Peasant Farmers: The Only Bedrock of Zimbabwe’s 2030 Middle-Income Vision

 By Dr Last Mazambani

Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 lays out an ambitious roadmap of transforming the country into a middle-income economy within the next decade. It is a vision that speaks to a nation yearning for prosperity, better livelihoods, and equitable development. Yet, beneath the fanfare of policy documents and political speeches lies a glaring paradox: any middle-income aspiration that excludes the empowerment of peasant farmers, who constitute roughly 70% of Zimbabwe’s population, is an illusion. Without a strategic focus on communal agriculture, Vision 2030 risks becoming nothing more than sloganeering, hot air, and empty promises.

Why Communal Farmers Matter

Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy. While commercial farmers, agribusinesses, and urban enterprises play their role, it is the peasant farmer—tilling small plots with rudimentary tools—who forms the heart of rural livelihoods. These communal farmers not only provide household sustenance but also contribute significantly to national food security. When rains are good and inputs are available, they produce maize, groundnuts, sorghum, and other staples that feed millions.

Yet, these farmers are often marginalized in national economic planning. Access to credit, modern farming technologies, irrigation facilities, and structured markets remains limited. They bear the brunt of climate shocks, endure exploitative middlemen, and often sell their produce at sub-economic prices. To dream of a middle-income economy while 70% of the population remains trapped in subsistence poverty is to chase a mirage.

Vision 2030: Ambition vs. Reality

The government’s blueprint aims to raise per capita income, industrialize the economy, and improve service delivery by 2030. Indicators of a middle-income economy include increased GDP per capita, reduced poverty, expanded infrastructure, and diversified exports. But economic progress cannot be built on a foundation of inequality.

If the bulk of the population is excluded from empowerment, the result will be a dual economy—urban centers may record growth, but rural communities will stagnate in chronic poverty. This inequality undermines national cohesion and ultimately drags down the country’s aggregate progress. Vision 2030 must be more than an elite project; it should be a collective mission. And that collective mission begins with the rural farmer.

The Missed Transformation: Agriculture Without Empowerment

Zimbabwe’s history offers lessons. In the 1980s, agricultural support programs such as credit schemes, extension services, and input subsidies helped boost smallholder productivity. The communal areas became engines of maize and cotton production. However, decades of economic decline, poor governance, and recurrent droughts eroded those gains. Today, smallholder farmers face the same struggles as their grandparents: lack of inputs, inadequate irrigation, poor market linkages, and weak rural infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Vision 2030 speeches emphasize industrialization, urban growth, and mega projects. While these are necessary, sidelining the rural majority is a strategic misstep. Without formidable work and dedicated resources targeting peasant agriculture, Vision 2030 will remain aspirational rather than transformational.

Key Areas for Action

To integrate communal farmers into the Vision 2030 journey, several interventions are critical:

1. Access to Inputs and Credit
   Farmers cannot plant without seeds, fertilizers, and chemicals. Current subsidy schemes are often not inclusive, inconsistent, or insufficient. Establishing transparent, inclusive input support programs linked to affordable rural credit will enable smallholders to farm productively and commercially.
2. Irrigation and Climate Resilience
   Rain-fed farming is increasingly unreliable due to climate change. Building small-scale irrigation schemes, rehabilitating dams, and introducing climate-smart agriculture techniques are essential. Empowering farmers with water security transforms subsistence plots into productive enterprises.
3. Infrastructure and Market Linkages
   Poor rural roads, lack of storage facilities, and limited access to markets force farmers to sell at low prices. Investment in rural infrastructure, such as roads, collection centers, agro-processing hubs, ensures farmers capture fair value for their produce.
4. Land Tenure and Security
   Many communal farmers operate under insecure land tenure arrangements that limit their ability to invest or use land as collateral. Clarifying land rights and ensuring secure tenure is key to unlocking agricultural productivity.
5. Education and Extension Services
   Knowledge is as critical as inputs. Modern extension services, digital platforms for farmer training, and youth engagement in agriculture will raise productivity and make farming attractive for future generations.
6. Value Addition and Agro-Industries
   For farmers to escape poverty, they must move beyond raw produce. Establishing local agro-processing industries ensures that crops are turned into higher-value products, creating jobs and boosting incomes.

