Zimpapers Logo

Midlands Bureau Chief
A group of farmers has formed an organisation, Farmers for Economic Development (F4ED) aimed at capacitating farmers with skills, affordable equipment and necessary knowledge on making farming a business in line with Vision 2030.
The organisation was formed in August 2022.

In an interview, the interim secretary of F4ED Cde Perseverance Zhou said they decided to form the organisation after realising that some farmers are under-utilising their land due to lack of resources and necessary knowledge.

“We have formed an organisation called Farmers for Economic Development aimed at capacitating all farmers with skills, affordable equipment and necessary knowledge on making farming a business in line with Vision 2030,” she said.

As a result, Cde Zhou said some land beneficiaries had abandoned their farms and are now living in poverty when they could turn land into a money making resource.

“F4ED as we call it in short was formed to help the farmer to grow into a business person and to teach the farmer to do farming as a business. Our farmer should be able to grow for his or her family, grow for the nation and sell the surplus for a profit,” she said.

Cde Zhou said farmers under F4ED were going to receive knowledge on good farming, access to affordable farming equipment in line with new technology and relevant information in line with what the farmer does.

She said the farmers will also have access to training on record keeping, accounting, budgeting, farming techniques, quality and loss control in order to make farming a business for the farmer.

Farmers

“Any farmer who supports the successful land reform programme and is eager to produce to transform the nation into the green basket of Sadc and Africa as a whole and prosper so that he/she gets rich and hence improves the economy of Zimbabwe, is welcome to join us,” said Cde Zhou.

She said they are looking at small scale farmers who include urban backyard farmers, communal farmers, A1, A2 farmers.
Cde Zhou said F4ED is now in all the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe.

She said there are three committee members coming from provincial structures in the national committee.
“We are not leaving anyone or area behind. Our structures include male farmers, female farmers and youthful farmers who are involved in the agricultural value chain.

“We have also included war veterans and farmers living with disabilities and widows,” said Cde Zhou.