RETZ Approach
1. Training and Capacity building
RETZ facilitates and promotes training and capacity building activities for its primary and secondary production programmes. Training is determined to build the capacity of the primary stakeholders for instance the marginalized rural communities to effectively venture into entrepreneurship. For its primary production programmes, RETZ promotes training on entrepreneurship, agro-business, conservation farming, renewable energy, organic farming, and post-harvesting processing as well as on climate resilience sustainable agriculture. It also facilitates the formation of small medium enterprises, production groups and commodity associations, as well as promoting linkages with agro dealers and the private sector who can continue to provide support services for the communities. Primary production programmes mainly focus on how communities can increase outputs.
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On secondary production programmes, RETZ builds the capacity of the communities on commodity enterprise, value addition and supply chain management, financial management, finance access and inclusion, Village Savings and Lending as well as on marketing and distribution. The aim here is to ensure that communities are equipped with the skills to commercialize and trade their commodities profitably. Communities are trained on business development services such as supply chain management, marketing research and analysis, financial management, risk analysis, access to finances, and business operations and planning. The organization also enhances the capacity of the communities to use latest technologies and systems to promote enterprise development as well as to increase production while maintaining and preserving the natural resource base. The secondary production programmes of RETZ are determined to improve incomes and financial access and business inclusion among households and communities.
2. Research and policy advocacy
RETZ also promotes researches on both primary and secondary enterprise development stages. Research is critical to inform community profiling which actually drives our programmes. Community profiling is on community livelihoods, geographical aspects and environmental issues, climatic aspects, tenure security systems as well as opportunities available for agro and non-agro businesses. Researches are also on commodity markets and marketing systems; best enterprise development practices, policies and procedures which can promote the commercialization of small holder agriculture while supporting the growth of small to medium rural enterprises. RETZ achieve this mandate through partnering with the private sector and institutions of higher learning as the organization strives to become the hub of information for potential growing areas and other business opportunities around the country. As such, researches are shared and disseminated via the social media tools and other forums for programming, lobbying, and advocacy by communities and other development partners including the government and the Civil Society Organizations operating within and outside Zimbabwe. RETZ also uses the information to produce policy alternatives which are very critical for its advocacy activities to enhance an enabling environment which can drive enterprise development through the improvement of both quality and quantity of production.
Additionally, the information also feeds into programmes for RETZ. The organization also underpins some researches specifically to gain information on market development and linkages, value chain analysis, commodity enterprise as well as innovative systems and technologies which can promote the growth of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) amongst the marginalized communities.
3. Information dissemination and awareness raising
RETZ promotes public discourse for its information sharing and dissemination activities. To drive this agenda, RETZ organizes annual, national and international forums to discuss rural entrepreneurship while promoting the interaction of the marginalized communities with local and international entrepreneurs. These events are also meant to promote the interaction of the rural communities with the private sector business people and government line ministries notably the Ministry of SMEs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Mechanization as well as the Ministry of Local Governance, to discuss policy innovations and opportunities for rural enterprise development. Information is shared and disseminated through RETZ website and its other social media platforms. Such programmes are meant to ensure inclusive economic governance and to raise awareness on rural agro and non-agro entrepreneurship and how communities can utilize their natural resources in a manner that is both innovative and sustainable.
4. Promotion of innovative systems and technologies for inclusive business and sustainable development
As part of reinforcing its research and capacity building programmes, RETZ introduce the latest technologies which can help to build resilience, innovativeness and sustainability as the communities adapt to and mitigate the escalating impact of climate change. The innovative systems and technologies help communities to use their natural resources sustainably and in a way which drives enterprise development among. As such, the latest technologies are used to advance rural SMEs thereby improving quality and quantity of production, competitiveness, incomes and household food and nutrition security.