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Showing posts with label Meet the Emerging Farmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meet the Emerging Farmer. Show all posts

Dec 18, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmer: Perpetua Muzuri


This's week's Emerging Farmer is Perpetua Muziri. Perpetua left a job in government to start farming in her large backyard. She has since rented land and also plans to use her rural home to expand her farming business. She is the founder of a produce company called Peps Veggies.

How big is the land you farm and what crops do you grow?

The land is 240sqm. There are  2 x 120 sqm greenhouses where I grow English cucumbers, baby marrows, cabbages and exotic pepper.  I am also into poultry farming. I keep between 5-600 chickens depending on the season. I am also in the process of setting up a piggery project at my rural home in Goromonzi. I am also renting a space at Chinyika Irrigation Scheme in Goromonzi where I have planted 5000 heads of cabbages.


How did you get started farming? What were you doing before you got started farming?

I left formal employment in 2013, before that I had been working for the government for 17 years. I had nothing to do and my yard is big that's when I thought of trying horticulture.


Do you have a team? If so, how do you delegate tasks?

I mainly work with my children and one helper. My children are my main helpers and I have one other helper to delegate tasks to.


What are some of the challenges you have faced farming and how have you handled them?  

Currently, the main challenges we are having as upcoming farmers is that we are price takers. There are too many upcoming farmers doing horticulture and you find that at times the market is flooded and you have to be content with the going price.


Do you have a qualification in agriculture and has it helped you in your farming?

My first degree is Management and Entrepreneurship Studies and I am a holder of a Masters degree in Marketing Strategies.  I don't have any agricultural qualification but if you link the two degrees you definitely come up with something, although one of the modules I did at Masters was Agro Marketing and it is coming in very handy.


Can you tell us how you start and organise your day? 

First thing in the morning is to make sure that the chickens have enough water and drink and that there are there are no mortalities.  After that, if there are any orders from supermarkets I have the prepared and do the deliveries.



What are some of the lessons you have learned farming?

I have learnt that if you do your things well and have good produce you will hit it big with supermarkets and other customers as well. You have to be a consistent supplier. If you don't have anything the best thing you can do is to let your customer know and tell them when to expect it, so always in touch.

What advice can you give new farmers (and seasoned farmers) regarding dealing with labour?  

The best thing is to equip your workers or helpers and yourself with knowledge. Educating your workers and helpers helps so that during your absence you are assured of quality work. Don't hesitate to send them to all necessary training so that they are well equipped.


What are your farming aspirations? 

My aspiration is to have a bigger space for horticulture because right now am operating at home and space is limited.

You can keep up with Perpetua on her Facebook page at Peps Veggies

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Dec 9, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmer: Lovemore Nyakazela


This week's Emerging Farmer is Lovemore Nyakazela, also known as the "crop adviser". Lovemore's day job is working as a consultant agronomist for EDDA Seeds, a seed potato producer. In his spare time, he farms on a rented plot in Banket where he grows potatoes and maize. Let's talk to him.

Can you tell us a bit about your farming business?

I currently work for a company called EDDA SEEDS as an agronomist helping with all agronomy related work for the company's clients. The company farms on a 45 ha. farm in Doma where we grow mainly table potatoes. We have a team of 10 permanent workers and a qualified farm supervisor on the farm. He does the delegation of work. We hire some extra staff if there is more work to do especially during planting and harvesting periods.

Currently, I manage the farm operations. In my own capacity. I currently don't have a farm of my own. However, I rent a small plot in Banket area, where I grow table potatoes and maize.


How did you get started farming? What were you doing before you got started farming?

Well, I was born and raised on a farm in Raffingora where my father worked as a farm worker at Chinomwe Estates, that’s how I  got started at a young age working in the fields during the school holidays. In 2001 soon after completing my O’Levels,  I was employed  in Ruwa as a Farm Manager. In 2003, I stopped working to pave the way for my studies in Agriculture. In 2006, I  was then employed as farm manager by a white commercial farmer before joining  Edda Seeds in 2011 to date.

