Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau
FROM vast wheat fields and irrigated horticultural plots to the distinctive humps of Ankole cattle and the calm waters of fish ponds, Pricabe Farm in Sherwood, Kwekwe, is telling a powerful story of Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation.
Once part of a farming area dominated by a handful of white commercial farmers before the implementation of the land reform programme, Sherwood is today home to 45 A2 farmers — among them President Mnangagwa.
At the First Faamily’s Pricabe Farm, the President has demonstrated that leadership can extend beyond the boardroom and political platforms into the fields, where the national food basket is being strengthened one harvest at a time.
President Mnangagwa takes time from his demanding national schedule to work the land, with Pricabe now producing about 10 times what the former farmer was reportedly producing on the same piece of land.
The transformation has helped challenge long-held assumptions about the capacity of Zimbabwe’s new farmers to utilise land productively.
On Sunday last week, at around midday, President Mnangagwa arrived at Pricabe Farm with First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa and other officials, creating an unusually relaxed scene as Cabinet Ministers toured the farming enterprise on the sidelines of their retreat.
Away from the formal Cabinet setting, Ministers got a first-hand view of tractors at work, irrigated fields, livestock, horticultural production and aquaculture — a practical demonstration of how technology, mechanisation and diversification are changing the face of Zimbabwean agriculture.
Pricabe produces a range of crops, including wheat, potatoes and barley, while horticultural production adds further variety to the farm’s output.
Its livestock operations include cattle, goats, pigs and poultry, with the distinctive Ankole cattle providing one of the most striking features of the farm.
Fish farming has also been incorporated into the enterprise, demonstrating how crop production, livestock and aquaculture can exist alongside each other as part of an integrated commercial farming model.
For the visiting Ministers, the farm offered more than an opportunity to inspect the First Family’s agricultural activities.
It provided a practical lesson in the importance of extracting maximum value from available land through irrigation, mechanisation, technology and scientific farming methods.
Irrigation is particularly important in sustaining production and reducing dependence on rainfall, while mechanisation allows farmers to work larger areas more efficiently and improve productivity.
The diversified nature of Pricabe also helps spread production risks while opening opportunities for value addition, employment creation and additional income streams.
Pricabe has previously hosted agricultural field days, allowing farmers and other stakeholders to observe modern farming technologies, irrigation systems and crop-production techniques.
The farm’s evolution comes as Government intensifies efforts to move agriculture from largely subsistence production towards a modern, commercially driven sector capable of contributing significantly to economic growth and food security.
President Mnangagwa has repeatedly urged farmers to embrace technology, mechanisation, irrigation and innovation while maximising production from the land at their disposal.
For the new farmers in Sherwood, the transformation of the area since land reform provides a broader backdrop to that message.
The emergence of productive A2 farms is increasingly shifting the conversation from who owns agricultural land to how effectively that land is being utilised to produce food and generate economic value.
At Pricabe, the answer is visible in the wheat fields, horticultural plots, livestock pens and fish ponds.
Minister of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Tino Machakaire described the Cabinet tour as an inspiring demonstration of what could be achieved through discipline, innovation and commitment.
Writing on his X account, Minister Machakaire said the President had invited Cabinet Ministers not merely to see a farm, but to witness what could be achieved through vision and hard work.
“We saw practical leadership in action as a powerful demonstration of how productive agriculture can strengthen food security, create opportunities and build a self-sufficient Zimbabwe,” he said.
The greatest lesson, he said, was that what Ministers had witnessed should not end at Pricabe Farm.
“We must take the knowledge and inspiration back home, put it into practice and produce results,” said Minister Machakaire.
He expressed hope that Ministers would one day be able to invite the President to their own farms and demonstrate the results of lessons learnt from Pricabe.
“I look forward to a day when each of us can proudly invite His Excellency to our own farms and say, ‘Mr President, we learnt, we implemented and these are the results.’
“Thank you, Your Excellency, for continuing to lead, teach and inspire us by example. We have seen. We have learnt. Now we must produce,” he said.
The Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Owen Ncube, said Pricabe
Farm showcased 500ha under winter wheat, 200ha under barley and 90ha under potatoes.
The farm also rears livestock, including 1 021 beef cattle, high-value Ankole cattle, 265 pigs, 125 sheep and 223 goats, as well as guinea fowl, roadrunners, fish, ducks, turkeys, geese and rabbits.
“The Midlands Province applauds the Second Republic under the pragmatic leadership of President Mnangagwa for spearheading robust infrastructure development, entrenching macro-economic stability, rolling out empowerment programmes and working towards transforming the agriculture sector into an agro-industrial hub,” he said.
Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Dr Zhemu Soda said they had learnt a lot during the visit.
“This is impressive production, and it demonstrates the potential of modern agriculture to drive national development. We have learnt a lot,” he said.
“What we are seeing here is technology, production and value addition coming together in one farming enterprise,” Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Torerai Moyo added.
Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services Tatenda Mavetera said technology was central to improving efficiency and productivity in modern agriculture.
The farming visit came as the nation marked Munhumutapa Day, linking Zimbabwe’s rich agricultural heritage with contemporary efforts to transform production through science, technology and innovation.
“This is a demonstration that agriculture can be productive, commercial and technologically advanced. We are happy that we have Munhumutapa Day, a day when we mark our great heritage on which the nation is being built. Coincidentally, it comes on the President’s birthday and he has also done remarkably well,” Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources
Development Dr Anxious Masuka said.
Pricabe Farm manager Mr Patrick Mnangagwa said the farm had expanded its operations to increase yields.
“We had a space of about 400ha and expanded to around 600ha because of the efforts to boost yields, which we are now doing,” he said.
The development complemented efforts to expand agricultural production and strengthen linkages between farming, industry and value addition.
“We want to thank you, President, for showing us the way, hoping we can transfer it to our areas,” Minister of Defence Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said.
The farm’s mixed-agriculture model demonstrated how crop and livestock production could work together while creating opportunities for value addition, employment and increased food production.