The Cost of Exclusion

Ignoring the communal farmer is not merely unjust; it is economically unsound. A nation cannot expect to achieve middle-income status when the majority is excluded from wealth creation. Without addressing rural poverty, Zimbabwe risks widening inequality, fueling rural-urban migration, and perpetuating cycles of hunger and underdevelopment.

Moreover, political stability depends on inclusive growth. Marginalized rural populations become disillusioned, and disillusionment can translate into unrest or apathy. Vision 2030 cannot afford such fragility if it is to be a unifying national dream.

Building a Shared Vision

The rhetoric of middle-income status is powerful, but rhetoric must be matched by realism. Zimbabwe’s policymakers, development partners, and private sector actors must recognize that communal farmers are not passive recipients of aid but active economic agents. With the right support, they can drive food security, contribute to exports, and uplift rural incomes.

Vision 2030 should therefore not be about skyscrapers in Harare alone; it should be about improved harvests in Gokwe, reliable irrigation in Zaka, and thriving agro-businesses in Mutoko. A shared vision is one where rural prosperity is central, not peripheral.

Conclusion: From Slogan to Substance

The 2030 middle-income target risks becoming a missed mantra if peasant farmers remain disempowered. Vision 2030 cannot succeed on promises alone; it demands formidable work, deliberate policy focus, and dedicated resources. Empowering 70% of the population engaged in communal farming is not optional, it is the bedrock upon which genuine economic transformation rests.

If Zimbabwe is serious about becoming a middle-income economy by 2030, it must walk the talk. Anything less is simply hot air, empty promises, and slogans that history will judge harshly.

Bio:

Last Mazambani (PhD) is a transformational project management and change management professional in the public sector. His academic publications are on sustainability, financial inclusion, financial technology, and cryptocurrency. Click here to access his academic profile. Last can be contacted at lastmazambani@gmail.com.

The Presidential Horticulture Scheme Needs Village Players

By Dr Last Mazambani

The Presidential Horticulture Scheme, launched as a key component of Zimbabwe’s broader rural transformation strategy, is one of the most promising government interventions in recent years. It offers not just food and income security, but a pathway toward a truly diversified and resilient rural economy. Yet for it to fully realise its potential, the scheme must go beyond seedling distributions and address the real engines of sustainability — village-level infrastructure, local skills development, and inter-agency coordination.

At the core of the scheme lies a noble and visionary idea: empower households, especially those in rural and peri-urban communities, to grow fruit trees that can support nutrition, incomes, climate resilience, and long-term food sovereignty. However, a program of this scale and ambition must also recognize that success is rooted in local ownership, not just national coordination. It is time to bring in the village players — the unsung community champions, cooperatives, rural youth, and local institutions who will sustain this horticultural revolution beyond the lifespan of political cycles.

Beyond Distribution: A Culture of Cultivation

Currently, the government aims to distribute fruit trees to rural households, with targets set in the tens of millions. This is commendable, but tree planting is not an end in itself. What happens after the trees are delivered? Who nurtures them? Who replaces those lost to drought, pests, or neglect? Who imparts the knowledge needed to graft, prune, or irrigate?

To ensure that trees bear fruit — literally and economically — the program should aim higher. A goal of 100 fruit trees per rural household is not only feasible over time, it could be transformational. That kind of density would allow families to become producers, not just consumers, of high-value horticultural crops such as guava, avocado, mango, citrus, and macadamia.

Rural Nurseries: Anchors of Continuity

To achieve this, the establishment of rural-based plant nurseries is a must. These nurseries can be locally managed — by community groups, rural schools, or youth cooperatives — and should serve as knowledge hubs as well as sources of plant material. When communities are given the tools and training to propagate their own fruit trees, they gain self-reliance and ensure the program endures beyond central supply chains.

