Tesa Farm Turns Adversity Into An Integrated Dairy And Poultry Success
The three Jersey cows at Tesa Farm file calmly into the milking parlour as the sun lifts over Matobo’s granite hills. Buckets clink, birds scatter from the thatch, and somewhere beyond the dairy shed, the sound of clucking rises from rows of poultry houses. This is the rhythm of a new kind of rural enterprise in Matabeleland South.
On a smallholding in Matobo District, not far from Figtree, Tesa Farm is steadily emerging as a model of integrated family farming in southern Zimbabwe. Built around dairy, poultry, and crop production, the operation is strengthening local food security, creating jobs, and supplying fresh products to markets in Figtree, Plumtree, Bulawayo, and surrounding communities.
Founded in 2024 as a dairy enterprise after years of battling devastating cattle theft, the family-run business has turned a painful chapter into an organised, year-round agribusiness. From three milking Jerseys and a fast-growing poultry flock, Tesa Farm now moves milk, amasi, eggs, and dressed chickens across Matabeleland’s trade routes, linking rural production to urban demand.
From Cattle Theft To Zero-Grazing Dairy
The Tesas’ story starts not with expansion, but with loss. After repeated cattle thefts that eroded their traditional beef herd, the family decided to change course instead of abandoning livestock altogether.
In 2024 they invested in zero-grazing dairy production, opting for controlled housing, improved feeding, and close daily management. That shift laid the foundation for the integrated model they run today.
They currently milk three Jersey cows, producing between 55 and 60 litres of fresh milk every day. A fourth cow is due to calve and enter production in the coming weeks, which the family expects will lift daily output and strengthen their presence in nearby markets.
“We learnt the hard way that open grazing and large herds are vulnerable,” said Mr Tesa during a visit to the farm. “With dairy, fewer well-managed animals can support the whole family and still supply the community.”
The milk is sold fresh and as amasi, a firm favourite in both rural and urban households. From homesteads around Matobo to busy streets in Bulawayo, demand for Tesa Farm’s dairy products has built a loyal customer base in less than a year.
FFA Explainer:
Zero-grazing dairy is a system where cattle are kept in housing or fenced units and fed cut fodder instead of roaming in open grazing areas. Farmers control feed quality and monitor animal health closely, which can boost milk yields and reduce losses, but it also requires reliable water, feed, and housing.
Poultry As The Second Pillar
While the dairy shed anchors the business, poultry now provides its main commercial volume. The farm keeps approximately 4,000 layers and 700 broilers, turning feed into eggs and meat for a fast-moving market.
The layers supply a steady stream of eggs to supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, vendors, and households. The broilers are sold as dressed chickens, responding to the strong preference for ready-to-cook meat among urban and peri-urban customers.
“We realised people want reliable supply all year, not just during holidays,” said Mrs Tesa, as workers moved crates of eggs towards a waiting bakkie. “Eggs and chicken move quickly, so combining them with dairy helps us balance cashflow.”
Demand, she says, regularly outstrips supply. In a region where transport costs and intermittent imports can disrupt shelves, buyers increasingly look to nearby farms to keep their fridges full. That pressure from supermarkets and households is already shaping the family’s next steps.
“Customers in Bulawayo, Figtree, and Plumtree are asking for more, not less,” added Mr Tesa. “It pushes us to plan for expansion, but we must grow in a way we can manage.”
FFA Explainer:
Layers are chickens kept mainly for egg production over many months. Broilers are meat birds grown for a short period, usually a few weeks, then sold for slaughter. Many smallholders mix both types to spread risk and secure more regular income.
Building Local Value Chains Around Feed
To keep both dairy and poultry units running, feed is everything. Tesa Farm has responded by tying its livestock operations directly to its crop fields.
The family grows maize for stock feed, reducing their reliance on bought-in rations and turning their land into a feed bank. At the same time, they purchase grain from neighbouring farmers, turning the farm into a small but important local market.
That simple decision is quietly shaping a wider rural value chain. Nearby smallholders now have a reliable buyer for their maize, while Tesa Farm secures a more stable supply of grain for its animals.
“We don’t want to grow alone,” said Mrs Tesa. “When we buy maize from neighbours, they also send their children to school and improve their homes. It keeps the money circulating here in Matobo.”
