We have added a massive 30,000 new members  over the past 3 months to our Facebook Page and our members now stand at 80,000! We welcome you all to this forum. We are registered as a trust with a board of 10 members and a management team of 40. Our offices located at No 34 Quendon Road, Monavale, Harare.

Purpose of forum: Provide small businesses with a platform for resource sharing, networking access to capital and markets

Access to resources: There are thousands of inspirational posts on our Facebook page, over 700 free articles on our website www.zbinworld.com , active business discussions on our more than 50 Whatsapp groups and we also published 5 books.

Access to capital: We pool resources through Crowdfunding initiatives and to date there are 4 registered companies owned by members.

Access to markets: We allow our members to advertise on Facebook 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Look out for consolidated posts that attract an average of 18,000 views or 600,000 views per month. Our Whatsapp platforms also provide a great platform for access to markets. The bonus is the forum is growing at a rate of 300 new members per day—so bigger market for members.

Networking: Before the Covid-19 lockdown, we had started holding monthly meetings attracting more than 200 members. We hope to tap into Zoom facilities and hold monthly fairs to network members starting from August 2020.

Member Expectations

Active participation on forum posts: Share your entrepreneurial experiences, inspire the next person.

Buy from the forum: Do not just use the forum for dumping ads, support others too and grow the forum. The spirit of support on the forum is extremely high.

No spamming: Posting the same ad over and over on our Whatsapp platform is a NO! Our admins will self quarantine you.

No Ponzi schemes: Post ponzi, phishing links or commit fraud and you are automatically out.

Politics: It is a divisive topic especially in Zimbabwe. Avoid political posts as not everyone shares the same view with  you. If the urge to discuss politics is too strong for you, our ZBIN Social App group is a great platform and in there the members are evenly balanced. Those who support Political Perspective X and those for Y. Whatever you support has an equal number of those who oppose it. Outside the ZBIN Social, its advised to avoid this topic.

Diaspora Friendly: We are diaspora friendly and have a good number of diasporans participating in our programmes. Our board is made up of 50% diasporans and we regularly write posts to keep the diaspora clued up on business developments on the ground.

Subscribed Members: They keep the forum running through yearly subs, they have preferential treatment for ads as well as access to our yearly books. They have a separate forum and  are the first to benefit from forum initiatives.

 So enjoy your stay, be visible, promote your brand, support others too. Keep your prices reasonable and deliver what you promise. The Facebook admin team tries their level best to share as much information as possible and is made up of a Digital Marketer (Darlington Letala), Social Entrepreneur ( Kevin Farai Moyo), Lawyer ( Taffy Dube) and Accountants ( James Foster & Chenjerai Takawira). The Whatsapp platforms have Catherine Shava, Theresa Sithole ably supported by a team of 40 admins.

Zim Business Ideas and Network

Horticulture is one of the most lucrative fields in Zimbabwe but can be challenging for most new entrants. In this article we explore some of the most common mistakes which you need to be aware of;

1. Poor site selection: Badly drained soils– soils in the selected site should be free draining to 1.5m depth. Gravelly soils: The more stones /pebbles present the smaller is the water holding capacity of soil. Too close to trees or buildings or too steep a slope with excess run off of irrigation water? This can affect the yield of your crops.

2. Poor choice of variety for the market, time of the year, day length, and area. Lack of proper crop planning.

3. Poor soil preparation: The soil must be porous, aggregated, oxygenated to a depth of 0.5M for top yields. See Charter Seeds soil preparation technique to convert badly compacted soil into an excellent tilth in a matter of weeks.

4. Badly planned rotations: Subsequent crops must not be in the same family or group of plants.

5. Inadequate isolation distances between crops.

6. Temperatures and humidity levels are very important for many crops especially in greenhouses. The most frequent fault seen in greenhouses is lack of temperature control.

7. Poor Irrigation: Too much water in winter – especially March – April in Zimbabwe. Too little water in summer – especially September – October. Affects both the nursery and the field. Often the case with drip irrigation which is not really understood by many farmers. If you have a white efflorescence of salt on the surface of the soil it is likely you will be under watering. Examination of the soil will show the subsoil is dry.

8. Poor seedlings: A good well prepared, well hardened seedling is the foundation of a good crop and vice versa. Not too large or not too small and no excess leaf. Must be of the right size, 12-15cm tall, with strong, sturdy stems to prevent post planting shock, and a good root structure. The plugs must hold enough water to carry the seedling in the time before it starts to use soil water. Seedlings of cucurbits for instance need a larger volume of medium than seedlings with a smaller leaf area like cabbages and tomatoes. Use sleeves for cucurbit seedlings, especially watermelons and cucumbers.

9. Poor fertilization: Fertilize according to soil analysis taking both nutrient intensity and nutrient capacity into account. The fertilizer must be carefully placed in the soil so that it coincides with root development at critical periods of growth like vegetative growth, flowering and fruit development. Know your variety so that in a well prepared soil you know where the roots will be in the soil at a given time.

10. Poor planting. Water plant into a soil at field capacity. Never plant into dry soil. Make sure the seedling is full of water when transplanting. Water the night before pulling. Shade cucurbit seedlings after transplanting to minimize water loss.

11. Badly planned pest and disease control. Before the crop is planted have a spraying program planned based on previous experience. Start spraying before the problem occurs and rotate chemicals to prevent a build- up of resistance and stick to your planned program.

 Finally, horticulture is a business: Inputs must be governed by the likely gross return – but the more you put in the more you will get out.In modern horticulture absolute attention to detail is necessary in all aspects of production to make use of the factors incorporated into modern vegetable varieties.

All Credit: Charter seeds, distributors of Stark Ayres in Zimbabwe.

Emmanuel is a qualified Agronomist and development practitionerwith more than a decade’s experience working in the agri-business industry and development sector. You can contact him on edndsep@gmail.com or whatsapp on 0783495396