Harvesting Change: IFAD’s Sorghum Mechanisation Drive Sparks Hope for Zimbabwe’s Smallholder Farmers

In a decisive move to strengthen food security and climate resilience, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe and private sector actors, has launched the pilot phase of the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission Pillar 3 (FARM P3). The initiative seeks to modernise sorghum production through sustainable mechanisation and build a stronger, more inclusive agricultural value chain.

The FARM P3 pilot, introduced on 16 October 2025 in Harare, marks a major milestone in efforts to revitalise Zimbabwe’s sorghum sector. Sorghum, a staple known for its drought tolerance, has long been recognised as a key crop for communities vulnerable to erratic weather patterns. Yet, many smallholder farmers have struggled to harness its full potential due to labour-intensive processing methods, poor post-harvest management, and limited market access.

Through this pilot, IFAD and its partners aim to tackle post-harvest losses of up to 30 per cent while boosting smallholder incomes and creating a more efficient value chain. The initiative focuses on deploying mobile threshing and other mechanisation services that will improve yields and ensure that farmers meet market quality standards. By promoting public-private partnerships and supporting youth-led enterprises, FARM P3 is set to transform the sector from the ground up.

“Sorghum could be central to building Zimbabwe’s climate resilience, but it remains underutilised,” said Alex Nyakatsapa, Senior Value Chain and Agribusiness Advisor of the Smallholder Agriculture Cluster Project (SACP). “By engaging private-sector partners from the start, the FARM P3 pilot opens a pathway to overcome these challenges and spread benefits across the country, supporting small-scale farmers to become more productive and more prosperous.”

The one-year pilot will involve around 6,000 smallholder farmers from key sorghum-producing districts and identify about 50 mechanisation service providers. These will include youth entrepreneurs and lead farmers who will be supported to build sustainable businesses that deliver affordable mechanisation services. Working closely with financial institutions and buyers, IFAD and its partners plan to mentor these entrepreneurs, strengthen their access to finance, and facilitate linkages with structured markets.

Crucially, the pilot will not deliver mechanisation services directly but will instead focus on identifying opportunities and establishing the right conditions for an enabling environment. The goal is to lay a strong foundation for scaling up, ensuring that the approach remains viable beyond the initial year.

“Through FARM P3 we not only test equipment that raises smallholder incomes in Zimbabwe, but also work with buyers, financial institutions, youth entrepreneurs and farmers to build business models that create jobs and make mechanisation affordable, profitable, and sustainable,” said Francesco Rispoli, IFAD Country Director.

The initiative’s emphasis on inclusivity, innovation, and partnership underscores IFAD’s long-standing commitment to empowering smallholder farmers and enhancing rural livelihoods. By fostering collaboration between government, private sector players, and development partners, FARM P3 aims to unlock the untapped potential of Zimbabwe’s sorghum industry, paving the way for greater resilience and prosperity.

As climate pressures continue to challenge agriculture across the region, initiatives like FARM P3 represent more than just a pilot project. They are a model for the kind of adaptive, market-driven solutions needed to secure the future of African smallholders and their contribution to national food security.

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