Using your rural communal land for business

When i was in upper 6 I did the unthinkable, I asked for my own piece of land from my grand mother Mbuya Munemo! I had seen the value of land at a young age and decided to have my own piece of land before going to college. The question my grand mum asked was why i wanted land when i was not yet married, she added another question-why i wanted land at such a young age.

I did my best to explain that i was investing for the future and also the fact that noone had an interest in the land, no current grand son or daughter had interest in the land. To make matters worse a prominent banker was eying our ancestral land. To cut to the chase i got my own 5 hectares before enrolling for my Accounting Degree at a local university.

I had seen value in the land at a young age, the land was close to a reliable water source, our rural area is a 40 minute drive from the Mutoko Road toll gate-i did not make sense to me why most people were shunning the land. What also inspired my acquisition was the fact that my late grand father who had passed one before  i was born had an interesting story to tell about land.

My late grand father had moved from his area of birth, Gora in Mhondoro in search of land for his big family. He had done a lot to secure land for each child. Unfortunately when he passed on, most of his kids left for the city and few valued rural land. So i was the only muzukuru who carried on with the dream of my grand parents-full utilisation of rural land!

What businesses can you do with rural land?

Some Hararians are involved in a lot of agricultural activities in the peri urban areas such as Seke,Goromonzi, Domboshava, Chihota and Musana. We hope to carry out a detailed  study of these areas but most residents are involved in commercial activities that range from chicken rearing, rabbit rearing, piggery, cattle fattening. Some are involved in agro-processing activities and those with large pieces of land grow various crops such as maize, sugar beans, tomatoes, onions and cabbages.

Some are even setting up green houses especially in areas such as Domboshava and Goromonzi. What has enabled this investment is the availability of transport and a ready market of agricultural products in Harare.

We even have lorries that come to farmers inorder to help them ferry agricultural produce to the market. Long back it used to be farmers looking for transport, now the trend is reversing.

The availability of solar energy has also facilitated the expansion of agricultural activities because now people can sink boreholes and use solar energy to irrigate crops. The solar energy can also be used to provide light and other services to the household.

Below we feature an inbox request from one of our members. The responses covered are from our active members on our ZBIN Facebook Page.

Hello Admin, I hope i find you well. Please post for me on the forum… Im looking for an income generating idea on a 6 acre plot in a rural area quite a distance from an urban area but close to a seasonal water source.

Responses

Edson Chivanga What do you have in mind and how much knowledge do have for that so that we can start from there. In business every idea can give you a good outcome but the best one comes out of what you enjoy most and we can give you ideas to grow that vision.

Vokal DaPoet Depending on soil structure, there are a number of things that one can plant.

Rutendo Faith lavener
roses
aloe vera
ginger
tumeric
ginseng
coconut trees
strawberries
hazvina kuwandirwa especially if u have good capital plus soil will determine

Mai Mrehwa ginseng takes years to grow n be selleable

Penyai Rotai nhai anotenga aloe vera ndiyani

Rutendo Faith u try pharmaceutical companies nevanogadzira mishonga and herbs

Mudiwavashe Kamoto I like the plants outlined by Rutendo Faith koz sometimes zvoda kubuda mugurumwandira kuty uite mari. Kwete kungowa TOMATOES.

Justice Mungwini WHERE exactly z the plot…WHAT exactly do you mean by ‘seasonal water source’….HOW much capital u wanna invest…WHAT re others in that area doing…

Mudiwavashe Kamoto Above everything do yu have the calling in farming.Farming is a passionate venture it has to be something that comes from yur heart it’s not something you can do becoz others are making money out of it. Take yur tyme to do a self examination. It may sound weird but I tell yu. Yu just need to go on yur planning table