Zimbabwe Peace Project
INTRODUCTION
In the period between July and September 2025, the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP)
recorded a troubling escalation of forced grain contributions imposed on small-scale and
subsistence farmers, particularly in rural areas. Farmers were coerced, often through
threats, intimidation, and pressure from traditional leaders, councillors, and ruling party
officials
delivering
thebeen
Grain
Marketing
Board (GMB)to and
associated
Weinto
are at
the highestgrain
point to
we've
since
2002. Congratulations
everyone!
schemes.
This development followed a government and GMB’s notice of June 2025 announcing the
opening of 1,804 ward based mobile grain collection centres, framed as a decentralisation
measure to reduce transport costs. Hidden within this move, however, was a compulsory
demand for ‘all beneficiaries of the presidential inputs scheme’ who were ordered to
surrender 10kg of grain each to create a so-called Strategic Grain Reserve.
Although presented as a food security initiative, ZPP’s monitoring revealed that the
policy’s implementation has been marred by abuse of authority and rights violations.
Evidence from Manicaland (783 people affected, 451 women and 332 men), Masvingo (365
affected people, 204 women and 161 men), Mashonaland East (153 people affected, 80
women and 73 men), Mashonaland Central (334 people affected, 179 women and 155 men),
and Midlands (641 people affected, 345 women and 296 men) provinces shows that instead
of empowering communities, the programme has been weaponised to control and
intimidate them. This report details these violations, examines their gender and disability
implications, exposes the politicisation of food aid, and highlights how community
platforms
are
increasingly
being
used
to
perpetuate
abuses.
It
concludes
with
recommendations and a call for stronger application of human rights frameworks to
protect citizens from such coercive practices.
Mash East
Mash Central
153
334
VICTIMS
Masvingo
365
6418
783
Midlands
Manicaland
4