In summary:
•    Through a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe, UNDP Zimbabwe, and the Government of the UK (FCDO), the Hakwata Drip Irrigation Garden is helping communities in Chipinge build climate resilience and stronger livelihoods.
•    The garden has turned climate-smart irrigation into a productive community business that is generating income, improving nutrition, and strengthening self-reliance.
•    Business training helped participants reinvest profits, respond to market demand, and manage the garden as a sustainable enterprise.
•    With 113 members, the garden now sells 98% of its produce to local markets, neighbouring Mozambique, and surrounding villages.
•    In a drought-prone area, the garden is becoming a vital safety net for household food security, school costs, and future income.

Although the first crop cycle was challenging, as participants spent around $600.00 on seeds and pest control and only earned back $1260.00, they did not consume the profits; instead, they reinvested every cent into the second crop cycle, which was the payoff of the business training. In the second crop cycle, the participants planted 15,000 tomato plants and 15,000 cabbage plants (they spent $925.00 on tomato seeds and $625.00 on cabbage seeds) and harvested 9.8 tons of tomatoes worth $2,724.00 and 17 tons of cabbage worth $2,302.00 between June and August. In November 2025, production continued into the third cycle, and tomatoes and green mealies yielded about $1,929.00. Importantly, the participants are now completely market self-sufficient. Without any assistance from the Project in securing markets, they successfully sell 98% of their produce to the local Checheche growth point, neighboring Mozambique, and surrounding villages.
Although most of the harvest goes toward commercial income generation, the garden also provides an important source of household nutrition for the participants, and the members shared about 20kg of tomatoes per household during the second cropping cycle. This means the garden does not become just a cash generator but also a pillar of food and nutrition security. As a result of the business training, the members have established sound financial practices: they have opened a bank account at AFC Bank in Checheche, where all income is deposited, and their constitution dictates that dividends are not shared until three cropping cycles, while labor payments to the irrigators and the pest management teams have priority to ensure capital is available for reinvestment.
The income generated has enabled the garden to have greater social impact. Demonstrating remarkable ownership and resourcefulness, the garden committee invested $285.00 from the income generated (including labor costs) to construct a dedicated sales shed. Previously, they had sold produce under the water storage tank stand in the garden, posing safety risks. The new shed provides a safe, and secure environment. The construction itself added to the local economy by employing local labor. Panganai Mushango, a committee member, emphasized the transformation: "Things have changed a lot! The Hakwata Garden Committee's initiative is a model of community development and highlights the importance of self-sufficiency, sustainability, and collective action." The garden stands as a model for climate-resilient agriculture. With a current membership of 113 participants, the committee has developed a strategic plan to scale up their operations. Their primary goal is to increase the garden’s production land, a move they anticipate will translate into significantly higher production volumes and increased income. Realizing that dividends matter to change their economic condition, the planned expansion is based on a need to strengthen household income security. After the dividends are distributed, members would use the funds to cover school fees for their children and to buy grain; in a region where rainfed crops often fail due to drought, the income from the garden will serve as a safety net so that families can still feed themselves even when the fields are barren. 
Farmers have demonstrated high adaptability by monitoring their system and adjusting accordingly. For instance, they replaced the struggling okra with additional tomatoes better suited to their irrigation setup and market demand. They have also implemented comprehensive integrated pest management strategies, such as routine scouting to combat Fall Armyworm in maize and blight in tomatoes. The drip irrigation system allows for precise water use with minimal waste. 
As Ndaizivei Makhuyana, the garden chairlady, reflects: "Madiridziro ndopaneupenyu wedu, kuno mwaka mizhinji kunonaya mvura shoma saka hapana chatinonyatsokohwa kumunda nekuda kwemvura shoma" ("Irrigation is our lifeline; in this part of Chipinge it rarely rains, so we barely harvest anything from our fields because of the little rain"). Through determination, strategic business training, and climate-smart practices, the Hakwata community has turned a semi-arid challenge into a thriving, sustainable enterprise.

