daniel chigunwe
Patience Maturure
Agriculture Reporter
THE Government has reiterated its commitment to creating an inclusive and robust regulatory framework that embraces horticultural production in line with the push to boost nutrition security for every household.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development permanent secretary, Professor Obert Jiri said this during the inception of the Right to Food Programme meeting in Harare recently.
In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Ministry’s chief director in the Department of Business Development, Markets and Trade, Mr Clemence Bwenje, Prof Jiri observed that they were obliged to be guided by the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025) and the upcoming National Development Strategy 2 (2026-2030).
“This move aims to make land more secure, tradeable, bankable transferable, ultimately increasing productivity. It also targets to equip farmers with essential knowledge and skills to optimise their farming practices.
“The farmer Field schools being rolled out by the Government across all 35 000 villages focus on demand-driven solutions to challenges being faced by farmers,” he said.
The Ministry launched the issuance of title deeds on December 20 last year, handing over land tenure deeds to A2 and commercial farmers.
Prof Jiri applauded the stakeholders who contributed during difficult times, such as the 2023/2024 El Nino-induced drought response and mitigation team.
“I commend the efforts by our development partners that have also assisted us during difficult times, such as the 2023/24 El Nino-induced drought, the Cyclone Idai disaster humanitarian response efforts by development partners demonstrated the support to Government’s food security efforts for those affected by natural disasters and in vulnerable situations,” he said.
Prof Jiri highlighted the Government’s obligation to creating an inclusive and robust regulatory framework and programmes that govern and promote food security in the country.
“We have put in place a wide range of food and nutrition policies and institutional frameworks anchored on human rights. We have ensured the production of horticultural crops to guarantee nutritional security for every household,” he said.
He added that agriculture played a critical role in enhancing food security in the country, as the largest employer and the country’s second-largest source of export earnings.
“The sector contributes to the livelihoods of over 60 percent of the country’s population, 23 percent of formal employment, 63 percent of raw materials required by the manufacturing sector, 30 percent of export earnings and 15 percent to gross domestic product (GDP),” he said.
The Government is also moving to revitalise the agricultural sector by adopting farming practices tailored to local conditions with the goal of boosting yields and ensuring long-term sustainability.
“We are implementing a wide range of programmes aimed at improving the food security situation in the country. The Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme that promotes integrated conservation agriculture techniques and climate-smart initiatives to enhance productivity and resilience to environmental challenges has been yielding positive results,” he added.
Prof Jiri said the Government had managed to enhance diversified production from monoculture to traditional crops, oilseeds, and high-value crops, reducing the need for food imports.
“Under the Presidential Input Scheme, farmers have managed 11, 4 million plots marking a 20 percent increase from the targeted 9, 5 million. This translates to a 16 percent increase from the 2023/24 season performance of 9, 8 million plots under the Presidential Rural Development Programme,” he said.
He highlighted that the village business units were providing access to water for both consumption and production with production of horticultural crops ensuring nutrition security for every household.
“Farmer field schools being rolled out by the Government focus on demand-driven solutions to challenges being faced by farmers, aim to equip farmers with essential knowledge and skills to optimise their farming practices,” he added.
Government has also adopted several policies towards the realisation of food security. These include the National Agriculture Policy Framework (2019-2030), National Nutrition Strategy, the Zimbabwe Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan, the Agriculture, Food Systems and Rural Transformation Strategy, the National Policy on Drought Management and the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme.
Welt Hunger Hilfe country director, Mr Matthias Spaeth also weighed in saying there was need to create a complex food system, which requires the collaboration and alignment of different stakeholders.
The German government is funding the programme.
Online Reporter