HARARE, Apr. 24 (NewsDay Live) – A structured smallholder financing programme targeting rural farmers has been launched, in a move expected to accelerate sector growth and improve market access.
The initiative, facilitated by Zimbabwean entrepreneur David Munowenyu, brings global empowerment organisation U CAN Company (UCANN) into the country to implement a market-driven livelihood programme aimed at commercialising smallholder agriculture.
Munowenyu said the programme, backed by international capital, will begin rollout this year across selected provinces.
It targets between 3,000 and 5,000 farmers producing high-value crops such as chilli, paprika, legumes and horticulture, with the goal of boosting incomes, securing off-take markets and integrating farmers into formal financial systems.
“This is about structuring agriculture as a bankable sector for smallholder farmers and attracting global capital into Zimbabwe’s rural economy,” he said.
“Over 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s economy operates informally. Smallholder farmers are productive but excluded from finance. This model connects them to buyers, finances production and creates a pathway into the formal economy.”
UCANN co-founder Steve Carver, who is in Harare, said Zimbabwe presents strong potential for impact-driven investment.
“This partnership reflects growing international confidence in Zimbabwe and its ability to build a sustainable, commercially viable agricultural sector,” he said.
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The programme is built on UCANN’s Smallholder Inclusive Business Building model, which links farmers to off-take markets before production, provides structured input financing and tracks output to build credit histories.
The pilot phase is expected to generate data for scale-up into a national programme targeting over 100,000 farmers, supported by a broader international fundraising pipeline of up to US$1 billion.
