The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, in partnership with the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) and the CGIAR Scaling for Impact Programme, convened a National Seed Business Summit and Seed Roadmap Workshop at Cresta Lodge, Msasa, Harare. 

Held under the theme: “Strengthening Seed Systems for Agricultural Transformation,” in partnership with development partners, research institutions, private sector actors, and farmer organisations, the Summit represents a major national effort to develop a robust, climate-smart, and sustainable seed system capable of driving food security, agricultural productivity, and economic transformation in Zimbabwe. 

Africa’s food systems continue to face mounting pressures from climate change, droughts, pests and diseases, conflicts, and global economic shocks. The Russia–Ukraine conflict further exposed vulnerabilities in Africa’s agricultural systems by disrupting grain supply chains and access to critical agricultural inputs, including seed and fertiliser.

In response, the African Development Bank Group launched the African Emergency Food Production Facility (AEFPF), leveraging the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme and CGIAR-led partnerships to accelerate food production and strengthen resilience across the continent.

The intervention produced significant results: More than 5.9 million farmers reached, over 476,000 metric tons of certified seed distributed, and an additional 17.2 million metric tons of food produced across Africa.

Zimbabwe’s participation in the Dakar II Food Summit in Senegal further reinforced the country’s commitment to food sovereignty, climate resilience, and agricultural transformation. Following the Summit, Zimbabwe adopted its Country Food and Agriculture Delivery Compact aimed at strengthening food, feed, and oil security while reducing dependency on food imports.

At the centre of this transformation agenda is the seed sector.

Zimbabwe currently ranks among Africa’s leading seed systems according to the African Union Seed Sector Performance Index, placing fifth on the continent due to its strong private sector participation, vibrant research ecosystem, and robust seed certification processes.

However, challenges remain, including Climate variability and drought, weak rural infrastructure, counterfeit seed, and limited farmer access to certified seed production and market constraints affecting key value chains.

The National Seed Business Summit seeks to address these challenges by developing a comprehensive five-year Seed Roadmap and Investment Plan aligned with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), and the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy.

The roadmap will prioritise strategic value chains critical to food security and economic growth, including Maize, Wheat, Sorghum, Finger millet. Pearl millet, Soybean, Common Beans and Groundnut. 

The summit also showcased innovations and lessons from TAAT Compacts across the continent, including climate-smart seed varieties, improved agronomic practices, integrated pest management technologies, and strengthened seed delivery systems.

Zimbabwe has already recorded major gains across several commodities: Wheat production has increased significantly through irrigation expansion, improved seed systems, and climate-resilient varieties, Climate-smart maize technologies are helping farmers combat Fall Armyworm and improve productivity, Sorghum and millet value chains are receiving renewed attention due to their drought tolerance and nutritional importance, Bean, soybean, and groundnut interventions are improving nutrition, farmer incomes, and value chain development

For the three days, the summit brought together policymakers, researchers, seed companies, financial institutions, farmer organisations, women and youth groups, development agencies, universities, and international technical partners from across Africa.

Discussions focused on seed policy and regulatory frameworks, variety development and seed production, quality assurance and certification, farmer awareness and access investment mobilisation, public-private partnerships, and commodity-focused roadmap development.

The outcome was a nationally owned Seed Roadmap and Investment plan that can strengthen sustainable seed systems, increase access to climate-resilient seed varieties, and support Zimbabwe’s long-term agricultural transformation agenda.

The summit ultimately underscored a broader vision of building resilient food systems, empowering farmers, strengthening partnerships, and securing the future of agriculture in Zimbabwe and across Africa.