The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) coordinated Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund II (ZRBF II) initiative has made strides in Mutungambera Village Business Unit (VBU) in Hurungwe Ward 8 to transform agroecological farming into a pathway for improved incomes, savings, market participation, and community support.

Mutungambera villagers often faced significant barriers to sustainable horticultural production, the 26-member group, (19 women and 7 men), lacked access to clean and reliable water, secure garden infrastructure, knowledge and skills needed to sustainably produce nutritious and commercially valuable crops.

These challenges limited the group’s ability to generate reliable income from horticulture and participate effectively in local markets. The absence of appropriate infrastructure and market opportunities also constrained the community’s capacity to translate agricultural production into improved livelihoods and broader social benefits.

The USHINGI Project then provided Mutungambera VBU members with practical training in agroecological horticulture, focusing on sustainable production of high-value crops such as leafy vegetables, tomatoes, and onions.

Through market linkage support from the project, farmers managed to supply fresh organic produce to Mahwawu Primary School for its school feeding initiative. Moreso, ten female VBU members then established the Arise and Shine Queens Internal Savings and Lending (ISAL) group with each member contributing US$5 monthly from her VBU earnings into a revolving loan fund, allowing the group to mobilise and manage their own financial resources

The income generated through VBU activities enabled members to establish a viable savings and lending mechanism, which by the end of June 2026, the ten-member Arise and Shine Queens ISAL group had accumulated US$1,450, providing evidence of increased capacity for collective savings and internal financial management.

Importantly, the group extended the benefits beyond its members, they voluntarily allocated 10% of their shared proceeds (US$145) to support vulnerable children at Mahwawu Primary School. Their contribution included 11 school uniforms, one pair of school shoes, 55 counter books, 22 exercise books, 10 khaki book covers, and 10 plastic covers. This demonstrates an emerging culture of collective responsibility and social investment arising from the group’s economic activities.

Looking ahead, these experiences provide a potentially replicable model for strengthening village-level economic resilience. USHINGI, in partnership with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprise Development, plans to mentor and revitalise at least 50 village-level savings schemes, preparing them for transition into formal Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO). This offers an opportunity to build on the Mutungambera experience and scaling up community-led savings, enterprise development, and local economic growth.

The Mutungambera VBU success story demonstrates how combining agroecological skills, market linkages, and savings mechanisms can enable rural producers, particularly women, to move beyond subsistence production towards stronger, more sustainable, and resilient livelihoods.

The project is supported with funding from the European Union and the Government of Ireland, led, managed and coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme - UNDP, technically supported by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in natural resource management and agriculture, strengthened by the Resilience Knowledge Hub (Mercy Corps) through evidence generation and a catalytic role. The project is being implemented in the Mid Zambezi by Ushingi Consortium led by DanChurchAid