By A Correspondent| As part of the preparations for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations, 100 Village Business Units (VBUs) are being established in Gokwe Nembudziya. This initiative is aligned with the government’s commitment to enhancing food security at the village level, resonating with President Mnangagwa’s vision of inclusive development.

Dr. Paul Tungwarara, Special Presidential Advisor, is leading the initiative to set up these VBUs. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that no community is left behind, stating, “We have deployed rigs to Gokwe to start the drilling of boreholes. Our aim is that every village in Gokwe gets a solarized borehole. This program also extends to schools, enabling them to initiate their own income-generating projects.”

Each VBU is designed to be self-sufficient, featuring a solar-powered borehole under the Presidential Borehole Drilling Scheme, two 10,000-litre water tanks, four community water taps, and a one-hectare fenced drip horticultural garden. Additionally, two fish ponds (each 100 cubic meters or 100 square meters) will be included. The design also allows for tailored provisions such as feeding and water troughs for livestock, depending on the specific needs of the area.

The overarching goal is to establish a total of 35,000 units across the nation. Each village typically requires around 33 metric tonnes of grain annually. With proper management, each VBU can produce approximately seven tonnes of grain per cycle, potentially fulfilling about one-fifth of a village’s grain needs. By implementing two production cycles, this could meet roughly one-third of the annual requirement.

This initiative showcases the government’s commitment to sustainable development and food security, aiming to uplift rural communities and enhance their resilience.