Through a partnership between the Government of Zimbabwe, UNDP Zimbabwe, and the Government of the UK (FCDO), the Hakwata Garden, also known as “Kugarahakuna chimuko” (a Shona phrase meaning “you don’t benefit anything by just sitting if you don’t work”), is helping communities in Chipinge build resilience in the face of harsh climatic conditions. Located in a semi-arid region that receives just 450mm to 650mm of rainfall annually, the area is highly prone to climatic shocks and stresses, including extreme heat and prolonged dry spells.
Established in September 2024 under the UNDP CAWEP project in collaboration with the community, the garden uses a drip irrigation system designed to save water and help crops survive in arid conditions. But beyond the infrastructure itself, it is the human resilience built through the project that makes the garden stand out. A key factor behind its success has been the comprehensive business training received by participants, particularly the garden committee, which enabled them to manage the garden as a business enterprise and respond independently to market demand.
Although the first crop cycle was challenging, participants spent around $600.00 on seeds and pest control and earned back $1260.00. Rather than consuming the profits, they reinvested every cent into the second crop cycle, reflecting the value of the business training they had received. In the second crop cycle, participants planted 15,000 tomato plants and 15,000 cabbage plants, spending $925.00 on tomato seeds and $625.00 on cabbage seeds. Between June and August, they harvested 9.8 tons of tomatoes worth $2,724.00 and 17 tons of cabbages worth $2,302.00. In November 2025, production continued into the third cycle, and tomatoes and green mealies yielded about $1,929.00. Importantly, the participants are now completely market self-sufficient. Without any assistance from the project in securing markets, they successfully sell 98% of their produce to the local Checheche growth point, neighbouring Mozambique, and surrounding villages.
Although most of the harvest goes towards commercial income generation, the garden also provides an important source of household nutrition for participants, with members sharing about 20kg of tomatoes per household during the second cropping cycle. The garden has therefore become not only a cash generator, but also a pillar of food and nutrition security. The business training has also translated into sound financial management. Members have opened a bank account at AFC Bank in Checheche, where all income is deposited, and their constitution states that dividends will not be shared until after three cropping cycles. At the same time, labour payments to irrigators and pest management teams are prioritised to ensure capital remains available for reinvestment.
The income generated has also enabled the garden to create wider social impact. Demonstrating strong ownership and resourcefulness, the garden committee invested $285.00 from the income generated, including labour costs, to construct a dedicated sales shed. Previously, produce had been sold under the water storage tank stand inside the garden, creating safety risks. The new shed now provides a safer and more secure environment for selling produce, while its construction also supported the local economy through the use of local labour.
With a current membership of 113 participants, the committee has developed a strategic plan to scale up operations. Their main goal is to expand the garden’s production area, which they expect will lead to significantly higher output and increased income. Recognising that dividends will be critical to improving their economic conditions, the planned expansion is rooted in the need to strengthen household income security. Once dividends are distributed, members plan to use the funds to pay school fees for their children and buy grain. In a region where rainfed crops often fail due to drought, income from the garden will serve as a safety net, helping families feed themselves even when their fields produce little or nothing.
Farmers have also shown strong adaptability by closely monitoring their production system and making practical adjustments. For example, they replaced struggling okra with additional tomatoes that were better suited to both their irrigation system and market demand. They have also implemented integrated pest management strategies, including routine scouting to combat Fall Armyworm in maize and blight in tomatoes. The drip irrigation system allows for precise water use with minimal waste, strengthening the garden’s role as a model of climate-smart agriculture.
As Ndaizivei Makhuyana, the garden chairlady, reflects: “Madiridziro ndopaneupenyu wedu, kuno mwaka mizhinji kunonaya mvura shoma saka hapana chatinonyatsokohwa kumunda nekuda kwemvura shoma” (“Irrigation is our lifeline; in this part of Chipinge it rarely rains, so we barely harvest anything from our fields because of the little rain”).
The Hakwata garden shows how climate-smart irrigation, business skills and community determination can turn vulnerability into resilience.