Urban Agriculture Breathes New Life into Mutare’s Forgotten Communities

By Evans Jona

MUTARE— IN the densely populated suburbs of Mutare, where unemployment and poverty loom large, a beacon of hope is rising through an ambitious initiative aimed at empowering youth through urban agriculture.

The Urban Futures Project, spearheaded by Manica Youth Assembly (MaYA) in partnership with the Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust, the National Association of Youth Organisations, and supported by EVOS, is changing lives in informal settlements and high-density suburbs such as Sakubva, Hobhouse, Chikanga, Dangamvura, and Gimboki.

Speaking to Post On Sunday, MaYA Programs Officer Tinashe Muzama said the project was conceived as a response to worsening food insecurity and economic hardships facing young people in urban areas.

“This project is tailored to address challenges faced by youths, particularly in former settlements and high-density areas,” Muzama said. “We are empowering young people with practical skills in permaculture, organic farming, and innovative techniques such as vertical farming, hydroponics, and container gardening using recycled materials like plastic bottles and old tyres.”

The project is designed to tackle major barriers inhibiting youth participation in urban farming, including financial constraints, limited access to resources, lack of awareness, and negative cultural perceptions that agriculture is labor-intensive and unattractive to the younger generation.

“Many young people lack the initial capital to start agricultural ventures and often have insufficient knowledge about the opportunities available to them,” Muzama said. “We’re bridging that gap through training, community engagement, and creating market linkages using digital platforms like social media.”

Through community forums and training workshops, the initiative is fostering a sense of ownership among young people, normalizing agriculture in urban life, and encouraging collective projects like community gardens to boost both food security and social cohesion.

Among the project’s early success stories is a young man from Dangamvura who turned his backyard into a vertical garden and now sells fresh vegetables at local markets, generating income where previously there was none. Another youth entrepreneur has established a thriving vegetable garden on idle municipal land, now employing several other young people.

Yet, despite these breakthroughs, Muzama admits challenges remain. “Water rationing and poor soil quality in some suburbs make farming difficult, while restrictive by-laws and lack of access to public land further deter youth,” he said.

To address this, the Urban Futures Project is actively collaborating with Mutare City Council and the Ministry of Youth to secure permits and formalize urban agriculture spaces for young people. Local Councillors are also involved in aligning the project with community needs.

Looking ahead, MaYA plans to increase the frequency of its training sessions, introduce advanced agribusiness and marketing skills, promote the formation of youth cooperatives, and harness digital technology to connect young farmers with buyers and market information in real-time.

“We are in the fourth industrial revolution,” Muzama said. “Young people are already creating agroecology apps. We want to integrate these digital solutions to modernize urban farming and make it viable.”

The organization is also advocating for the adoption of progressive urban agriculture by-laws, currently under draft by Mutare City Council, which would officially recognize youth-led farming initiatives as part of the city’s development strategy.

As poverty and hunger continue to plague Zimbabwe’s urban poor, projects like Urban Futures are not only putting food on the table but also restoring dignity, purpose, and hope to young people otherwise forgotten in the margins of society.

“We believe in leaving no one and no place behind,” Muzama said. “Urban agriculture is not just about growing vegetables, it’s about growing futures.”

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