Joshua Zinzombe uses farming to transform communities
Joshua Zinzombe is a farmer, agroecology advocate and community development practitioner whose work focuses on sustainable agriculture, food security and empowering rural women and young people.
Growing up in Shamva District, Zinzombe was introduced to farming by his parents and saw first-hand the value of agriculture as well as the challenges faced by rural communities, including poor rainfall, tired soils and limited support for farmers.
Those experiences influenced his decision to pursue agriculture and find practical ways of making farming more sustainable and profitable.
Today, Zinzombe works at Greenfarms Organics in the Mazowe Valley, where he has developed a 62-acre climate-smart farming model incorporating crop production, livestock, poultry, vermi-composting and zero-tillage.
His work also extends beyond the farm through farmer training programmes run by Greenfarmers Organics. He trains farmers in agroecology, organic farming and climate-smart agriculture, with a particular focus on marginalised rural women and young people.
Speaking to The List Awards by Identities Media Holdings, Zinzombe said his connection with farming began through his family.
“I did not discover farming from a textbook; I first learned it from my parents’ hands in rural Shamva, I saw the beauty of the land, but I also saw the pain of poor rains, tired soils, and families working hard without enough support.” Zinzombe said
He explained that these experiences became the motivation behind his work in agriculture and his desire to show that young Africans can contribute to innovation in the sector. Beyond agricultural production, Zinzombe has also worked to address basic needs in surrounding communities. Greenfarms Organics provides clean drinking water to 40 families living around the farm.
For Zinzombe, the value of his work is measured not only through agricultural output, awards or the size of the farm, but also through the people who benefit from it,
“My proudest achievements are not only in awards or hectares; they are in people’s lives,” he said.
He also serves as the National Youth and Women in Agrifood Systems Coordinator at Greenfarmers Organics, where he works to encourage the next generation to view agriculture as a sustainable and profitable sector. He is a semi-finalist under the Youth Impact Award category. Being a finalist in The List Awards 2026, Zinzombe sees the recognition as an acknowledgement of the importance of rural work and the people behind it.
“To me, The List Awards is more than recognition; it is a mirror showing that quiet rural work matters,” he said.
Zinzombe said the recognition would help amplify conversations around climate-smart agriculture, attract partners and encourage more young people to view farming as a form of leadership. However, Zinzombe said the outcome of the awards would not determine his commitment to the work.
“Winning or losing will not change my purpose,” he said.
He outlined plans to continue training farmers, promoting sustainable agriculture, protecting soils and expanding efforts to strengthen water and food security.
Joshua Zinzombe emphasized that farming is not only about producing food. He views it as a way of creating opportunities, strengthening rural communities and encouraging more young people to participate in the future of African agriculture.