By Beatific Gumbwanda
The Chiredzi Rural District Council (CRDC) has approved the Malipati Agri-Hub value addition project, an initiative spearheaded by the non-governmental organization SAT Wild.
The project aims to benefit the local community by promoting innovative livelihoods, agriculture, value chains, and community-led conservation, despite facing some opposition from other NGOs.
This came out during a recent full council meeting at Chiredzi RDC where the Chief Executive Officer Ailes Baloyi presented his third-quarter report, highlighting the Agri-Hub’s benefits across agriculture, tourism, and digitalization.
“SAT Wild is doing remarkable work in Malipati and is on track to establish a strong local economy. They are responsible for the Bosman Community Camp, a notable community camp in Gonarezhou National Park, as well as the Manjinji Pan,” said Baloyi.
He added that plans are underway to establish a value addition plant and that the community is already benefiting from the project.
“A value addition plant will soon be established, and community members have already started earning profits through the harvest of various cash crops, including maize, sugar beans, and sorghum. Additionally, vocational training centres will be set up,” Baloyi stated.
The approval follows a series of droughts that prompted the Malipati Community Development Trust (MCDT) to seek assistance from Sustainable Agricultural Technology (SAT Wild).
Together, they are developing a US$650,000 irrigated agri-hub and processing centre. The community has contributed land in Malipati for the project, linking it to broader environmental restoration efforts.
SAT, a Zimbabwean NGO with a history of implementing innovative solutions in agriculture and conservation, entered into a Public-Private Community Partnership with MCDT and the Chiredzi RDC.
The collaboration aims to address chronic poverty, food insecurity, and recurrent crop failures in the area, which is classified as Natural Region 5, a zone characterized by a dry climate and prolonged droughts.
The Agri-Hub project has been allocated 300 hectares of existing community fields, with the first phase piloted on 34 hectares. The phase includes a 34-hectare pivot irrigated by a 45 kW abstraction pump from the Mwenezi River, supported by a 45 kW solar array. The infrastructure also comprises a 3-kilometre, 315 mm mainline, a 960 m x 250 mm gravity feed pipe connected to a night storage dam, and a community resource training centre, workshop, and staff accommodation
