchild of renowned business mogul and philanthropist Dr. Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his wife Sandra Mpunga, is revolutionising formerly marginalised communities in Zimbabwe.
One of the notable initiatives is the farm mechanisation programme, which has benefitted 21 schools in the Zimbabwe Central Union.
The schools have received tractors and equipment along with agronomists and sufficient farming equipment to kick start their agricultural ventures.
The effort is meant to promote self-sufficiency and community empowerment, fostering sustainable agriculture in schools and improving quality of education and livelihoods.
“As a foundation, we realised that most of the schools we are running are missionary schools. It is rare for schools to make money out of tuition. What has been lacking was the idea to produce so that the systems sustain themselves. We are giving the schools everything they need to start agro-businesses for self-sustenance,” said the foundation’s executive director, Dr Blessing Nyahuma.
The project goes beyond empowering schools as surrounding communities are set to also benefit
The Head of Centres for Influence, Mr Blessing Chitsato said, “What we have done is to engage some agronomists to ensure that the schools get expertise on issues of farming. We want them to operate as businesses. We have also come up with subsidised mechanisms for members of the community who might want to use the machinery for farming purposes. The idea is to end hunger in society.”
Beneficiaries of the scheme are anticipating huge returns from the agro business venture.
“We have been receiving a number of requests from schools as they were failing to meet their demands from the tuition. The game should now change as we want to see the schools becoming centres of excellence,” said Mr Chitsato.
Zhombe SDA Primary School’s headmistress, Mrs Trinety Jeranyama “We have been having some idle land but could not do much as we lacked the necessary equipment. Now that we have this machinery, we want to cut costs on vegetables and mealie meal as we are going to farm these at our farm. We are also going to be renting out the tractors and the trailers, meaning we can meet some demands like buying our own school bus.”
The school mechanisation programme aligns seamlessly with the Second Republic’s broader agricultural mechanisation initiative, aimed at revitalising Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector.
