Thousands of smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe’s dry regions are set to benefit from a new mechanization pilot launched by the International Fund for Agricultural Development , which aims to ease labour burdens, reduce post-harvest losses and improve household incomes.

The one-year pilot, known as the Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission Pillar 3 (FARM P3), targets around 6,000 smallholder sorghum farmers across high-potential districts.

It will test modern post-harvest mechanization equipment such as mobile threshers, no-till systems, and transport units designed to replace manual labour that has long burdened rural farmers.

For farmers like Mai Ruvimbo Moyo from Gutu, the news has brought hope. “We spend days threshing sorghum by hand, and most of the grain gets damaged or lost before it reaches the market,” she said.

“If this project brings machines that can do the work faster and better, our lives will change.”

Sorghum remains one of Zimbabwe’s most drought-resilient crops, but smallholder farmers often face challenges such as labour-intensive harvesting, significant losses, and limited access to reliable markets.

“Sorghum is central to Zimbabwe’s climate resilience, yet farmers struggle to scale, and markets remain untapped. "

The FARM P3 pilot have open a pathway to overcome these challenges and spread benefits across the entire supply chain,” said Alex Nyakatsapa, the Senior Value Chain and Agribusiness Advisor of SACP.

The initiative, launched this week, will also create new opportunities for young people in rural areas. IFAD plans to identify and mentor about 50 youth and lead farmers as mechanization service providers who will operate and maintain the new equipment.

These youth will be trained in business management and supported by banks and off-takers to build sustainable enterprises that can serve smallholder farmers.

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

The pilot is expected to reduce the number of workers needed per hectare from about 15 manual threshers to just two or three operators, improving efficiency and grain quality while cutting losses estimated at up to 30 percent.

Farmers in sorghum-growing areas such as Chivi, Mwenezi, and Chipinge have long complained about losing portions of their harvests due to outdated post-harvest methods.

“We lose so much during threshing that sometimes we end up selling less than we harvested,” said Tendai Mhlanga, a farmer from Chivi.

“Even small improvements can help us feed our families and earn more.”

FARM P3’s approach is built on public-private partnerships, working with local producer groups, off-takers, and financial institutions to ensure long-term sustainability.

The project is also expected to strengthen market access by linking farmers to buyers and processors who require high-quality grain.

The initiative forms part of a wider regional effort supported by France under the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, covering Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.

It complements IFAD’s Smallholder Agriculture Cluster Project  which promotes climate-smart farming and market-oriented value chains across 18 districts.

For smallholders like Mai Moyo, the project signals a turning point.

“We have waited for years for something like this,” she said. “If these machines can help us harvest more and waste less, then maybe our children will have a better future.”