Stakeholders across Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector have converged at Robbie Mupawose Hall at the Harare Showgrounds for the 2026/27 Agricultural Season — A Whole Value Chain Preparedness Summit.
The summit brings together farmers, contractors, input suppliers, financiers, buyers and policymakers to coordinate preparations for the upcoming agricultural season.
It focuses on strengthening collaboration, improving productivity and ensuring readiness across the entire agricultural value chain.
UPDATE :
Scenes at the summit
Stakeholders follow proceedings at the 2026/27 Agricultural Season Preparedness Summit at the Robbie Mupawose Centre, Harare Showgrounds. — Picture: Charles Muchakagara
UPDATE :
‘No need to panic over El Nino’
Zimbabwe can beat the anticipated El Niño-induced dry conditions through early planning and translating climate forecasts into decisive action on farms, the Government has said.
The Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Mechanisation and Water Resources Development, Professor Obert Jiri, said a below-normal rainfall forecast should not automatically translate into below-normal agricultural production.
Prof Jiri said the focus should shift from merely receiving weather forecasts to helping farmers answer two critical questions: when to plant and what to plant.
Professor Obert Jiri
The summit is being held under the theme ‘From Climate Forecast to Farm Action: Building a Resilient, Productive and Food-Secure Zimbabwe’.
‘The appropriate response to this forecast is not panic, but proactive planning, informed decision-making and coordinated risk management,’ he said.
Prof Jiri said meteorological information should be translated into practical, localised agricultural advisories covering planting dates, crop and variety selection, soil moisture management, irrigation and livestock water requirements.
The event is organised by Zimpapers with SeedCo, Zimnat, Zimplow and Zinwa coming in as sponsors.
UPDATE :
Need for proactiveness ahead of 2026–27 El Niño phenomenon
Agricultural value-chain actors, financial institutions and farmers have been urged to adopt proactive risk management rather than panic in response to meteorological forecasts pointing to a potential El Niño event during the upcoming 2026–2027 summer cropping season.
Professor Jiri said this at the Zimpapers agricultural preparedness summit this morning.
The summit is held under the theme “From Climate Forecast to Farmer Action: Building a Resilient, Productive and Food-Secure Zimbabwe.”
“We gather here today not out of fear, but out of a shared commitment to foresight, preparation, and national prosperity. As we look towards the 2026–2027 summer season, we are confronted with the prospect of a potential El Niño event, and potentially a big El Niño event.
“The appropriate response to this forecast is not panic, but proactive planning, informed decision-making, and coordinated risk management,” Prof Jiri said.-herald
