HARARE, Mar. 18 (NewsDay Live) – Zimbabwean entrepreneur David Munowenyu has structured a major agricultural investment programme targeting smallholder farmers, in a move expected to boost productivity and expand the sector.
The initiative brings global empowerment organisation U CAN Company (UCANN) and its financial partners to Zimbabwe to implement a National Livelihood Graduation Programme aimed at transitioning farmers from subsistence to commercial operations.
Structured in collaboration with Federation of Young Farmers commissioner P.T. Sewera, the programme will initially support between 3,000 and 5,000 farmers across two to three provinces, focusing on high-demand crops such as chillies, paprika and legumes.
UCANN co-founder Steve Carver has already arrived in Harare to begin implementation.
Phase 1 of the programme will be backed by a blended capital facility of between US$5 million and US$15 million, with plans for national expansion linked to international fundraising of up to US$1 billion from institutional investors.
The initiative is anchored on UCANN’s Smallholder Inclusive Business Building (SIBB) model, which combines market access, input financing and credit-building support over a three-year period.
Munowenyu said the programme is designed to integrate smallholder farmers into the formal economy.
“Smallholder farmers are productive but largely excluded from formal financial systems. This programme connects them to markets, finances production and builds verifiable credit histories,” he said.
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Agricultural expert Professor Peter Moyo welcomed the initiative, saying it comes at a critical time as Zimbabwe implements the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
The pilot phase is expected to generate data required to unlock wider expansion targeting more than 100,000 livelihoods across multiple districts.
