Ruramiso Mashumba

Ruramiso is a young woman farmer in Marondera. She holds a BA Degree in Agriculture Business Management from the University of West England (UWE). She is a horticulture farmer and grows crops for export into the European union and Africa.

She has a 100ha plantation on her farm and is working with Sustainable afforestation association to address the issue for deforestation in her community. She is passionate about indigenous organic grains and is currently growing a rice variety called Oryza glaberrima, which is native to Zimbabwe and is at risk of becoming extinct. She is the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union youth wing and the first woman to hold this post in 75 years.

She is also a member of Southern African confederation of Agriculture Unions (SACAU).She is currently working on a project of training women and youth in her community on climate smart agriculture and nutrition. In 2014 she was invited by AGCO Cooperation to speak at their Africa Summit in Berlin and after her presentation the Chairman CEO & President of AGCO Martin H. Richenhagen awarded her with an award for influence and leading women towards mechanized farming in Africa.

She has been on the cover of The Zimbabwean Farmer magazine and also on the New Alliance for food and nutrition publication, which is endorsed by the African Union. She has been profiled by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale (GIZ), Zimbabwe Farmers Union and AGCO. Ruramiso is also a Mandela Washington 2016 fellow.