President Emmerson Mnangagwa has commended the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development for steering the country’s agriculture sector beyond expectations, growing it from US$8,2 billion to US$10,3 billion this year despite Zimbabwe experiencing its worst drought in over four decades during the 2023/2024 season.
The President made the remarks in the foreword of the Agriculture Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy 2 (AFSRTS2), which will run from 2026 to 2030 under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) framework. He said agriculture remains the foundation of Zimbabwe’s economy and will continue to anchor the nation’s transformation into an upper middle-income society by 2030.
“I commend the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development for the accelerated implementation of this Strategy, which has seen the sector grow to a US$10,3 billion industry by 2025, despite the negative impact of the worst drought in over forty years,” President Mnangagwa said.
In August 2020, the President launched the first Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy, later renamed the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy, which set a target to grow the sector from US$5,2 billion to US$8,2 billion by 2025 under NDS1. Through several landmark programmes such as Pfumvudza/Intwasa, the expansion of irrigation schemes and mechanisation initiatives, the agriculture sector achieved substantial growth, surpassing the target earlier than projected.
President Mnangagwa said the launch of AFSRTS2 (2026-2030) marks a new chapter focused on resilience and sustainability. He said the new plan will prioritise climate-proofed agriculture to ensure perennial food security, moving the nation away from reliance on favourable weather conditions. “This will assure the nation of food sovereignty. Concurrent with this effort, there will be improved nutrition for communities through a food systems approach to agricultural production. Resultantly, there will be better livelihoods for communities and increased contribution of agriculture to economic development. These developments will be buttressed by a robust and secure land tenure and administration system,” he said.
The President reaffirmed that the Land Reform Programme remains irreversible and will continue to be strengthened through the issuance of bankable and transferable title deeds to ensure productivity and tenure security. He added that the new agricultural strategy also integrates regional and continental agricultural frameworks, including the Kampala Declaration’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and its ten-year Strategy and Action Plan adopted by the African Union Council of Ministers earlier this year.
President Mnangagwa said the Whole-of-Government approach and the national philosophy, “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo / Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo”, must continue to guide implementation of the strategy. He said the philosophy should motivate stakeholders across all sectors to contribute to national development and the attainment of Vision 2030.
In his acknowledgements, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said AFSRTS2 was developed through extensive stakeholder consultations. He said the process involved policymakers, farmers, financiers, input suppliers, researchers, development partners and various other stakeholders. “The involvement of many players demonstrates the proprietary, participatory, inclusive and Whole-of-Sector approach adopted since the advent of the Second Republic in 2017,” Dr Masuka said.
He explained that the new strategy is designed to strengthen the policy and regulatory environment, promote sustainable production, modernise research and innovation, build climate resilience, drive rural industrialisation, expand markets, improve access to finance, and enhance land tenure security and institutional capacity.
Permanent Secretary for Agriculture Professor Obert Jiri said the strategy adopts a food systems and value chain approach, designed to integrate agricultural development with industrialisation and economic transformation. “AFSRTS2 is informed by the value chain approach, where the ministry identified value chain champions whose findings were validated by stakeholders through policy dialogues, key informant interviews and validation workshops,” he said.
Professor Jiri added that the Agricultural Development Pentagon Approach-which combines research, finance, marketing, education and extension-will underpin the operationalisation of the strategy. He said the new approach recognises that meaningful agricultural transformation requires collaboration between government, the private sector and development partners.
He emphasised that agricultural transformation will no longer be government-centric but will be driven by a multi-stakeholder partnership that ensures inclusive growth and sustainable development.
With the agriculture sector already surpassing its 2025 growth target, the new strategy aims to consolidate these gains, strengthen resilience and ensure that the sector remains a key driver of Zimbabwe’s industrialisation, rural transformation and economic modernisation.
