By Johnson Siamachira
Harare (New Ziana) – Thirty-eight-year-old Zimbabwean Chido Govera’s journey is one of resilience, perseverance, and a steadfast commitment to empowering her country’s resource-constrained women mushroom farmers.
Born in 1986 in Marange communal lands of Mutare district in Manicaland province, Govera’s life sounds like a fairy tale as it was marked by unimaginable hardships of losing her mother, leaving her an orphan at just seven years old.
But, instead of succumbing to the challenges that lay before her, Govera embarked on a remarkable path that has transformed her into a globally recognized advocate for oyster mushroom production and women’s economic empowerment.
Now, she is a social entrepreneur, farmer, campaigner, educator, and founder of The Future of Hope Foundation. The Foundation focuses onorphans and women and works to help lift vulnerable clients out of poverty through entrepreneurial and self-help initiatives.
Govera’s long journey begins in the rural village of Chirunga, where her grandmother raised her after the passing on of her mother. As a young grandmother and young brother, a heavy burden that would mould the course of her life.
“I had to take care of my grandmother and my younger brother,’’ Govera recalls vividly. ‘’I had to find food, firewood, and water, and I had to do it all on my own.’’
When she was 10, one of her mother’s sisters suggested marriage to a man 30 years her senior, but Govera refused, afraid to leave her grandmother and younger brother.
In 1998 at 11 years, with the help of a woman from the local United Methodist Church, she enrolled in a week-long microbiology oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) production program at Africa University
in Mutare, financed by Gunter Pauli and the ZERI Foundation. There, she learnt how to colonize oyster mushrooms using maize stalk waste products. This opportunity proved to be a turning point in Govera’s life, as she gained the valuable knowledge and skills to transform her passion for mushrooms into a viable agri-business venture.
Upon graduating, Govera returned to her village and set out to share her newfound expertise with her community. She was later to establish the Future of Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and youth through mushroom cultivation.
According to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations report on ‘’The Role of Women in Agriculture’’ published in 2020, women in Zimbabwe play a significant role in agricultural initiatives, including mushroom farming.
Part of the attraction in mushroom production is the quick turnaround. Mushrooms can be harvested 20-30 days after planting the first spawn, and the crop is not restricted to seasons.
“With mushrooms, you start earning after just three weeks”, said one out-grower and the Future of Hope Foundation beneficiary, Sethukhile Moyo. She invested US$500 but recouped the sum within three months. Continued Moyo: “I don’t encounter any losses. I can sell mushrooms fresh or sun-dried. When I dry them, they can last for at least three years.”
Govera’s approach was rooted in the belief that mushroom production could be a powerful tool for social
and economic transformation. The impact of Govera’s work was swift and profound. Within a few years, the Future of Hope Foundation had trained more than 10,000 women and youth in mushroom cultivation.
She has taught mushroom culture from maize stalk waste to people from Zimbabwe, and her educational efforts have also included the use of coffee waste, and have reached people in Australia, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Cameroon, South Africa, India, Colombia, Serbia and China.
One of Govera’s most significant achievements was her collaboration with the FAO. In 2016, she was invited to be a keynote speaker at the organization’s World Food Day, where she shared her vision for using mushroom cultivation as a tool for poverty alleviation and gender equality.
“Mushroom production is a game-changer for women in Africa,’’ Govera told the audience, ’’It’s a low-cost, low-input crop that can be grown nutrition.”
Govera’s message struck a chord with the international community, and her work with the FAO has since expanded to include training programs and collaborative research projects aimed at scaling up mushroom production across the African continent.
But her impact extends far beyond her work with the FAO. She has also founded her own social enterprise, The Freedom Farms, headquartered at Christon Bank in Mazowe district in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland CentralProvince. The enterprise aims to create a network of sustainable, women-led mushroom farms across Zimbabwe and beyond. Through this initiative, Govera is providing women with the resources, training, and support they need to establish their own mushroom businesses, thereby creating a ripple effect of economic empowerment and community
transformation.
Govera’s unwavering commitment to her cause has earned her numerous accolades and recognition. In 2009, she received the “Sustainability Award” from the Speciality Coffee Association of America, “for her
sustainable project of reusing organic waste from the coffee industry to cultivate mushrooms”. She also won the Yo Dona magazine “Humanitarian Award” in June 2011, as a “Zimbabwean orphan who is dedicated to helping orphans overcome adversity and live fruitful lives”.
She was also named a Laureate of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in honors visionary individuals who are addressing the world’s most pressing challenges, is a testament to Govera’s extraordinary achievements and the profound impact of her work. Govera was also awarded a 2022 Tällberg-SNF-Eliasson Global Leadership Prize in the emerging leader category in recognition of her efforts to security using simplified, sustainable, replicable, and practical approaches to farming mushrooms aiming to empower communities to raise themselves out of poverty.
As Govera’s legacy continues to grow, her story serves as a powerful testimony to the transformative power of resilience, innovation, and unwavering commitment to social and economic justice. Through her hard work, she is not only transforming the lives of the women and families she serves but also inspiring a new generation of change.
New Ziana
