Harare (New Ziana) – Close to 3 000 households throughout the country have so far benefitted from the 78 Village Business Units (VBUs) that have been established under the ongoing Presidential Rural Development Programme, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) said on Wednesday.
In a statement, ZINWA said the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development is implementing the programme through the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA), Agriculture and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), the Agriculture Finance Corporation (AFC) and ZINWA.
The programme is aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural communities through the establishment of village business units, which are registered as formal companies with the local people being both employees earning wages and shareholders earning dividends from the ventures.
“It is envisaged that under the Presidential Rural Development Programme, a total of 35 000 village business units and 9 600 school business units shall be established by 2025 and these village business units will help spur rural industrialization and address food security, income generation and employment creation gaps,” ZINWA said.
“In the implementation of the programme, ZINWA is responsible for the development of the VBUs and SBUs infrastructure which typically include a solar powered borehole, water storage tanks, fish ponds, community water point and a one-hectare drip irrigated horticulture project,” it added.
ZINWA said the VBUs are already bearing fruit with some beneficiaries earning a monthly income of up US$80 per month and up to US$3 000 in dividends.
The national water authority added that the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) assists the VBUs with the identification and linkages to markets which will also inform their cropping decisions with ARDA assisting with the development of the VBUs’ business case, their registration as formal companies and agronomy advice while AFC provides funding.
Mashonaland Central Province has the highest number of beneficiaries at 1 125 households. Mashonaland East has 62 beneficiary households, Masvingo has 213 households, Manicaland 459, Midlands 494, Matabeleland Provinces 200 and Mashonaland West 386.
The Presidential Rural Development Programme is part of the Government’s Rural Development 8.0 initiative whose other components include the Vision 30 Accelerator Model, Pfumvudza/ Intwasa, Presidential Poultry Scheme, the Presidential Goat Scheme, Presidential Fisheries Scheme, Presidential Blitz Tick Grease Scheme and the Presidential Cotton Inputs Scheme.
New Ziana
