Disi Farm addresses poverty and environmental challenges in Zimbabwe through integrated strategies

The country ranks 159 out of 192 on the Human Development Index. Disi Farm, located in Mvurwi, Mashonaland Central province, is implementing both "bottom-up" and "top-down" strategies to combat poverty and promote sustainable development. Bottom-up initiatives include running daycare clinics and educational support for workers' children since the 1950s, enforcing strict child labor laws, and introducing a "food pack" policy in 2008 to mitigate hyperinflation by allowing workers to receive half their salaries in essential food items.

The farm also addresses social issues through bi-monthly domestic abuse forums, using employment as leverage to encourage better behavior, and combats youth alcoholism by funding two football teams to promote active, community-based lifestyles. Top-down efforts involve partnerships with NGOs and the UN. Disi Farm collaborates with My Trees Trust to operate a tree nursery producing 10,000 trees annually, which aids carbon sequestration and provides free fruit trees to locals for income and nutrition.

Since 2024, in partnership with the Zimbabwean Carbon Market, the Environment, Climate ministry, and Wildlife Zimbabwe, Disi Farm has distributed aluminum stoves that are 70% more efficient than open flames, reducing deforestation and supporting carbon capture initiativ