Has your agricultural education helped you with your farming business?

I have a certificate and a diploma in Agriculture, I am now working on a degree in Agronomy. The qualifications have helped me a lot, I am now utilizing my experience to the fullest. 


What are some of the challenges you have encountered farming and how did you handle them?

I have faced many challenges in farming and my career in Agriculture. Coming from a poor background, it was not easy for me to go to a formal college for my agriculture qualifications. I completed my certificate in Agriculture course by correspondence while working and paying for it.

The challenge with farming right now is that our production costs are so exorbitantly priced, making a profit is not easy. If you don’t look and manage your operations well in Zimbabwe, the chances of making a loss are very high.  The solution on my side is to produce as much as we can in a given area so that if prices are low we can capitalize on quantity.

Can you tell us how you start and organize your day?

My day is full of activities, I do farm field visits for our clients at least one farmer per day. When  I am in the office, I have farmers coming in for advice, also responding to farmers questions about their crops on email and telephone, moving with time,  I have 5 farmers Whatsapp groups which provide agricultural advice, hence the name Crop Adviser.

What are some of the lessons you have learned farming?

I learned a lot from farming. Farming is a business. It needs all the skills at hand to keep you going. To new and seasoned farmers: never take advantage of your relatives for monitoring your farms. You will get a short term advantage but long-term disadvantages. This is unless he or she is qualified for the job and is not taking advantage of the relationship. On labour, don’t only pay them well, let them work to compensate the business, that’s the solution to keeping your business going.

Thank you, Lovemore. 

Thank you for reading.

As always you can join the conversation with Emerging Farmer on Facebook here!

Dec 1, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmers: Kudakwashe and Felistas Gumbanjera


We talked to Kudakwashe and Felistas Gumbanjera, a husband and wife team farming in Kadoma. They are also the owners of Pilstone Trading and Mornington Lodge and Guesthouses. On their farm they grow horticultural produce such lettuce, green peppers, green beans, peas, cucumbers and/or carrots, depending on the season, for local supermarkets and the fresh market. We learned how they share tasks, manage their days and deal with market challenges. Let's meet them.

How did you get started farming? What were you doing before you got started farming?

Kudakwashe Gumbanjera: I will start by answering what we were doing before venturing into farming. I am an hotelier by profession and my wife is an accountant by profession.  We have always been into home gardening, since time in memorial. During those days, we were growing carrots and green beans.

So one day my wife and I decided we had enough vegetables to sell to our neighbours. As time went by we discovered we had quality vegetables to sell to the hotel, I was working, Kadoma Ranch.

After a few good investments, we decided to buy a plot in Eiffel Blue.  This is when we started doing things on a bigger scale. Since then we have managed to stop working and go into farming and also venture into the hotel business.

Do you have a team and how do you delegate tasks?

Felistas Gumbanjera: Well thank God that our former professions allowed us to assume different roles that complement each another. My husband is hands on and usually does the actual farming with the workers. I am the debt collector and, unfortunately, this department takes an army.  However, our youngest daughter helps from time to time.  But on the ground, we have three men besides my husband who are in charge of preparing orders, harvesting and packing and making deliveries.

What are some of the challenges you have faced farming and how did you handle them?

Felistas: The challenges we face are that big customers like your TM, OK and Spar supermarkets, take a long time to pay up while this doesn’t stop them from placing new orders for more produce.  That is the main challenge.  How do we handle it? Well, we have tried to look for cash up front customers, and these are usually people you find at the local markets (musikas). This helps keep us afloat for the time being.

Do you have any training in agriculture and has it helped you in farming?

Kudakwashe: The only qualification we have is passion.

Can you tell us about your typical work day?

