Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministers responsible for agriculture, food security, fisheries and aquaculture have concluded their joint meeting in Victoria Falls with the adoption of 18 resolutions aimed at strengthening food systems and improving food security for an estimated 58 million people across the region.
Speaking at the conclusion of the meeting on Saturday, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation, and Water Resources Development, Dr Anxious Masuka, said the resolutions reflected the region’s determination to build resilient food systems capable of withstanding the growing impacts of climate change.
“As Zimbabwean Government, we are very prepared. Irrigated farmland has increased by 66 percent since 2017, we now have 10,600 dams in operation, and the Pfumvudza/Intwasa conservation agriculture model continues to protect smallholder farmers from climate-related shocks,” he said.
He highlighted Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation agenda demonstrates that climate-proofing agriculture is achievable when governments invest in water infrastructure, modern farming systems and farmer support programmes.
“Climate-proofing agriculture is not aspirational, but achievable. The experiences we have shared during this meeting show that countries in the region can build resilient agricultural systems capable of guaranteeing food security despite changing climatic conditions,”Minister Masuka said.
Dr Masuka also said, “the 18 resolutions adopted by ministers would provide a framework for enhancing agricultural productivity, strengthening regional food value chains and improving collaboration in fisheries and aquaculture development,”
SADC Chairperson of Ministers Responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture, South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, emphasised the importance of collective action in addressing regional food security challenges.
“No country can secure its food system alone. Our collective resilience depends on the resilience of our neighbours,” said Steenhuisen.
He urged member states to move beyond policy discussions and focus on implementation of the agreed resolutions.
“This is what regional cooperation looks like in action. The resolutions have been made now implementation is everything,” he said.
The meeting comes as Southern Africa continues to face recurring climate-induced challenges, including droughts, floods and extreme weather events that have threatened agricultural production and food security in several member states.
The SADC Joint Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Agriculture, Food Security, Fisheries and Aquaculture serves as a key platform for coordinating regional policies and programmes aimed at increasing agricultural productivity, strengthening food security and promoting sustainable management of natural resources across the 16-member regional bloc.
