Online Reporter
Theseus Shambare
Sustainable, community – driven development models are emerging as the backbone of Zimbabwe’s rural transformation, with Government underscoring that long-term food security and income generation depend on building local capacity rather than external dependency.
This approach is central to Rural Development 8.0, which promotes programmes that enable communities to produce, multiply and pass on productive assets.
Under this model, the pass-on concept — already applied in the Presidential Poultry Pass-On Scheme, the Presidential Goat Scheme and the Heifer Pass-On Programme — ensures that beneficiaries pass on offspring to the next household, creating a continuous and expanding chain of empowerment.
Speaking during the poultry handover exercise in Goromonzi recently, Zimbabwe Local Government Association (ZILGA) president and Goromonzi Rural District Council chairperson, Dr Aaron Golden Shamu, said the initiative demonstrates how communities can drive development when given the right foundation.
“We really appreciate what Government is doing under Rural Development 8.0. However, we need to instil business mindsets in our rural farmers.
“There is need to move away from donor-dependence syndrome and create agribusiness – minded communities,” he said.
In Goromonzi 4thWard 16, villages received 100 indigenous chicks each and formed committees to coordinate feed, vaccines and medication under the Presidential Indigenous Poultry Pass-On Scheme.
Within six months, they were sharing chicks among themselves and building up flock numbers – a model Dr Shamu described as the sustainable solution needed for rural transformation.
He said the pass-on structure had reduced the burden on Government while strengthening grassroots ownership.
“It promotes collective responsibility. Once hatching starts, our role is to provide technical support and oversight. The rest is done by the community,” he said.
Indigenous poultry has become one of the key livelihood pillars in rural districts affected by erratic rainfall and reduced crop yields.
Beneficiaries in Goromonzi said the chickens provide both nutrition and income, with sales every few months helping families buy groceries, pay school fees or reinvest in feed.
The poultry pass-on approach aligns with livestock-based schemes such as the Presidential Goat Scheme, where farmers pass on kids from the first reproduction cycle and the Heifer Pass – On Programme, where beneficiaries must pass on the first female calf.
Officials say using the same framework across sectors ensures continuity and long – term asset growth in rural households.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Professor Obert Jiri, said the success of these programmes is due to strengthened extension systems, particularly Agriculture Business Advisors (ABAs), who support farmers to take Government initiatives seriously.
“ABAs are assisting farmers with planning, record-keeping, disease control and linking them to markets. This is why the pass-on model is working. Government sets policy, but implementation is in the hands of communities – and we are seeing positive results,” he said.
Prof Jiri said indigenous poultry is becoming a key climate-resilient enterprise because the birds tolerate heat, require minimal water and thrive under low-input systems.
He said hatchery decentralisation – supported by the Zimbabwe Free Range Poultry Association (ZFRPA) – has strengthened production.
ZFRPA chief executive, Mrs Beauty Jiji, said their free hatchery support has uplifted women, pensioners and people living with disabilities, further cementing the programme’s sustainability.