Kudakwashe: I am up at 5 am to prepare the local supermarkets orders, this takes about 7 am. By 7:15 am we have started deliveries we are done by 8:30 am; luckily Kadoma is a small town. So by 9:00 am the delivery stage of the day is over. We proceed to the plot where we do the day to day tasks.  Afterwards, I go to the lodge to help out my wife.

Felistas: Unlike my husband the last time I woke up that early was when I was at work. So my day starts slightly later at 6:30 am. I go for morning mass then I go to the lodges to do the lodge books and the farm books as well follow up on payments while I supervise the day to day running of the business.

What are some of the lessons you have learnt farming?

Kudakwashe: The proverb-You reap, what you sow. Is so true!!!  For you to succeed you need to put in the hours.

What advice would you give other emerging farmers?

Kudakwashe: Perseverance and consistency pays. Always strive to improve yourself and those you work with. As a farmer, you must be able to teach and learn all at the same time.

What are your farming aspirations?

We want to move into other towns and supply neighbouring towns like Kwekwe and Gweru, maybe even take our produce to Bulawayo.


As always you can follow Emerging Farmer on Facebook here!

Nov 14, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmer: Tapiwa Giwa


Tapiwa Giwa is a young urban farmer and part-time accounting consultant. We caught up with him to learn how he decided to turn a piece of idle land into a productive urban farm in New Marlborough, Harare.

How did you initially get started farming and what do you grow?

After trying a series of small businesses and struggling to grow any of them, I decided to utilise a 500 square metre space at the back of our house to grow horticultural produce. Deciding to invest in that tiny piece of land was the easy part, the investment was relatively low with a fair return on my investment. Due to space constraints, I have grown one crop at a time in order to keep producing commercial volumes. So far I’ve been able to grow: cauliflower, red onions, lettuce, red peppers and oyster mushrooms.
What motivated you to get into farming?

My goal was to learn and grow as a business person. One of my main motivations was my interactions with other horticultural produce farmers, who encouraged me to get started and gave me ideas for what to grow in my field. I have researched every crop I have grown and learned how to produce it at a good quality.

What's your educational background?

In high school, I studied agriculture, as one of my subjects. Everything I still remember from my studies has helped me get a smooth start with my farming business. I am also studying to become  a Charted Accountant (CA). This has been useful, as I have been able to start my small farming business on a strong and professional accounting system. I have also received training from the University of Zimbabwe Crop Science Department on how to grow oyster mushrooms, which has proved to be very helpful.
What’s your daily routine?

To manage my daily work routine, I use a production schedule to manage my cultivation, planting, watering and harvesting schedule and to ensure I supply the right produce at the right time, in the right condition.

Personally, I make use of my diary to plan most of my movement and to synchronise my produce schedule with other commitments such as studying and having a part time accounting consultancy job.

Currently, I work closely with a friend of mine, who is very experienced in mushroom production. However for all the other produce I do most of the work myself, occasionally hiring some people to assist me with cultivation, harvesting, and other work.

What lessons have you learned during your journey?

My farming business has taught me ‘patience in business’ and also the benefit of ethical farming practices such as using organic substitutes for fertilisers. I have learned how to interact with various market participants and understand their needs from my farming business. I have managed to work well with various people such as shop buyers, supermarket shop managers, agronomists, young as well as established farmer organisations such as the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU).

What are the challenges have you faced as Zimbabwean farmer?

Honestly, most of the challenges I have  faced have been due to my own mistakes in my learning process. For example not having a tax clearance certificate and getting charged a 10% withholding  tax when I supply my produce.

The Zimbabwean consumer is very quality sensitive and that has encouraged me to produce the best fresh produce possible. Zimbabweans seem to respect the contribution of farming to the nation and I guess that’s one of the reasons I haven’t faced any serious challenges being a Zimbabwean farmer.

What differentiates you from other farmers?

What differentiates me from other farmers is that I'm punctual, consistent with supply and my produce is of good quality.

What's your best advice for other emerging farmers?

