by Albert Ncube SACP DEO Hwange District
Located in Mphakathi Village in Lupote, Hwange District, Rusape Village Business Unit (VBU) has 30 members that comprise 11 males and 19 females. Among this membership are 14 youths and 3 Persons with Disability. The VBU is chaired by one of the youths in the VBU, Maureen Ncube.
Before working with Smallholder Agriculture Cluster Project (SACP), the Rusape farmers mainly produced leaf vegetables and tomatoes which were for household consumption, with limited quantities for sale. According to the chairperson, Maureen Ncube, life was difficult because income was inconsistent and unreliable and the farmers struggled to earn a living from their farming enterprises.
The turning point for the group came in 2025, when SACP intervened through establishment of a 1.25-hectare garden, divided into 1.0 hectare for commercial production while the remaining 0.25 ha was set aside for household food consumption. This model helped the farmers shift from “just growing” to planning for both food security and an income from the market.
Soon after establishment, the VBU established its production cycle. Their first crop was maize, which marked the beginning of their journey toward disciplined agribusiness. The group cultivated 0.47 hectares, harvested 7 500 cobs which were sold at US$1 for 5 cobs, earning the VBU an income of US$1 500. According to Ncube, this first successful cycle-built confidence, strengthened group coordination, and proved that market-oriented production was possible.
Before embarking on their second crop cycle, the farmers received training in the Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP), a market-oriented agricultural framework adopted from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, (JICA) which transforms farmers’ mindsets from “grow and sell” to “grow to sell.After this training, the farmers began to produce for structured market supply.
In their second crop cycle, the farmers cultivated the Chibili variety of tomatoes on 0.34 ha. They harvested 547 buckets which is approximately 7658kg which they sold to markets in Hwange town, Cross Dete and Kamativi Mine. The farmers earned an income of USD 4,430. This cycle demonstrated that Rusape VBU had moved into real horticulture commercialization, producing consistently for identified off-takers and market
