115 farmers trained on access to finance. In an effort to enhance sustainability in smallholder agriculture, the Zimbabwe Agricultural Development Trust (ZADT) has undertaken a commitment to provide training on access to finance to farmers nationwide, with 115 individuals from Marondera having already benefited from the initiative.

ZADT’s actions align with the Government’s vision of achieving an empowered and prosperous upper middle-income society by 2030 that caters to all citizens. As a non-profit agricultural finance institution, ZADT aims to promote inclusive access to finance for smallholder farmers engaged in commercial agricultural activities.

A recent update shared on X (formerly Twitter) revealed that ZADT conducted a training session on access to finance for dairy and beef farmers at Dawnview Farm in Ward 3, Marondera, as part of the Sida-funded Creating Adaptive Unique Systems for Access to Finance for Women and Youth (Causeway) project.

According to ZADT, access to finance is vital for dairy and beef farmers within Zimbabwe’s agricultural value chain, enabling them to adopt modern farming practices and invest in quality inputs to expand their operations successfully.

Karen Maturure, the communications officer at ZADT, highlighted the importance of the two-day training sessions in achieving the objectives of the Causeway project. These objectives include enhancing access to finance for smallholder farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to boost household incomes, employment opportunities, and food security.

Out of the 115 farmers trained, 70 percent are women primarily involved in the honey and banana value chains, with many lacking previous experience in access to finance. Following the training, entrepreneurial women and youths in Marondera expressed their interest in accessing loans totaling around US$150,000.

ZADT commenced the training initiative last December and plans to expand it to all provinces in the coming months. The training sessions are designed in response to identified gaps by implementing partners and private sector entities to enhance the creditworthiness of farmers.

Dawnview Cattle Ranch identified a gap among beef and dairy farmers, leading to the organization’s intervention through this event. The Campfire project, spanning three years, targets over 12,000 direct beneficiaries in provinces including Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Masvingo, Manicaland, Midlands, and Mashonaland East.

The project focuses on inclusive and sustainable development across various agricultural value chains, catering to women, youths in agricultural education institutions, and both in-school and out-of-school start-up and growth-oriented youths. The training sessions are tailored to provide knowledge and skills essential for the growth of agribusiness MSMEs.