Regardless of whether you are young or established farmer, you just have to be as professional as possible and understand and respect the end consumer's needs.

Nov 7, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmer: Mrs. Muteriswa


This week Emerging Farmer talked to the former teacher and reluctant farmer, Mrs Muteriswa, who is farming in Alabama, Kadoma. Mrs Muteriswa raises pigs and cattle and grows maize, vegetables and tomatoes on her plot. She sells her pigs and beef to Koala Meats (a local abattoir and butchery).

How did your farming journey start?

My husband has always been the farmer at heart, I am a city girl at heart. About six years ago, he decided he didn't like the city life anymore and shipped us to the plot in Alabama. The first days I was so disgruntled and I hoped this would make him change his mind.

                                     Asi hazvina kushanda (It didn’t work).

Then one day an uncle came to visit and sat my husband and me down. He had hatched a plan to help us start our farming journey. He told my husband and me, he would give us the seed and the tractor to farm and all we needed to do was buy the diesel. When the crop was ready he would come collect it and sell it for us. And true to his word this is exactly what he did for us. As time went on he kept encouraging us and helping us until eventually we started doing it on our own.

As time went on, I came to realise that farm life is much cheaper and more hustle free than city life and I began to appreciate it. As my appreciation grew, the things happening on the farm grew with us. Now we have eight mother pigs and we have grown our cattle herd from 12 to 40.  A week with my vegetables I can get about $50 a week which helps pay for the labour on the farm.

However not all was rosy, a couple of years back when we starting out, all out property and animals burnt to the ground. We aren’t certain what started the fire, but we lost everything and had to start from scratch. But we managed to build it all up again and now it is nothing but smiles. The classroom is easier however this is much better.

What was the catalyst for you to becoming a farmer?

The catalyst in my life would be my husband, my uncle and another friend of mine who lives nearby. After seeing the benefits of farming, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

What lessons have you learnt on your farming entrepreneurial journey so far?

Don’t give up keep pushing until you get to where you want to be. When our stuff was burnt, I was heartbroken and felt like throwing in the towel. Friends and family around me give me the support and today I am all smiles.

What are the challenges you face as a Zimbabwean Farmer?

Electricity is a major problem.

What advice would give other emerging farmers?

Do not start a project without researching how much capital you need for it to take off. Take for example raising pigs, they need to be fed and if you have no money that could be a problem.


Oct 29, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmer: Munya Shamuyarira


This week’s Emerging Famer is Munya Shamunyarira. Munya is an urban farmer and the founder of Marcus Produce, a horticulture company. Emerging Farmer spoke to him about what inspired his farming journey, working with creatives for branding and using available resources.

How and why did your farming journey begin?

Munya: I've always had a passion for farming. My journey started way back as a kid. My grandfather used to farm in Zvimba. So during the holidays we would visit their place to help out. At the end of the holidays, we would get some money for our efforts, so this cultivated a degree of appreciation for farming on my part.

Do you have a farming background?

Munya: Over the years I realised that farming was my thing so I studied Agriculture in high school and immediately after Form Four I did a certificate in Agriculture followed by a degree in Agriculture.

Can you tell us more about your company?

Munya: My company is a registered a private business corporation trading under Marcus Produce. This is a means of establishing a brand and taking a step to formalise operations. The design for the brand was done by a designer friend of mine, Tapiwa Masuka, who is the founder and head designer of Project 10 Design Studio.

So, what do you produce?

Munya: I produce a range of vegetables on a seasonal basis. Tomatoes, cucumbers, brassicas, peppers, fine beans, baby marrows and peas. Although most of the year, I grow tomatoes.

What was your motivation for becoming a farmer?

Munya: Agriculture is both an art and a science. I was exposed to it at a tender age because for rural people it is not only a source of income but part of their way of life. The more I farmed with the elders, the better I became, the more questions I had and the more my passion developed. While growing up I also had a couple of like-minded friends, we used to produce vegetables as a hobby and also raise small livestock like ducks and rabbits. Such initiatives prompted me to take up farming more seriously.

