Rural Development ARDAS Director Leonard Munamati is emerging as one of the key drivers behind Zimbabwe’s growing fruit-tree movement, championing household orchards as a practical pathway to strengthen food security, income generation and community resilience.
Munamati has spotlighted an ambitious project in Umzingwane, where a local farmer is planting more than 3,000 mango trees and over 1,000 lemon trees.
He said such initiatives demonstrate how individual efforts can collectively shape national outcomes.
He is urging households across rural, peri-urban and urban communities to plant fruit trees this rainy season, stressing that even small beginnings can deliver major national impact.
“If each household plants even two trees this season, the country could add more than 3.6 million fruit trees,” he said.
Related Stories
Although ARDAS recommends that families work towards establishing at least 10 fruit trees per household, Munamati emphasised that the first step is participation no matter how small.
He said household orchards are a key part of a wider rural development strategy aimed at improving nutrition, creating income streams, restoring degraded environments and building long-term household assets.
“These trees provide shade, food, income and stronger livelihoods. They become long-term anchors for families,” he said.
With rains settling in across the country, communities are being encouraged to secure seedlings and plant early.
Rural institutions and development partners are expected to support the drive through training, awareness campaigns and seedling provision.
Munamati’s push positions fruit-tree planting as a measurable, low-cost and community-driven intervention capable of reshaping rural landscapes while building household resilience for years to come.
Leave Comments