Never Say Never! The Story of the Zimbabwean farmers and their newly found interest in Cassava Production

Cassava is not a staple food in Zimbabwe, hence why its consumption and production are still very low. Even the extension system and the crop breeding institution does not have enough knowledge around its production, nor access to planting materials. From the marketing point of view, the Silo Food Industries and the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), who plays a key role in marketing grain in Zimbabwe and acts as a ready market for farmers by purchasing grain at government-set prices, especially staple crop has never actively marketed cassava.

In 2025, Development Impact (DevPact), a Zimbabwean rural development corporation which works in pro-poor and private sector led development, in partnership with the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry (CZI) requested for technical assistance from Global Affairs Canada through the Climate Action Africa Expert Deployment Mechanism (CAA – EDMA) to undertake a Technical Assistance Initiative (TAI) to investigate the viability of the Cassava value chain as climate-smart alternative livelihood for alternative livelihoods among female headed households in the Midland Province of Zimbabwe.

On behalf of Alinea, Econoler and WSP, the implementing partners of CAA, Global Agri-Business Solutions (GABS), a Canadian consulting firm was contracted to undertake the cassava value chain assessment in Zimbabwe in August 2025. The assessment conducted by the GABS team revealed a compelling story about the potential of the cassava production as means of alternative livelihood for poor Zimbabwean farmers and the Zimbabwean economy at large.

Our Assessment on the Cassava Value Chain

The study revealed that previous effort by both the government and NGOs to upscale cassava production in the district was not successful due to several factors. Female headed households in Lower Gweru recalled that when cassava was introduced in late 1990s, it was distributed without adequate training or extension support. Due to lack of information on proper agronomic practices and suitable planting conditions, many of the female headed households planted cassava in waterlogged areas, leading to widespread crop failure. Another barrier was the absence of secure fencing in their fields, which resulted in losing the crop to roaming livestock, especially cattle that feed on the crop. Furthermore, women indicated that most of the available cassava varieties were bitter, making it less suitable for household consumption, especially among children. This situation made it difficult to incorporate these variety into daily meals.

At present, the challenges facing cassava production and consumption remain largely unchanged. Cassava cultivation in the Midlands Province, is primarily a small-scale, women-dominated activity, with cassava crop often serving as a hedge in gardens or a supplementary food source. The cassava value chain in Zimbabwe could be said to be characterised by lot of loopholes and shortcomings, such as the issue of limited knowledge of cassava dietary diversity in many households. There exists a myth regarding the crop’s potential toxicity, which further hinder its uptake. A respondent is noted to have said: 

Most of us still rely on the old cassava varieties that take a long time to mature and don’t even taste good. We also don’t have much knowledge about improved types of cassava.

~Mazvita, 45, Ward 8~

Likewise, the lack of access to planting materials, and the highly perishability of cassava due to poor post-harvest handling, limited knowledge on cassava value addition and the lack of access to proper storage infrastructure persist in farming communities. Moreover, the exclusion of cassava from major government-supported input and subsidy programs, such as the Presidential Input Scheme, poses a significant challenge to the uptake of the crop among farming households.

The Growing Cassava Niche Market

Although cassava is perceived as a food for the poor, the urban Zimbabwe is witnessing emerging, niche markets for cassava. For instance, cassava flour is gaining popularity as a gluten-free alternative for health-conscious consumers. At the same time, niche markets such as the Nigerian cuisine restaurants are driving demand for cassava-based dishes like Eba and Fufu, and there is a growing desire to explore new cuisines among native Zimbabweans, making cassava a promising product for small-scale processors and food entrepreneurs. Another emerging niche market for cassava in Zimbabwe, its use in briquettes. Some farmers from Mashonaland West Province are exploring cassava’s binding properties- its elasticity and starch content, as a natural adhesive in briquette production. This highlights new industrial and climate-smart uses of cassava beyond food.

Furthermore, the assessment revealed significant opportunities for income generation and improved household nutrition among female headed households. These farmers are increasingly embracing agriculture as an enterprise rather than subsistence. Moreover, we noted the existence of a strong government interest in the crop, as evidenced by the inclusion of cassava in the 2025/2026 farming season. At the National level, cassava market is forecasted to undergo exponential growth rate of 18.47% in 2027 from its current rate of 11.83%. Moreover, our business case analysis suggested that a total investment of $310,000–$410,000, covering setup and the initial two-year operational phase to process 5,000 MT of fresh cassava roots annually, can yield a sustainable annual net profit margin of up to 15%, demonstrating the commercial viability the cassava value chain.

Our recommendations

Farming household in Zimbabwe are echoing the rhetoric – Never say never to the Cassava Production and Consumption. Action and consistence are not the challenge as suggested by many of the respondents spoken with. However, awareness campaigns and nutrition education programs to ensure that the community understands the role of cassava crop production both as alternative livelihood and dietary diversity to maize farming, a crop which is predominant in this part of the world is the only way the demand for cassava crop can go up. Secondly, increasing access to improved cassava planting materials through varietal release and commercialization is the starting point for Zimbabwe. Furthermore, capacity building initiative that aim at empowering female-headed households to adopt cassava production and value addition is pivotal to women’s economic empowerment and household food and nutrition security. One respondent is noted to have said:

 “If we can get access to quality planting materials and proper machines like grinders and solar dryers, it will really encourage more of us to go into cassava farming. We also need training and workshops to learn modern methods, so we can produce cassava in large quantities and make real profit from it.”

~ Akatendeka, 34, Ward 2~

Finally, a reliable market linkage that is void of exploitative contract farming enmeshed within a strong support through public-private-producer partnership has tremendous potential to unleash the full investment potential of cassava crop in Zimbabwe.