Zimbabwe already has a culture of agro-entrepreneurship at the village level. Tapping into this potential by offering technical training, start-up support, and market access can turn fruit tree cultivation into a thriving microenterprise sector.

Extension Services and Institutional Integration

Government agricultural extension officers must also be placed at the heart of this initiative. These frontline workers already interact with farmers on issues ranging from soil conservation to pest management. Equipping them with horticultural training and logistical support including mobility, inputs, and demonstration kits can dramatically increase uptake and survival rates of fruit trees.

Furthermore, institutional coordination is essential. The Forestry Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture, local authorities, NGOs, universities, and private agricultural colleges must work in sync. Their combined knowledge, reach, and networks can support every aspect of the program from selecting the right species for each agro-ecological zone, to setting up community grafting centres, to linking smallholders with export-ready markets.

Water Security: Small Dams for Big Impact

No horticultural initiative can succeed without reliable water. The government’s complementary efforts to invest in small dam construction and water harvesting systems should be directly aligned with the horticulture scheme. A well-sited micro-dam or community borehole, managed collectively and supported with basic irrigation infrastructure, can ensure the survival of trees during dry spells and allow for off-season cultivation of vegetables and herbs.

Such integrated infrastructure planning also unlocks secondary benefits such as fish farming, livestock watering, or even eco-tourism further boosting rural incomes.

Weather, Wealth and the Will to Grow

Zimbabwe enjoys one of the most favourable climates in Southern Africa for horticultural development. With diverse microclimates, rich soils, and abundant sunshine, many districts have ideal conditions to support a wide range of fruit species. What is needed now is a long-term vision that links natural advantages with structured policy and local capacity-building.

By sourcing seedlings, compost, and fencing materials from rural suppliers and cooperatives rather than relying solely on central procurement, the government can keep more value within communities. This would stimulate the emergence of a rural horticulture economy — one that generates jobs, nurtures generational wealth, and reduces dependency on food aid or remittances.

Information Access and Local Networks

Despite the scheme’s good intentions, many rural households still lack clear information on how to access support, what is being offered, and what is expected in return. A strong communication campaign — via radio, community meetings, mobile platforms, and traditional leadership — is essential to ensure transparency and boost participation.

Equally important is the creation of local implementation networks. These could include ward-level horticulture committees, led by local leaders and supported by extension officers and youth volunteers. Their role would be to monitor tree survival, coordinate training, identify local success stories, and ensure accountability in input distribution.

From Policy to Practice

For the Presidential Horticulture Scheme to succeed, it must not be treated as a short-term political deliverable, but as a long-term national strategy. It should be allowed to run in perpetuity, and evolve with time. Policies should not just focus on quantity — how many trees planted — but quality: how many trees survived, how much income was earned, how many young people entered horticulture as a career.

If we get this right, Zimbabwe could become a regional leader in community-based horticulture. Our villages could transform into green belts, our youth into agro-preneurs, and our economy into one rooted in sustainability and self-sufficiency.

Conclusion

The success of the Presidential Horticulture Scheme lies not just in the seedlings delivered but in the roots it plants in communities. It must be localized, institutionalized, and deeply embedded in rural life. With fruit trees, we are not just planting food — we are planting wealth, health, climate resilience, and hope.

Now is the time to empower village players — because without them, even the best policy risks bearing no fruit.

Bio:

Last Mazambani (PhD) is a transformational project management and change management professional in the public sector. His academic publications are on sustainability, financial inclusion, financial technology, and cryptocurrency. Click here to access his academic profile. Last can be contacted at lastmazambani@gmail.com.

