LOWER GWERU — In a bid to generate income for themselves, 51 subsistence farmers are planning
to transform their Ekhukhanyeni community gardening project into a commercial farm at Mkombo
Village in Lower Gweru.
Plans are already at an advanced stage to build a greenhouse, and some members of the
Compassion for Communities garden have undergone greenhouse management training to ensure
the success of the project.
Compassion for Communities was founded by Pastor Joseph Zulu, to support sustainable economic
development initiatives in rural communities across Zimbabwe and promoting the Christianity.
With the community garden already providing much-needed food for the farmers and their families,
the decision to transition from subsistence farming to commercial farming was made to provide
sustainable income for the community.
The project can potentially provide sustainable income for the farmers and boost the local economy
by creating jobs and providing fresh produce for the surrounding communities.
Speaking at a villagers meeting held at the community garden last week, Pastor Zulu said the idea of
shifting from subsistence to commercial farming was mooted after the farmers managed to use their
community garden to produce high quality vegetables earning them good returns.
This garden was established in 1993 with only two members and it grew over the years due to the
passion and hard work from the people in Mkombo Village and up to date it has 51 gardeners and
beneficiary households. I believe that it is time we turn it into a market garden so that the families
benefit from the project,'' he said.
Pastor Zulu said as part of efforts to turn Ekhukhanyeni into a market garden, they partnered with
another non governmental organisation, Intuba which is based in America which is also into market
gardening and supports over 20 community gardens across Matebeleland North, Matebeleland
South and the Midlands.
Ekhukhanyeni community garden benefitted from Intuba through a wide range of farming
techniques, building of toilets as well as drilling a borehole and setting up of solar powered irrigation
system at the garden.
He stated that the borehole which was established in October 2020 has since helped the farmers to
perform drip irrigation, all-year round and use it conservatively for continuous production.
''The borehole is also assisting villagers to get clean safe water to drink reducing cases of water-
borne diseases in the village leading to a health community,'' said Dr Zulu.
They also plan to build a Greenhouse at the community garden to grow and harvest high quality
tomatoes which are needed on the market.
The greenhouse will allow for all-year-round production of crops, and the farmers are enthusiastic at
the potential profits that could be generated from selling their produce.

We have also managed to send eight members from this village to MASO for green house
management training so that when we establish a greenhouse we will have farmers to manage it as
well as train others for the benefit of everyone,'' said the Compassion for Communities group
chairperson.
The local Agricultural Extension Worker and the District Manager and his team are also offering
technical support and advice to the gardeners.
Founding member of Ekhukhanyeni community garden Elitha Mudzingwa (83) said the idea of
turning to commercial farming will see the villagers improving their livelihoods through income from
the project.
She said they have since come up with a committee that will manage their garden.
Our committee has eight members who work together to make sure that the garden functions well
on a day-to-day basis and this has largely helped us over the years to scoop awards for best
community garden in our zone which has got seven community gardens,” said Gogo Mudzingwa.
Another farmer Julia Jochoma, said villagers full supported of the idea to going commercial.
Over the years, we have been using crop rotation routine which has helped to maintain the level of
nutrients in the soil, but we also need the government to assist us with fertilisers which help to have
good yields in our garden, she said.
The group coordinator Mcebisi Bhebhe commended the villagers for their work on the garden over
the years. He urged the youths to embrace the community gardening project for their future benefit.
In as much as we have been seeing progress on our garden, we also need a higher percentage of
youth participation, because the majority of our members are now senior citizens and soon they will
not be able to perform their duties well. So if we have more youths who are still energetic we can
work together to ensure that the legacy lives on,'' said the 39-year-old Bhebhe.
Village head Abednigo Moyo Mangwe applauded Compassion for Communities for bringing in
development initiatives that are benefiting the Mkombo Village community.
Village head Mangwe appealed to the government for inputs saying with the necessary support,
they can transform their community garden into a thriving commercial farm that will not only
benefit their families but also the wider community.
He pleaded with the government to provide to link them to wider markets.
We also need our government to assist us with inputs as well as farming materials such as
wheelbarrows, hoes, shovels and buckets so that we improve our farming techniques and provide
larger harvests,'' said the village head.