Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare in CHIVI
THE Chivi North goat pass-on model will be replicated nationwide by the Government after the programme transformed an initial allocation of 1 500 goats into 15 800 goats passed on to successive beneficiaries, benefiting more than 3 100 households and emerging as a successful community livestock development model.
The milestone marks a breakthrough for the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme, under which goats are distributed free of charge to support 600 000 rural beneficiaries as part of Government’s drive to strengthen household food security and rural incomes.
Under the programme, each beneficiary receives five goats — four does and one buck — with recipients expected to pass on the same number of animals to the next household once the herd reproduces, creating a self-sustaining revolving livestock scheme.
Launched in September 2022, the initiative is part of the Rural Development 8.0 Programme, a package of inclusive interventions targeting the crop and livestock sectors to improve household nutrition, build rural wealth and enhance income security in line with Vision 2030.
Speaking during a tour of the project in Ward 7 recently, agricultural planning and development director Mr Leonard Munamati said the Chivi North model had demonstrated that community-driven livestock development could sustainably transform rural livelihoods, particularly in dry areas where small livestock perform better because grazing resources are limited.
The project started with 1 500 goats, benefitting households through a structured pass-on arrangement where recipients keep the animals for 12 months before transferring the original allocation to the next beneficiaries.
“To date, 3 100 beneficiaries have been given these goats through this pass-on scheme, and I am told that since it started, 15 800 goats have been passed on to the next persons in this constituency, which is very massive,” said Mr Munamati.
The success of the initiative proved that the pass-on concept was practical and could be replicated in other districts and provinces to expand livestock ownership among rural communities.
Mr Munamati added that under the Presidential Goat Scheme, they had also started with over 7 000 goats, which were distributed to other districts and provinces.
“We would want those provinces to copy what is happening in Chivi North and pass on the goats to the next persons,” he said.
Mr Munamati attributed the project’s success to strong community structures involving traditional leaders, councillors, extension officers and beneficiaries who follow a constitution guiding the management and distribution of the animals.
Chivi North legislator Cde Godfrey Huruva Mukungunugwa said the initiative had transformed livelihoods across the constituency’s 11 wards, with goats now circulating among households through the pass-on system.
He said families were using the animals to generate income, pay school fees, improve crop production through manure and meet cultural obligations such as bride price.
“The project has greatly transformed livelihoods in Chivi North. People who previously struggled to raise money for school fees can now sell goats to meet such expenses while still retaining animals in their kraals.”
At the same event, Government expanded its livestock empowerment drive through the Presidential Poultry Scheme, handing over 500 three-month-old indigenous chickens to schools and communities in Chivi North.
The beneficiaries included Mangwana Primary School, Utsinda Primary School and Uravhi Primary School, which each received 100 chicks, while Matavire Village and Chitsaka Village also received 100 chicks each.
Ward 7 goat beneficiary Mrs Evelyne Masingi said the project had improved her household’s nutrition and farming capacity.
“From the goats we received, we get manure which we use in our fields. We also get milk, and goat’s milk is nutritious.
