Paul Zakariya

This week, we are in Mutare for the Ministry’s strategic planning workshop for the Research and Services Departments , reflecting on our 2026 performance and setting clear priorities for 2027. I urged all leaders be the thermostat, setting the tone, driving performance and ensuring that plans translate into tangible results. Our plans must be firmly anchored in NDS2, the Six-Pillar Drought Mitigation Plan and the Food Systems Transformation Strategy 2, with climate change mitigation and resilience at the centre of our programmes. Our mission remains clear: to defend Zimbabwe against hunger, build a resilient agricultural sector and ensure food security everywhere, every day. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Rain or shine, irrigated farms keep producing. Irrigation lets farmers: ✅ Grow more than one season a year ✅ Get better yields from reliable moisture at critical growth stages ✅ Create steadier rural jobs all year round ✅ Move into high-value crops such as horticulture The results speak for themselves. Households in communal irrigation schemes have reported income gains of over 200% compared with rainfed farming. Irrigation is how we build a climate-resilient agriculture sector. #ClimateSmartAgriculture #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

In Natural Regions IV and V, long-season maize is a gamble even in a good year. In an El Niño year, it is a likely loss. These regions already receive less rain than the rest of the country, and the rain that does fall is often erratic. A drier season makes that risk much greater. Long-season maize needs steady moisture for months and suffers badly when a dry spell hits at the wrong time. Traditional grains are the way to go. They tolerate heat and dry spells, mature with less water, and have fed families in these regions for generations. Plant to your region, not to habit. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

This season, what you plant and when you plant matter more than how much you plant. In a normal year, a farmer can recover from a late start or a poor choice of seed. In an El Niño year there is little room for error. The rains are expected to be fewer and less reliable, and the hottest, driest stretch is likely to fall just as crops are germinating and establishing. A smaller field, planted with the right seed at the right time and well cared for, will often outyield a large field planted on hope. Plant for the season we are getting, not the one we hope for. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

One veld fire can destroy in an hour the feed a herd needs for a whole season. As we encourage farmers to conserve wheat straw and other crop residues, protecting them from fire is just as important. Storing residues away from grazing areas, maintaining fireguards and avoiding careless burning will keep this feed available when grazing runs out. Protecting feed is protecting the herd. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

In a speech read on his behalf at the National Launch of the 2026/27 Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme, His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa encouraged all farmers to ensure they have a plot under Pfumvudza/Intwasa for small grains ahead of the anticipated El Niño conditions.He said Government will provide seed and fertiliser to farmers. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Timely and accurate climate information is one of our most valuable tools in preparing for the season. With forecasts pointing to a super El Niño, early warning allows farmers, communities and Government to plan ahead rather than react to crises. The Ministry is working with the Meteorological Services Department to strengthen seasonal forecasting and make advisories available to farmers through extension officers, radio and mobile platforms. Early warning must lead to early action. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka, told African Union ministers in Ezulwini, Eswatini, that“food sovereignty must first establish seed sovereignty." The inaugural AU Ministerial Seed Summit ran from 5 to 7 October 2026 and set out continental commitments on seed research, farmer-managed seed systems, regulation, trade and accountability. Every harvest begins with a seed. Whether that seed is certified, locally adapted and planted on time often decides whether a family eats well, sells a surplus or goes hungry. spikedmedia.co.zw/seed-sover…

Statutory Instrument 87 of 2025 Through resources mobilised under the Grain Import Levy, more than 35 irrigation schemes have been rehabilitated and developed, bringing productive land back under irrigation and creating opportunities for increased production and improved farmer livelihoods.This is about more than infrastructure, it is about strengthening local production, building resilient agricultural value chains and ensuring food security through reliable, year-round production. @MoLAFWRD_Zim @AMAofficial_zim #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

To all beneficiaries of Government input support: your contribution back to community and national grain reserves matters. It is a simple act of gratitude that strengthens food security for the nation. In a season like this one, every tonne returned to the reserve could feed a family in need. When we give back, we protect each other. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday

Producing food is only half the battle. Keeping it safe is the other half. Losses to weevils, grain borers, rodents and moisture can wipe out a large share of a family's harvest. Use hermetic bags, clean storage facilities and approved grain protectants, and check your stored grain regularly. Every bag we save is a bag we do not need to produce again. #FoodSecurityEverywhereEveryday