By Kirsty Chibovero
Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector has had a year to be proud of. Output growth of 27.9% added 2.2 percentage points to the country’s 8.3% GDP growth, President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Parliament in his State of the Nation Address.
The good news came with a warning that the 2026/2027 rainfall outlook for the SADC sub-region points to below-normal precipitation. After a record-setting year, rainfed production systems now face a serious stress test.
A six-pillar plan for drought resilience
Government says it is building buffers before the season begins. Its Six Pillar Plan for resilience covers:
– An enhanced Strategic Grain Reserve to safeguard food security
– Accelerated climate-smart production
– An integrated financing architecture for the sector
– Livestock drought mitigation
– Co-ordination across institutions
– Early warning and capacity building
Legal reforms on water, tobacco and forests
The President also outlined the agriculture-related legislation coming before Parliament this session. The Water Act and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority Act are up for review, at a time when water resources management matters more than ever for irrigation and catchment planning.
Tobacco growers should watch the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board Act and the Tobacco Research Board Act, which could reshape marketing systems and research for one of the country’s key cash crops.
The Forest Act and the Communal Land Forest Produce Act are also set for amendment, strengthening environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources on communal land.
The President described a responsive regulatory foundation as essential for sustainable water management, agricultural marketing and value chain development.
