A team from the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has turned faith into practical hope on 08 June 2026, travelling to Sussundenga, Mozambique, to gather hands-on lessons in value addition and market access for rural farmers.
The Marketing and Value Addition Exchange visit, led by Maria Tendai, ZCC Head of Programs for Humanitarian Services and Diakonia, forms part of the Scaling Up Resilience Project currently running in Gutu and Bikita districts. The project is a partnership with the United Church of Canada and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
In Sussundenga, the ZCC delegation met with the Micaia Foundation, known for its work in enterprise development, market systems, and value addition. The team also paid a courtesy visit to ADRA Mozambique and the District Development Coordinator’s Office.
“Seeing what is possible just across the border gives our farmers a bigger picture,” Tendai said. “We came to learn, so our communities can move beyond growing food to earning a living from it.”
ADRA Mozambique, in partnership with Micaia Foundation, runs nature plus projects that promote sustainable livelihoods, market access, value addition, and climate resilience among rural communities.
The exchange focused on practical steps to help farmers in Gutu and Bikita do more than produce. The goal: access profitable markets, add value to crops, increase household incomes, and strengthen food security.
“Resilience is not only spiritual,” one delegate noted. “When a farmer can process, package, and sell at a fair price, that’s dignity. That’s poverty reduction in action,” said a delegate
Lessons from Mozambique are expected to feed directly into ZCC’s ongoing work to support farmers to produce at a larger scale, connect with reliable buyers, and maximize returns from their agricultural enterprises.
The Scaling Up Resilience Project continues to bridge the gap between the farm gate and the marketplace, ensuring that faith, farming, and business work together for transformed communities.
