Posts by Staff Writer
Green card dreams in gum boots: The untold ambitions of Zimbabwe’s rural agripreneurs
By day I’m dosing rabbits and repairing drip lines. By night I’m checking DV Lottery results. This is the double life so many of us rural agripreneurs live; rooted here, but still looking abroad. The gumboots are still wet from the morning dew. Before the sun is fully up, I’m in my rabbitry in Tagarika…
Read MoreThe burning question – is your farm ready for the fire season?
Why Zimbabwean farmers need a community fire strategy The images coming out of Britain and Europe this August have been a sobering reminder of how quickly a dry landscape can become a wall of fire. Britain has experienced record levels of wildfire activity this year, with homes destroyed, communities evacuated and military personnel brought in…
Read MoreRethinking the fight against Tuta absoluta: Can healthier plants mean fewer sprays?
The battle against Tuta absoluta, commonly known as tomato leaf miner, is prompting an important discussion among growers: are pesticides the best long-term answer, or should farmers be putting more emphasis on plant health, nutrition and natural pest control? A recent discussion among growers and agricultural practitioners highlighted the complexity of managing the pest, with…
Read MorePreparing for the 2026–27 El Niño season: Variety selection for successful tobacco production
The forecast of a possible super El Niño during the 2026–27 agricultural season has understandably raised concerns among farmers across Zimbabwe. El Niño conditions are often associated with below-normal rainfall, prolonged dry spells, high temperatures, and increased moisture stress factors that can significantly reduce crop productivity if farmers are unprepared. However, an El Niño forecast…
Read MoreDr Rob Garvin honoured with 2026 CFU Farming Oscar award
Dr Robert Traill Garvin has been named the recipient of the Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU) annual Farming Oscar for 2026, in recognition of his many years of service to Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector. Presented during the 83rd Commercial Farmers’ Union Annual Congress at ART Farm in Harare last week, the award recognises more than five decades of…
Read MoreIllegal tobacco seed crackdown begins as Government moves to protect Zimbabwe’s biggest agricultural export
With Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry generating more than USD 876 million to date during the 2026 marketing season, Government has launched a coordinated national campaign to eliminate illegal tobacco seed varieties, warning growers that crops established from unregistered seed will be destroyed and offenders prosecuted. The move comes as farmers across the country begin establishing seedbeds…
Read MoreTop studs ready for Zimbabwe’s premier breed sale
Zimbabwe’s leading livestock breeders will showcase some of the country’s finest genetics at the 58th National Breed Sale at the CC Sales Mt Hampden sales pens on Friday, 31 July, with 136 quality animals set to go under the hammer. The catalogue features an impressive selection of 74 bulls, including 47 Brahman, 12 Tuli, six Boran,…
Read MoreThe flower seed production project transforming rural livelihoods
What began as a small experiment on a family farm in Kadoma has grown into a thriving contract seed production programme benefiting more than 1,000 smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Charlene Mathonsi and her business partner, Douglas Alexander, have built Amalubarina into a successful flower seed enterprise that is changing lives across Nkayi and Gokwe. Mathonsi,…
Read MoreGlobal tobacco leaf market returns to oversupply as growers face renewed pricing pressure
The global tobacco leaf market has entered a new period of adjustment, with increased production, rising costs and changing buying patterns creating fresh challenges for growers around the world. This was the key message delivered by Ivan Genov, Manager of Analysis at the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), during his presentation at the Zimbabwe Tobacco…
Read MoreCows on water: What a Dutch floating farm can teach Zimbabwe’s farmers
When most farmers think about expanding production, they think about acquiring more land, drilling more boreholes, or increasing inputs. But what if the future of farming lies not in having more resources, but in making better use of the resources we already have? That question is being answered in one of the most unlikely places…
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