By Eugenie Muchetu
Harare (New Ziana) -In Zimbabwe’s rural heartlands, where livelihoods often depend on the rhythm of the seasons, one woman’s vision is reshaping the way communities think about enterprise.
Teverai Chigogo-Nhapi, founder and chief executive officer of Jovotech Investments, has built a model that blends innovation with empowerment, proving that sustainable development begins when people are given the tools to create their own prosperity.
Chigogo-Nhapi is passionate about empowering women, youth, the small and medium enterprises sector and the rural population, and is a valued member of the Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises Advisory Council under the Ministry of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Jovotech Investments was born from her conviction that rural communities hold untapped potential. She had seen too many smallholder farmers fall into poverty when illness struck, leaving families without savings or income to sustain them.
“Farmers always end up without money when they get sick, so we needed to create income generating programmes that could support them even in difficult times,” she said.
The experience inspired the creation of the Rural Enterprise Growth and Market Access Program (REGMAP).
“REGMAP came as a result of us trying to find agricultural activities that would really benefit our women, our youth, our SMEs. Over the years, Zimbabwean women have been in the fields. But do they have anything to show for it? There is nothing. Most are doing maize or groundnuts, good crops, yes, but not good enough for income generation,” Chigogo-Nhapi explained in an interview.
REGMAP was designed to change that reality by identifying ventures that are both commercially viable and sustainable, ensuring that even when farmers face setbacks, their enterprises continue to generate income.
With women making up about 70 percent of participants drawn from the country’s ten provinces, the goal of the program is simple yet transformative: to assist families turn small ventures into viable businesses that generate income, improve food security, and strengthen local economies.
Beekeeping has become one of Jovotech’s most strategic ventures. “We came up with honey as our strategic project where people would get double benefit — pollination for their crops and extra income from selling honey,” Chigogo Nhapi said.
To make this possible, Jovotech has a financier and will provide a US$2 000 package per farmer, covering training and a set of 20 hives — 15 Langstroth and 5 Kenyan top bar.
Langstroth hives allow continuous harvesting without damaging the comb, while Kenyan top bar hives are cheaper and enable wax collection, but require bees to rebuild after each harvest.
Chigogo-Nhapi stressed the urgency: “Research tells us that if we don’t have bees, this earth will collapse within four years. That just shows how important bees are in terms of pollination.”
The Zimbabwean honey market, long constrained by low production, now shows signs of revival, yet challenges remain, namely deforestation, climate change, and substandard honey have eroded consumer trust.
“There’s need for people in the sector to put their heads together and come up with control measures that ensure responsibility,” she said, highlighting the importance of certification and standardisation to restore confidence and open doors to international markets.
Turmeric cultivation was introduced as part of Jovotech’s crop diversification strategy. Known for its health benefits and export potential, turmeric has found a new home in Zimbabwean smallholder farms.
Jovotech provides seedlings, training, and market linkages, assisting farmers tap into the growing global demand for natural health products.
Already, Jovotech has secured a buyer for turmeric, giving farmers confidence that their efforts will translate into income. This guaranteed market access is a cornerstone of the company’s approach, ensuring that rural producers are not left stranded with unsold crops.
When financiers proved impatient with the waiting period for honey production, Jovotech pivoted to rabbit farming.
“Despite the fact that we wanted to start with honey, the financiers we got were not patient enough to wait. So instead, we had to replace honey with rabbits,” Chigogo-Nhapi explained.
Rabbit farming is a game changer, with a short gestation period and high feed conversion ratio, rabbits provide steady monthly income. Farmers under the programme will start with breeding stock — typically eleven does and one buck — which can produce up to 88 kits per year.
“With rabbits, when they start selling, they’ll be selling every month,” Chigogo-Nhapi said, adding the project has attracted the support of a financier, enabling farmers to access affordable loans for cages, feed, training and breeding stock. The financing model ensures participants can start small and scale up gradually, with repayments structured around production cycles.
“Our buyer has such appetite that even if we are going to have a million farmers, he says the market is there,” she noted, underscoring the vast potential of rabbit production.
What sets Jovotech apart is its integrated approach as each project — bees, turmeric, rabbits — is part of a broader ecosystem that promotes sustainability, inclusivity, and market access. The company works closely with development partners to ensure that training translates into tangible results.
Chigogo Nhapi’s philosophy is grounded in empowerment rather than charity with her words echoing across all Jovotech projects: development must be driven by knowledge, not handouts.
Jovotech’s programs deliberately prioritize women and youth — groups often marginalized in rural economies. Through REGMAP, participants receive mentorship in business management, record keeping, and marketing, with the company also encouraging savings and reinvestment, assisting entrepreneurs grow beyond subsistence.
As Zimbabwe seeks to rebuild its rural economy, Jovotech Investments offers a blueprint for inclusive growth with its projects demonstrating that enterprise can be both profitable and sustainable — improving livelihoods while protecting the environment.
The company’s success lies not only in its products but in its people: farmers who have discovered that prosperity begins with initiative.
From buzzing hives to golden turmeric fields and thriving rabbit pens, Jovotech’s story is one of transformation.
It shows that when communities are empowered to innovate, rural development becomes more than a policy goal but a lived reality.
New Ziana
