The Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, complained of no meat. So God sent quail—more than they could consume.
Thousands of unemployed people in the destitute country of Zimbabwe are hoping for a quail windfall too. The southern African country is in dire straits. Just months ago, few Zimbabweans knew about quail. But rumors began to spread that the shy little bird has medicinal value. Now it is in high demand, even among the poor.
Backyards are turning into breeding zones as people flock to cash in on the quail craze. Quail products sell for triple the price of chicken products. A fried quail costs about $5 at restaurants in a country where the average person lives on about a dollar a day. On street corners, salespeople hand out fliers claiming the tiny, delicate eggs treat an array of ailments.
“I have 400 birds, but I prefer selling the eggs because they are more profitable,” says Gwynn Kariwo. She shows off a backyard cage teeming with quails in a poor Harare suburb. Other women in Harare also have poultry farms now.
The cost to start a quail business is small compared to other options. Harare resident Moreblessing Bizure already raised chickens, but she struggled to make a profit. She joined three other women in her community. One raises chickens. A second is a home decorator. The third is a merchant who buys and sells other people’s goods. The women applied as a group for a $3,000 loan from Thrive Microfinance Ltd.
Microfinance companies are for-profit businesses that give small-scale loans to individual entrepreneurs in poor countries. The women in Moreblessing’s group will use the money to grow all their businesses. They will repay their loan over just six months with a small amount of interest. Companies like Thrive also provide training on record-keeping and budgeting.
“God has sent food and work to starving and unemployed Zimbabweans,” says former lawmaker Francis Manhombo. That’s a very good thing. But he is concerned that too many suppliers will flood the market too rapidly. “Everyone everywhere is doing it, hoping to become millionaires overnight.” Some of the businesses may fail.
Moreblessing’s group is a reasonable risk for microfinance investors. Because the loan is spread over four different types of businesses, if one fails, the others may still be able to pay back the loan. That’s a sound business principle: Don’t put all your quail eggs in one basket.