Leveraging Reverse Rural Migration to Expand Inclusive Finance in Africa

 By Dr Last Mazambani

For too long, the narrative of African development has been single-minded, fixated on urbanization as the sole path to progress. Rural areas have been relegated to the background, seen as places people leave behind in pursuit of better opportunities. However, a powerful and transformative shift is now reshaping this story. A new wave of reverse rural migration is seeing a flow of people and resources from bustling urban centers back to their rural hometowns and secondary towns. This is not a retreat but a deliberate, strategic return that brings with it a fresh perspective and a powerful new engine for economic transformation. Triggered not just by urban pressures but also by a growing appreciation for rural life, this migration is repositioning human capital and financial resources into communities historically underserved by formal finance.

This new movement presents an unprecedented opportunity to build a truly inclusive and resilient financial system across the continent. Returning migrants bring more than just skills and savings; they bring an ability to create employment through new ventures and projects, connect local producers to wider markets, and cross-pollinate skills throughout the community. By acting as aggregators, they can link rural farmers to local and global markets, enhancing productivity and incomes. At the same time, they share knowledge and expertise that strengthen human capital, improving the capacity of rural economies to function efficiently and innovate. Successful ventures can also attract the interest of financial institutions, channeling investment into these communities and sparking further economic growth.

The New Rural Frontier: A Vision of Opportunity

Reverse rural migration is a multifaceted phenomenon. It includes permanent returnees who choose long-term rural residence, circular and seasonal movers who balance urban and rural work, and multi-sited households that maintain urban employment while living in rural areas. What makes this trend particularly potent is its scale, visibility, and the digital overlay that accompanies it. Returning migrants are not starting from scratch; they are already fluent in mobile money and fintech, creating fertile ground for digital financial services to take root.

The drivers behind this shift are a mix of push factors from the cities and powerful pull factors from the countryside. While rising urban costs for housing and food push people to seek more affordable living, the pull of rural areas is increasingly magnetic. There is a growing appreciation for the quality of life in rural communities, which often offer stronger social cohesion, kinship networks, and a sense of belonging. Public investments in infrastructure, like electrification and mobile network coverage, are making rural entrepreneurship more feasible than ever. Furthermore, the growth of remote work and digital platforms allows people to generate an income from anywhere with connectivity. As demand for agricultural products rises, farming and agri-processing are becoming more profitable, drawing a new generation of entrepreneurs back to the land.

Reshaping Financial Demand at the Grassroots

As people and capital flow back to rural areas, their financial needs become more sophisticated and dynamic. This presents a golden opportunity for financial service providers (FSPs) to innovate. Returning rural entrepreneurs create employment, drive income generation, and foster skill development that strengthens community resilience. Their ventures—if well-supported—can attract investment, enabling the rural ecosystem to thrive in ways previously unimaginable.

• Payments and Collections: There is strong demand for low-cost, interoperable, and even offline-capable options that work at local markets and farm gates. The seasonal nature of agriculture requires flexible systems, including temporary merchant activation and robust agent liquidity to handle peak transaction periods.
• Savings: People are seeking secure, goal-based accounts for essential expenses like school fees and farming inputs. Digital alternatives to traditional savings groups, like ROSCAs (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations) and VSLAs (Village Savings and Loan Associations), are gaining traction by providing a transparent and secure way for communities to manage funds.
• Credit: Access to working capital is a major need for rural micro and small enterprises (MSEs). Innovative solutions like buy-now-pay-later models and credit anchored to value chains can overcome challenges of thin data footprints and lack of formal collateral.
• Risk Transfer: Rural economies are particularly vulnerable to shocks. The demand for financial resilience is driving a need for solutions like weather-indexed insurance, health coverage, and livestock protection. Similarly, the intensification of remittances between urban and rural areas requires seamless, cross-network transfers with transparent fees and flexible identification requirements.

