“Before, we used to sell our produce in buckets or sacks without realizing its value. Now, I understand that adding value to my produce means I can earn more and provide better for my family,” says Mariet Muroyiwa, a smallholder farmer and entrepreneur from Ward 10, Mazowe, Zimbabwe.

Mariet has transformed her livelihood through biofortified crops. For years now, she has been growing vitamin A maize, vitamin A orange sweet potatoes, and iron beans. Initially selected by AGRITEX to participate in biofortification programs, she soon became a community mobilizer with HarvestPlus, actively promoting the nutritional benefits of biofortified crops.

Despite her dedication, Mariet’s income remained low, as she sold unprocessed grain with little market value. Her breakthrough came in 2022 when she joined the “Expanding Nutrients in Food Systems” project, implemented by HarvestPlus with support from the Government of Canada. Through the initiative, she received hands-on training in food processing, packaging, labeling, and marketing—skills that opened up new income opportunities and transformed her approach to business.

“During the training, I realized that I had been losing money by selling my raw crops,” Mariet explains. “Now, I make sure to process, package, and label my products properly to attract more customers and fetch a better price.”

Before the training, Mariet sold her biofortified maize in 20-liter buckets (about 18 kilogram) for just USD $7. After learning how to process the maize into flour, she began packaging it in one kilogram (kg) bags and selling each for USD $3—earning a total of USD $54 per bucket.

Motivated by this success, Mariet began experimenting further. She started producing flour from vitamin A orange sweet potatoes for baking bread, scones, and buns, and began making gravy powders from the iron-rich NUA45 bean variety. Her growing product range helped her tap into new markets and increase sales.

Her entrepreneurial efforts began gaining attention. With support from HarvestPlus, Mariet showcased her processed foods to high-profile stakeholders, including Zimbabwe’s First Lady during a visit to a local clinic. In 2023, she diversified further, producing fermented vitamin A maize juice (Mahewu) for miners at a local mine and drying vitamin A orange sweet potato leaves to supply a nearby boarding school.

“The ability to identify and penetrate new markets has changed everything for me,” Mariet says. “I never imagined that I would be supplying schools and mines with my biofortified products. But now, I see endless possibilities.”

Beyond technical training, the project gave Mariet access to broader markets and networks. She exhibited her products at the 2024 Biofortification Dialogue at Rainbow Towers in Harare, where she connected with new customers and potential business partners. This exposure elevated her business profile and positioned her as a community role model.

The results are tangible. Mariet’s increased income has had a transformative impact on her life. She’s now able to support her family, enroll her child in a boarding school, and invest in her business. With the purchase of a solar dryer and oven, Mariet has expanded her product line to include a wider range of nutritious baked goods.

Looking ahead, Mariet envisions scaling her enterprise into a fully-fledged biofortified food processing business, supplying healthy, affordable products to local schools, hospitals, and supermarkets.