How has your educational background helped you with starting your business?

Munya: My education and training assisted me in starting my own business because I'm a farmer before anything else. I was trained to farm, even if employment opportunities were available I would most likely be employed in production. So I told myself to focus on what was currently available and not on the ideal situation, which is not there. I decided to use my training, passion and skill to earn a living while doing what I enjoy.

What is your daily work routine?
Munya: I get up pretty early to assess the crops and take care of any orders so that they can be delivered while still fresh.  I make deliveries then return to manage the plot and do field work. During the afternoon and early evening, I attend to walk-in customers.

Can you tell us a little about your team?

Munya:  On the ground I only have one person helping me. There are set systems which ease on labour, for example, drip irrigation, staggered plantings, mulching and other things. The guy I work with's name is Norman. He has been with me for more than 5 years so he is quite handy and skilled. Other family members also chip in occasionally on marketing and deliveries.  In directly, I have other young farmer associates who chip in with ideas and moral support.

Oct 22, 2015

Meet the Emerging Farmer: Gracious Makoti



Mrs. Gracious Makoti of plot 56 Alabama in Kadoma talks with Emerging Farmer contributor Gugu Nyazema. She shares how she transformed a piece of land that had nothing on it into a fully-productive farm and also built a beautiful home. She is a mother of four and has worked very closely with her husband in the process.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family?

Well, my husband and I are both former nurses. My husband was a nurse more solid for the army. Together we have four children, two boys, and two girls. The first boy is currently completing his degree in agriculture at a local university. He is very interested in helping out the family as well as starting his own thing on the side.  My second daughter is married, making me a grandmother, (she smiles). The third born is a girl and she is a cadet in the army and my last son is currently in Form Three.

How did your farming journey start?

Four years ago, my husband retired and got his retirement package.  We decided to move to Alabama, Kadoma and start farming after being encouraged by other farmers around us. We had been given six hectares of land by the government through the land reform programme.

So with my husband’s retirement package we decided to invest in the farm. We had to drill a borehole because there was no water nearby. We also had to buy a transformer, so that we could get electricity. As we talk about it now, this may sound like it was easy but it was a long process. We would buy things bit by bit, and pile them up. All this was expensive for us, but we persevered because we knew we needed to do something to survive. And farming was the only way. Like they say each journey starts with a single step. So step by step we grew.

Now that things are in place, we now have a crop of maize, soya beans, and tomatoes. We sell them locally to people around us and also as far as Gokwe and Bulawayo. We have established networks that work through word of mouth.

What was the catalyst for you to becoming a farmer?

There is a widow in our area called Mrs. Chaora. She kept pushing us to utilize our land. So my husband and I didn’t want to disappoint this lady who has become a very good friend of ours. So I can safely say that was our main driver.

How did your educational and training background assist you in starting your own farming business?

My training taught me to do things wholeheartedly. You know when you are dealing with patients you have to be compassionate, kind and understanding. You cannot have half your mind here and the other half of the mind there. I can safely say that’s is what I applied to farming. I am 150% committed, no half jobs.

What lessons have you learned on your farming entrepreneurial journey so far?

Farming is a hands-on job, for things to work you have to be on the ground supervising and seeing what is happening. Remote management over the phone never works. My husband and I experienced this first hand. When we were in town working and had workers on the farm managing things of us. We never saw the fruits of the money we had invested. But when we began doing it ourselves, we started earning more than we have ever earned working remotely.

What are the challenges you face as a Zimbabwean emerging farmer?

ELECTRICITY!!!! That is a big challenge for us right now. Another challenge is that we as farmers don’t get support from the banks because we don’t have the collateral.  I wish things would change because as farmers we have a lot to offer given the chance.

What advice would give other farmers?

Let’s work as a team and copy one another if need be. Sharing information is very important, it is important to keep learning.




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