In the heart of Zaka District’s Ward 3, fields once plagued by erratic rainfall and poor yields are now glowing with the vibrant green of sweet potato vines. A quiet but powerful sign of transformation.
Under the government’s Presidential Sweet Potato Program, local farmers are seeing a surge in productivity and food security, with support from agricultural research and improved planting materials.
During a recent tour of the area, Chief Director of Agricultural and Rural Development Advisory Services (ARDAS), Leonard Munamati, commended farmers in Ward 3 for their commitment to sweet potato farming.
He described the community’s flourishing fields as a beacon of hope for communal agriculture.
“Zaka is already producing sweet potatoes in large volumes. This is a success story we want replicated across the country,” said Munamati.
The Presidential Sweet Potato Program was launched as part of broader efforts to boost food self-sufficiency and rural incomes through climate-resilient crops. With Zimbabwe’s farming sector continuously threatened by changing weather patterns, sweet potato offers a low-input, drought-tolerant solution.
The program has so far distributed over 4.169 million vines to more than 83,000 farmers nationwide. Each farmer receives a minimum of 50 vines, enough to start small-scale production with the potential to expand over time.
The varieties promoted under the program are not just any sweet potatoes, they are improved, virus-free, and high-yielding. Developed at Kutsanga Research Station and the Horticulture Research Station in Marondera, these vines promise to