The Path Forward: Designing for a New Reality

While the opportunity is immense, significant constraints persist, including limited connectivity and weak identification systems. To overcome these barriers, financial institutions need a strategic playbook built on a few core design principles that embrace the new rural frontier:

• Human-Centered Design: A purely digital approach won't work. Onboarding and customer support often require a human touch. A hybrid model leveraging agents, merchants, and self-service channels is essential for building trust and providing hands-on support.
• Interoperability: To prevent customers from being locked into a single network, systems must be interoperable, allowing for seamless transfers across different mobile money providers and banks. This creates a more open and user-friendly ecosystem.
• Value-Chain Anchoring: Integrating financial services directly into agricultural and commercial value chains—for example, by using input vouchers and digital procurement—can create traceable transaction data that enables credit underwriting for small businesses and farmers. This connects financial products directly to productive activities.
• Climate Resilience: Financial products should also be climate-smart. Combining weather advisories with parametric insurance or offering green asset finance for things like solar pumps and energy-efficient tools can build financial resilience in the face of environmental shocks.

By embracing these principles and leveraging the skills, networks, and ventures of returning migrants, FSPs can move beyond simply offering basic services and create a truly inclusive financial ecosystem that empowers Africa’s new generation of rural innovators. The challenge is not just to provide financial access but to design services that are relevant, resilient, and responsive to the unique demands of a continent being reshaped by this quiet, yet powerful, reverse flow of people, skills, and capital. Investing in this transformation is not just a matter of good business—it’s a key to unlocking a more equitable and prosperous future for all of Africa.

Bio:

Last Mazambani (PhD) is a transformational project management and change management professional in the public sector. His academic publications are on sustainability, financial inclusion, financial technology, and cryptocurrency. Click here to access his academic profile. Last can be contacted at lastmazambani@gmail.com.

Build Inclusive Cities: A Pathway for Harare’s Vendors and Authorities

By Last Mazambani (PhD)

In the heart of Harare, under the scorching midday sun, the city’s lifeblood hums through the bustling streets. Vendors line the pavements, their tables adorned with tomatoes glowing red in the light, neat piles of vegetables, phone accessories, second-hand clothes, and the irresistible aroma of freshly roasted maize. For many, these stalls are not just businesses; they are survival. Each sale helps put food on the table, pays school fees, and keeps hope alive in an economy where formal jobs are scarce.

Yet, a looming storm threatens this delicate ecosystem. The city authorities have recently announced the banning of street vending in certain parts of Harare. Officially, it is a move to "restore order" and "decongest the city." Unofficially, it feels to many like a slow squeeze on their only means of survival.

It is not an exaggeration to say that vending is the heartbeat of Harare’s economy. The Zimbabwe National Budget is, to a large extent, fueled by informal sector activity—small transactions that add up to billions when combined. Vendors may not wear suits or work in office towers, but their trade oils the wheels of the economy. When this sector suffers, the ripple effects touch every part of the nation’s financial fabric.

A Warning from History
Those in power would do well to remember the lessons of history. The Arab Spring—a wave of protests and uprisings that swept across North Africa and the Middle East—was ignited by an act against a street vendor. Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian vendor, set himself alight after being harassed and humiliated by authorities. His death became a symbol of deep-seated frustration over economic hardship and heavy-handed governance.

The parallels are sobering. In a country with unemployment levels hovering above 80%, banning vending without offering alternatives is not merely an administrative decision—it is a political gamble. Hungry people do not remain silent for long. When livelihoods are threatened, tensions rise. The government could, inadvertently, “shoot itself in the foot” by alienating the very citizens whose resilience keeps the nation afloat.

Why Vending Matters
In Harare, vending is not a casual choice. It is the last hope for thousands. With industries shutting down or operating at minimal capacity, the formal job market cannot absorb the swelling population of job seekers. Every table of goods along the road represents a family’s determination to make ends meet. Beyond economics, vending fosters a culture of entrepreneurship and self-reliance—values that should be encouraged, not stifled.

The City’s Concerns
Of course, the city authorities are not without their reasons. Unregulated vending can lead to congestion on pavements, making it difficult for pedestrians to move freely. It can contribute to littering, and in some cases, block emergency access routes. There are legitimate concerns about hygiene, especially when fresh food is sold in the open without proper storage facilities.

