Hydroponics farming is on the rise in Zimbabwe. Keith Chipudhla told Farmer's Weekly that he turned to hydroponics in response to the growing challenges facing traditional agriculture, including water scarcity, limited access to arable land, rising input costs, and inconsistent production outcomes.
While studying international trade and finance in China, Chipudhla was exposed to advanced controlled-environment agriculture systems and water-efficient production technologies. This experience inspired him to co-found Vitagrow Urban Farms, a Harare-based urban hydroponics enterprise that officially launched in 2019.
Starting with a small backyard greenhouse in the Westgate suburb, the business has since transitioned into a dedicated commercial operation based in Vainona, where production systems have been scaled and standardised to support consistent year-round supply into Harare's premium retail and hospitality markets.
Today, Vitagrow supplies a growing network of high-end supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, farmers' markets, and consumers in Harare, with increasing engagement from institutional buyers. Market demand has consistently exceeded in-house production capacity, creating a strong commercial case for structured expansion through aggregation and outgrower models linked to future export readiness.
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