Linda Masarira, the visionary founder of Zhizha Natural Dried Foods, is reshaping Zimbabwe’s food systems while uplifting women and preserving cultural heritage. What began as a response to systemic inequalities in agriculture has grown into a powerful social enterprise that bridges economic empowerment, sustainability, and nutrition.
Masarira’s journey started through her work as a social justice advocate, where she encountered the struggles of marginalised women, widows, single mothers, and small-scale farmers who, despite their deep agricultural knowledge, remained trapped in poverty. “These women held generations of farming wisdom,” she explains, “yet faced post-harvest losses, unfair middlemen, and declining incomes while Zimbabwe increasingly relied on unhealthy imported foods.”
This crisis inspired Zhizha’s unique approach. The enterprise partners with women farmers, training them in organic farming and traditional sun-drying methods that lock in nutrients while honouring Zimbabwe’s food heritage. “We’re not just selling products,” Masarira emphasises. “We’re rebuilding supply chains that value indigenous knowledge and create lasting livelihoods.”
Sustainability lies at the heart of Zhizha’s operations. After harvest, produce is naturally sun-dried and packaged in biodegradable materials embedded with seeds, an ingenious solution that turns waste into future vegetation. “Every Zhizha product completes a cycle,” Masarira notes. “It supports families financially, nourishes consumers healthily, and eventually gives back to the earth.”
As a woman in Zimbabwe’s male-dominated agribusiness sector, Masarira faced scepticism and funding challenges. “Banks struggled to understand our blend of profit and social impact,” she recalls. Yet, Zhizha’s grassroots model, selling directly to communities and reinvesting profits became its strength, developing deep trust and steady growth.
Changing consumer habits was another hurdle. “We had to reintroduce people to the benefits of traditional foods,” Masarira says. Through cooking demonstrations, nutrition workshops, and storytelling, Zhizha has reconnected urban families and diaspora communities with their culinary roots, with many reporting better health after switching to their products.
The impact is evident in success stories like the Mashonaland women’s cooperative. Once struggling to sell their crops, these 30 women now run their own drying facility and train neighbouring farmers. “Their children are back in school, their families eat better, and they’ve become community leaders,” Masarira shares proudly.
As Zhizha prepares for its official August launch and international expansion, Masarira remains focused on her broader mission. “We’re proving that African solutions, rooted in tradition yet forward-thinking, can tackle our biggest challenges,” she says. With plans for a solar-powered processing plant and an agri-entrepreneurship academy, Zhizha is set to scale its impact across Africa.
More than a business, Zhizha is a movement, one where economic justice, environmental care, and cultural pride come together. As Masarira puts it: “When a woman farmer thrives, when a child eats nutritious local food, when packaging turns into new life, that’s how we build the Zimbabwe we deserve.”
Zhizha’s story defies conventional business logic, proving that enterprises can profit while driving social change. By blending ancestral wisdom with modern innovation, Masarira and her team are not just feeding communities today, they are nurturing a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come.
