BY SAMUEL NJINGA IN MASVINGO
Against the odds and in the face of significant setbacks, poultry farmers in Masvingo Province have staged an inspiring comeback, turning adversity into opportunity and transforming their communities through innovation, resilience, and smart partnerships. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the province emerged as a standout performer in Zimbabwe’s growing poultry sector, setting a national benchmark for sustainable, inclusive agricultural development.
What began as a crisis in late 2024 with stunted broiler growth, high chick mortality and widespread losses has since evolved into a powerful success story. Thanks to bold grassroots initiatives, targeted government interventions, and the tenacity of smallholder farmers, Masvingo’s poultry industry is now being hailed as a model of rural economic revival.
The poultry sector in Masvingo hit rock bottom in November and December 2024, when thousands of broiler chicks across the province failed to grow to market weight due to unexplained physiological problems. Many farmers lost up to 40% of their flocks. The festive season, usually the most profitable period on the poultry calendar, became a time of despair.
“We were devastated,” recalled Patricia Ncube, a farmer in Chivi. “But we chose not to give up. We sought knowledge, we asked questions, and we changed the way we do things.”
That shift in mindset, combined with real action on the ground, laid the foundation for a turnaround few had anticipated.
One of the game-changers was the Presidential Rural Poultry Scheme, rolled out across all provinces to support household-level poultry production. By March 2025, Masvingo had received over 170,000 free-range chicks, empowering thousands of rural households especially women and youth to start or expand poultry projects.
The scheme not only provided chicks but also training in proper housing, vaccination, and feeding practices. Many farmers transitioned from risky broiler operations to hardier indigenous breeds, which are more disease-tolerant and better suited to rural conditions.
“These birds are less stressful to raise and fetch good prices at local markets,” said Kudakwashe Muvhami, a youth farmer from Mwenezi. “For the first time, I’m saving money from farming.”
In parallel, over 600 households in Mwenezi and Chiredzi districts benefited from a value chain development project that linked producers to input suppliers and urban markets. Led by a coalition of NGOs, agribusinesses and local government, the initiative helped farmers commercialise their operations and participate meaningfully in local economies.
Group production models, where families cooperated on feed purchases and chick rearing, enabled economies of scale and reduced individual risks.
“This kind of collective model has increased both productivity and incomes,” noted provincial livestock specialist Tawanda Chikomo. “We are now seeing poultry becoming a main source of livelihood, not just a side hustle.”
Another pillar of the Masvingo poultry success story is institutional support. The refurbishment of the Masvingo Provincial Veterinary Laboratory in 2024 brought diagnostic services closer to the farmer. Disease outbreaks are now being detected and managed early, avoiding the kind of widespread damage seen in late 2024.
Training programmes run by Agritex and the Zimbabwe Poultry Association further strengthened farmer knowledge on vaccination, biosecurity and record keeping.
Meanwhile, innovative entrepreneurs are emerging in the value chain. Feed mixers, hatchery operators and egg traders most of them youth and women, are filling crucial gaps once dominated by urban players.
Data from the Ministry of Agriculture shows that poultry output in Masvingo grew by over 30% between April 2024 and March 2025, thanks largely to rural expansion and improved survival rates. Household incomes rose correspondingly, with many families now using poultry profits to pay school fees, build homes, or reinvest in livestock.
Importantly, Masvingo is no longer a net importer of poultry meat and eggs from Harare. In fact, some cooperatives are now exporting to nearby towns like Gweru and Mutare.
“We are no longer just farmers, we are agribusinesses,” said farmer and cooperative leader Tendai Gondo. “Poultry has changed our lives.”
Challenges remain, feed prices are volatile, climate change poses long-term risks, and access to affordable finance is still limited. But with the right policies, continuous training, and farmer-driven innovation, Masvingo’s poultry sector is well-positioned to keep soaring.
The story of Masvingo is more than just a recovery from crisis. It is a testament to what is possible when communities, government and development partners work together. It is a story of how rural people, often overlooked, are writing their own chapter in Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation — one egg, one chick, and one coop at a time.(23 MARCH 2025}