Story by Courage Bushe
Communal horticulture gardens have become viable transformative tools as the country pursues national food security in line with the vision of an upper-middle-income society by 2030.
Communal farmers at Hlabano Garden in Zvishavane, who ventured into horticulture, will be smiling all the way to the bank after a successful season.
The garden, which was established through a partnership between government and private players has become a success story in the community.
A beneficiary, Ms Muza said, ‘‘We have been able to relieve pressure from our husbands who are working outside the country and are looking forward to improved profits when we scale up productivity.’’
Another beneficiary, Mr Tom noted, ‘‘We want to thank the government and its partners for development for giving us the opportunity to work. We are now realising how important this garden is to us because we are now getting the much-needed financial gains.’’
Zvishavane District Agritex Head, Mrs Ellen Chivi confirmed the potential of the project, adding that government will chip in to ensure communities have access to viable markets.
She said, ‘‘Opportunities lie where we are; beneath our feet and here in Ngome Village we have demonstrated that it is indeed possible for villagers not to go anywhere else to be employed and we will try to help them unlock new opportunities.’’
The setting up of communal gardens has been cited as a clear indication of the government’s efforts to improve rural economies while also ending poverty in line with the National Development Strategy One (NDS1).