For Zimbabwe’s policy-makers, this kind of micro value chain speaks directly to national goals under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which emphasises rural industrialisation, local markets, and food self-sufficiency. It also aligns with AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goal on Zero Hunger, which both highlight the role of smallholders in feeding growing populations.
Water, Feed Costs, And The Hard Maths Of Expansion
Behind the success stories, Tesa Farm still faces the stubborn realities that define daily life for many farmers in Matabeleland South.
Intermittent water supply remains a serious constraint. Dairy cows need regular, clean water to maintain milk production, and poultry flocks suffer quickly from any disruption. Borehole yields, power cuts affecting pumping, and the cost of storage tanks all complicate planning.
Feed costs are another constant worry. Even with home-grown maize and local purchases, the price of commercial concentrates, transport, and supplementary ingredients bites into margins. Every extra crate of eggs and every additional litre of milk has to be weighed against these rising inputs.
“People see the full trays and milk cans, but they don’t always see the bills behind them,” said Mr Tesa with a wry smile. “Water, feed, labour, transport – if you miscalculate, you can lose money very fast.”
Despite those pressures, the family says the enterprise continues to generate encouraging returns. Earnings are supporting household needs, reinvestment in infrastructure, and local employment. Young people from nearby villages find work in feeding, cleaning, grading eggs, and delivering orders, gaining practical skills that can feed into their own ventures one day.
Integrated Farming As A Rural Model
Tesa Farm’s approach reflects a broader shift in Zimbabwean agriculture, where small and medium farmers are moving away from single-product enterprises toward integrated systems that stack multiple income streams on the same piece of land.
The dairy unit anchors daily cashflow, with milk and amasi sold almost immediately. Layers provide a near-daily harvest of eggs, smoothing income across weeks and months. Broilers allow the family to respond to seasonal demand peaks, such as holidays and ceremonies, with bulk meat sales.
Crops, especially maize, knit the system together, feeding the animals and locking in some protection against price shocks. Manure from the dairy and poultry units in turn fertilises the fields, closing part of the nutrient loop.
FFA Explainer:
Integrated farming combines several enterprises – such as crops, livestock, and poultry – so that the outputs of one become inputs for another. Done well, it can spread risk, improve soil fertility, and create more stable income, but it demands careful planning and record-keeping.
For Matabeleland South, where low rainfall and recurrent droughts make sole reliance on dryland field crops risky, this style of integration offers a practical path to resilience. It mirrors the kind of diversified, climate-aware agriculture promoted by agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and regional extension programmes.
Lessons For Smallholders Across Zimbabwe
The Tesas are quick to emphasise that they are still learning. Yet their experience already hints at a series of practical lessons for farmers from Mwenezi to Mutoko who are thinking about blending dairy, poultry, and crops.
- Start with what you can manage. The family began with a small dairy unit and expanded poultry as they gained confidence and markets, rather than stretching beyond their capacity on day one.
- Know your market first. Regular buyers in Figtree, Plumtree, and Bulawayo – including supermarkets, restaurants, bakeries, vendors, and households – shaped their production levels and product mix.
- Treat water as a core asset. Every expansion decision is now filtered through the question of water availability, not just land size.
- Use crops to support livestock. Growing maize and buying from neighbours builds feed security, while connecting the farm to its surrounding community.
In many ways, Tesa Farm’s integrated model echoes success stories from other parts of Zimbabwe – from dairy and poultry units around Harare’s peri-urban belt, to mixed enterprises in Manicaland that combine horticulture with small-scale broiler production. What sets Matobo apart is the determination to rebuild after cattle theft and to root that recovery in family labour, local markets, and careful diversification.
“We want our children to grow up seeing agriculture as a business, not a punishment,” said Mrs Tesa, watching a delivery vehicle pull away with the day’s first batch of eggs. “If a small farm like ours can feed the community and pay school fees, then there is a future here.”
On that Matobo morning, as the last Jersey cow leaves the parlour and the poultry houses settle into their steady clatter, the outlines of that future feel visible. A family, a farm, and an integrated system that turns risk into resilience – one litre of milk and one crate of eggs at a time.
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