These concerns, however, should not be met with outright bans. The question is not whether vending should exist, but how it can exist in a manner that benefits both vendors and the city.

Towards Amicable Solutions

1. Designated Vending Zones
   Instead of scattering vendors haphazardly along busy streets, the city could establish well-planned vending zones strategically located near transport hubs, markets, and high-footfall areas. These spaces could be equipped with shade structures, waste disposal facilities, and proper sanitation. Vendors would pay a small, affordable fee to maintain these facilities—creating a self-sustaining system.
2. Vendor Registration and ID Cards
   A simple registration system would help authorities keep track of vendors, prevent overcrowding, and ensure fair allocation of spaces. This would also protect vendors from arbitrary eviction and harassment. With proper IDs, vendors could access city-organized training on food safety, customer service, and financial management.
3. Public-Private Partnerships
   The city could partner with local businesses, banks, and NGOs to fund the development of modern vending infrastructure. In return, sponsors could advertise on stalls or contribute to community initiatives, creating a win-win arrangement.
4. Mobile Vending Licenses
   For those whose trade depends on mobility—like ice cream sellers or food carts—special mobile vending permits could be issued. These would allow vendors to operate within set routes and times, avoiding congestion in the busiest zones while still serving customers.
5. Digital Integration
   In an increasingly cashless economy, vendors could be supported in adopting mobile payment systems like EcoCash. This would not only improve convenience and security but also make it easier for authorities to track informal economic activity for planning purposes—without burdening vendors with excessive taxes.
6. Community-led Cleanliness Drives
   Vendors’ associations could take responsibility for keeping vending zones clean, with the city providing tools and waste collection services. Clean, well-maintained areas would help vendors attract more customers while reducing health risks.
7. Vendor Self-Regulation and Accountability
   Vendor self-regulation and accountability can be enhanced by strengthening vendor associations to oversee member conduct and ensure compliance with city regulations. These associations should enter into formal agreements with the city, committing to uphold cleanliness, maintain order, and promote fair trading practices. Under this framework, if a member violates agreed standards—such as littering, obstructing walkways, or harassing customers—the entire association may face penalties, including fines or temporary suspension of vending rights in that area. This collective responsibility model encourages peer monitoring and fosters a culture of discipline, professionalism, and mutual accountability among vendors.

Dialogue over Dictates
The most critical ingredient in this process is dialogue. Authorities must engage directly with vendors through their associations, listening to their challenges and co-creating solutions. Top-down policies imposed without consultation often breed resentment and resistance. A city is strongest when its policies are rooted in collaboration, not confrontation.

It is also important to change the public narrative around vending. Vendors are not obstacles to urban beauty or progress—they are part of it. Their creativity, resilience, and adaptability are exactly the traits that cities should nurture in a rapidly changing world.

An Inclusive Vision for Harare
Imagine a Harare where vending stalls are designed with colorful canopies, clear signage, and waste bins at every corner. Imagine tourists and locals alike browsing clean, vibrant vendor markets, knowing they are supporting small businesses. Picture a city where vendors contribute a modest fee to the council in exchange for safety, order, and dignity in their work.

In such a vision, the city thrives economically, socially, and culturally. The informal sector is not pushed to the margins but embraced as a legitimate partner in development. By working together, Harare could become a model for other African cities grappling with the same challenge—how to balance order with opportunity, regulation with compassion.

Conclusion
Banning vending may seem like a quick fix, but it risks igniting deeper social unrest and undermining the very economy it seeks to protect. Instead, Harare has an opportunity to lead with foresight—creating inclusive policies that transform vending from a perceived nuisance into a celebrated part of urban life.

The choice is clear: build walls, or build bridges. One isolates and inflames. The other connects and strengthens. In times like these, Harare can ill afford to choose the former. By embracing vendors as partners, the city can secure both stability and prosperity—proving that inclusive cities are not just more humane, but more successful.

Last Mazambani

Call/WhatsApp: +16132231083

Email: lastmazambani@gmail.com